BBC
Words in the News
Here's an "old-school" lesson plan on an event in US history. High schoolers look into the massive layoffs that occurred in New Orleans in 2005. Discussion and debate take place, and groups of learners must cut and paste a series of...
Curated OER
Grammar Lesson Plan: Simple Past vs. Present Perfect
What's the difference between the present perfect and simple past? Have your class practice identifying and using both of these verb tenses through pair activities, whole-class discussion, and a worksheet.
Curated OER
The Function of Music
Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this lesson from Media Smarts that asks students to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm possible functions...
US House of Representatives
A Growing Diversity, 1993–2017
Connect current events to the roles of AAPI members in Congress. Activities include tracing the impact of the Vietnam War on today's representatives. Learners have various options to explore, including role-play exercises and creating a...
Carolina K-12
An Overview of the Vietnam War
A highly engaging warm-up activity starts this plan for teaching class members about the Vietnam War. After the anticipatory activity, the teacher chooses how to provide an overview of the war (PowerPoint, lecture, textbook, etc.). Next,...
Media Smarts
The Citizen Reporter
Ripped from the headlines! Discuss topical social issues like racism, discrimination, and diversity while exploring the concept of citizen journalism. Begin with a professional-looking presentation on the history of citizen journalism....
Delegation of the European Union to the United States
The Founding and Development of the European Union
How did Europe transition from a period of conflict to a period of sustained peace? As class members continue their study of the history and development of the European Union, groups examine the events in six time periods, from the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Empire and Identity in the American Colonies
The American Revolution was born out of a European conflict that spilled over into North America—and the documents prove it! Using primary sources from the era of the French and Indian War, including British plans to try to unite its...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Battle of Trenton
The Continental Army's victory at the Battle of Trenton marked a turning point in the American Revolution. Young historians examine maps, read primary source materials, and create a timeline of events to understand why the victory was so...
Judicial Learning Center
Article III WebQuest
Why is Article III of the constitution so significant? Pupils discover the importance of Article III and how it relates to past as well as current events by completing Internet research using a provided handout. They learn everything...
Curated OER
1864-1865: Bringing the War to an End
An interesting lesson plan explains the last battles of the war and the terms of the Articles of Surrender. It also analyzes the election of 1864 with copies of the Baltimore and Chicago platforms. To conclude the lesson, academics...
Curated OER
Voices of History: Relating Historic Events to Current Events
Students discuss the current events affecting the country today. In groups, they relate a historical event to a current event. They research and present the point of view of a historical figure in an interesting way. They compare and...
Curated OER
Weekly Current Events
Students examine current events every week. Using the internet, they complete searches about specific events. In groups, they gather information to share with the class and discuss any opposing viewpoints.
Curated OER
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Fourth graders examine the new vocabulary associated with the book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly before listening to a teacher read aloud of the book. They complete a choral reading of the story, sequence it, and write...
Curated OER
Current Events Research
Students use one newspaper article and the internet to research their current event. Using the information, they write a summary and create a PowerPoint presention. To end the lesson, they share their research with the class and discuss.
Curated OER
Historical Heroes
High schoolers determine whether the ends truly justify the means by examining the behavior of historical and fictional heroes. They view and discuss film versions of Gangs of New York and Les Miserables. Then they break into small...
Curated OER
Honor Your School and Community Heroes
Learners honor local heroes. In this community heroes instructional activity, students create an award or plan an event honoring a local hero. Learners are encouraged to be creative!
Curated OER
Newspapers: A Connection to Our Past
Students research the historical context for a currents event. They create an iMovie that explains why it is important to explain the history behind a current event.
Curated OER
An Acquaintance with Darkness, a Civil War
Eighth graders explore the Civil War, and people and events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his funeral procession.
Curated OER
Idea-Noun Definition: Source Searching
A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...
Curated OER
Writing as a group activity
Did you know that 50% of all Americans can trace a relative who traveled through Ellis Island? Relive these journeys with your class and then provide sentence strategy templates for them to use to compose their own informative...
Curated OER
Poetry Reading for ELL Beginners
Bring the imagery of the desert to your classroom with this ELL lesson plan. After reading Madeleine Dunphy’s Here in the Southwestern Desert, learners complete a graphic organizer about the features and images of the poem. The...
Curated OER
Not So Much a Lesson, More a Song and Dance
Inspired by Britain's National Poetry Day, this resource will help your class analyze poetry. You will find a variety of poetry analysis methods to work through with your class. Finish by having each person compose an original poem.
Curated OER
Classroom Olympics
Here is a an awesome, 17-page lesson plan on a simulated Olympic Games for your young athletes. After learning about the history of the Olympics, the whole class takes part in events such as The Cotton Ball Shot Put, The Paper Plate...