iCivics
Step 8: Talk It Up
You have 30 seconds to sell your idea ... go! Scholars master the art of the elevator pitch in the eighth step of a 10-part series. They use research, practice, and step-by-step planning to gain a better understanding of the method....
Prestwick House
The Grapes of Wrath
At over 450 pages, John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath can be a challenging choice for full-class, book circle, or independent reading. The activities in a 10-page sample The Grapes of Wrath...
iCivics
Mini-Lesson: The Incumbent Advantage
Does the person running for re-election have an advantage over the challenger? Scholars explore the concept of incumbent advantage during elections using an informative mini-instructional activity explaining the legislative branch. In...
PBS
Opioids in Our Community—Middle School
How do opioids affect the lives of families and individuals within a community? Scholars explore the topic with a series of informative, thought-provoking videos. They also complete worksheets and discuss the effects of the opioid...
American Museum of Natural History
Going Gobi: The Hunt for Fossils in Mongolia
Take a trip on a fossil hunt. Pupils read about a trip to the Gobi Desert by a group of paleontologists to find fossils. Learners view pictures taken on the trip and determine what the scientists go through in the search for answers to...
Curated OER
Chemistry Module 5 - Specifications
While this resource does not provide problems for chemistry learners to solve, it outlines skills that they should have and concepts that they should grasp. Topics include thermodynamics, periodicity, redox equilibria, transition metals,...
Curated OER
Checks and Balances
Young scholars discuss elements of financial planning. In this personal finance lesson plan, students practice filling out personal banking information. Young scholars conduct research using the Internet and a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Bible: Creation
Students compare and contrast the two creation stories of Genesis 1-2:3 and Genesis 2:4-5. In this creation accounts lesson, students work in small groups to outline the two stories, noting similarities and differences. ...
Curated OER
Love And Marriage Vocabulary And Discussion
Students brainstorm and practice using vocabulary about love and marriage using invented stories or personal accounts. They give and ask for advice and create a story with a partner.
Curated OER
Slavery in the United States
Students investigate the personal accounts of slaves in the United States. They participate in various activities according to grade level to examine the role of slavery in the South.
Curated OER
Northern Racism and the New York City Draft Riots of 1865
Students analyze primary source illustrations and personal accounts of the New York City Draft riots. They draw conclusions about the existence and power of Northern racism toward African Americans
Curated OER
Go Down Moses
Fifth graders investigate the workings of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery lesson, 5th graders read personal accounts from slaves, examine secret codes of the Underground Railroad, and play a board game based on the trip many...
Curated OER
Taking Account of Water
Students discover how much water they actually use and investigate the need for water conservation.
App State
Brainstorming
Get your young writers outside of the traditional essay writing mode with Free Write Friday. Free Write Friday encourages your class to use personal experiences or knowledge to write more creative pieces. Young writers could experiment...
Curated OER
Parental Accountability and Public Policy
Students examine laws that relate to parental accountability for minors. Students debate these laws and identify their own personal opinions regarding parental civil and criminal liability. Students draft legislation that reflects their...
Teach Engineering
You Are There... First Flight
Glide into the study of flight. An engaging lesson has scholars research information on the Wright brothers. They develop props and produce a recreation of the first flight at Kitty Hawk. They then report on the event as if they were...
Curated OER
Genre Lesson: Biography/Autobiography
Practice distinguishing biography from autobiography through point of view. Tell a brief story of your morning. Have a class member retell the story to you (using second person). And have another retell the story to the class (using...
BioEd Online
Nutritional Challenges
Eating healthy can be a challenge, especially for people with special dietary needs. After learning about standard nutritional needs for adults, learners take on the role of a dietician and work together to create a menu for one of the...
American Battlefield Trust
Jeremiah Handley
Designed for middle school scholars, a instructional activity explores the life of Jeremiah Handley, a young man when the Civil War broke out. Pupils read Handley's personal story, accounts of battles, and view images to understand what...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Frederick Douglass’s Narrative: Myth of the Happy Slave
The firsthand accounts of what it was like to be an enslaved person in the mid-1800s riveted a nation and the issue ultimately led to civil war. Using excerpts from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, budding historians examine what it...
Curated OER
Links to the Past
Learners use documents from California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900 , in American Memory to create a script depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, and realizations of immigrants who settled California between...
Curated OER
Student E-mail
Guide your pupils through the process of creating a free e-mail account on Gaggle.net. Once the accounts are established, class members contact authors and practice letter writing techniques. This activity includes resource links and is...
Curated OER
Isoseismal Maps
Students examine the difference between magnitude and intensity in earthquakes. They complete map work and write a first hand account of a person living in each level of intensity on the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Curated OER
Motivating the Students
Teachers explore various ways to motivate students. They consider star charts and effort charts to create a point system for motivation. They explore setting goals, progress markers, questionnaires, feedback sheets, and personalizing...