Curated OER
Patricia Polacco, Author and Illustrator
Young scholars conduct Internet research about the studenT author and illustrator Patricia Polacco. They compose letters to Ms. Polacco and, after revising and editing their work, send them in the mail.
Curated OER
Rural Voices Through Photography
Students research the history of the Depression particularly in the ways it was documented by photography. Then they take their own pictures in the style of one of the best documentarians, Dorothea Lange.
University of Wisconsin
Teaching Things Fall Apart in Wisconsin: A Resource Guide for Educators
“There is no story that is not true, . . .” And uncovering the truths in Things Fall Apart is the focus of a 68-page resource packet designed to provide instructors with a wealth of materials that enhance understanding of Chinua Achebe’s...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Attitude Determines Altitude
A fabulous lesson plan which combines mathematics with space science. Middle schoolers work in cooperative groups in order to research early astronauts and their accomplishments. They look at a variety of rocket and space shuttle...
Curated OER
Exploration of Utopias and Dystopias
If you are considering adding or expanding a unit on utopian and dystopian literature you simply must check out this fabulous resource. Packed with plans, activities, project-based and 21st century learning opportunities, the unit...
Curated OER
"O Captain! My Captain!"
Who was Walt Whitman, and what link does he have to president Abraham Lincoln? After Lincoln's assassination, Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" This poem and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" are the focus of...
Curated OER
Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
Curated OER
Men of Steel
Students explore early 20th century steel making. In this U.S. history steel making lesson, students view and describe a postcard and a picture depicting exaggerated aspects of the steel industry. Students listen to a poem...
Curated OER
Jacksonian America and the Indian Removal Act of 1830
Students utilize primary sources to explore the national climate concerning Native American Indians during the Andrew Jackson administration. They are presented with opinions for and against the Indian Removial Act of 1830 as they...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Early American Novel: Exploring the Emergence of a Genre
Need an extra challenge for your best readers? Check out a unit that uses Hannah Webster Foster’s epistolary novel, The Coquette, published in 1797, as the anchor text. The resource is packed with project ideas; each with its...
Curated OER
Jurassic Park: The Science and Ethics of Genetic Engineering
Explore genetic engineering through an engaging "Jurassic Park" unit, which is an extensive use of a cross-curricular teaching event. Planned for AP Biology, English, and Calculus students, learners and teachers are involved for 4-6...
Curated OER
Out of the Dust
Learners create a poem that expresses the physical and emotional turmoil of living through the Dust Bowl. In this Out of the Dust lesson, students research facts about the time period and discuss the cause-effect patterns...
Curated OER
The Civil War Through a Child's Eye
Students use primary and secondary sources to observe a child's view of the Civil war. In this Civil War lesson, students understand that different people had different perspectives on the war. Students recognize the...
Curated OER
Book Club Sheet
In this "book club" worksheet, students complete a sheet on a book they bring to the "book club." Students fill in basic information about the book, then information about characters, scenes, genre, etc.
Curated OER
Japanese American Internment
Eleventh graders examine Japanese-American internment. In this World War II activity, 11th graders research primary sources that they locate to learn about the experiences of the interned Japanese-Americans. Students then complete a...
Small Planet Communications
Civil War
Students discuss political, social, and personal issues relating to the Civil War from various perspectives using internet sources. Students write various selections from Civil War characters' point of view.
Curated OER
There Was an Old Lady. . .
Students alter a familiar short poem or song with synonyms and antonyms. In this synonym and antonym lesson plan, students replace the synonyms or antonyms in the text and discuss the changes in meaning. Students share their words.
Curated OER
The Roar of the Twenties; The Crash of the Thirties
Eighth graders, after assuming identities of prominent figures from the 1920's and looking at slides and data from the era, relate, in diary form, the cultural, economic and political changes that happened in America between 1920 and 1939.
Curated OER
Mystery in History
Fifth graders research United States history by exploring Roanoke Island. In this colony lesson, 5th graders identify North Carolina geography and the lost colony of Roanoke Island. Students complete a worksheet displaying the facts and...
Curated OER
Natural Disasters: Nature's Fury
Students explore the human experience. In this business ethics lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the American natural disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries and the implications they presented.
Curated OER
To Walk the Sky Path
Fifth graders use maps of Florida. They locate places from a list on their map. Students use the places mentioned in the book, "To Walk the Sky Path," and locate them on the map. Students should have labeled a minimum of 10 places, and...
Curated OER
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Teaching Through the Novel
Learners are introduced to Chinua Achebe's first novel and to his views on the role of the writer in his or her society. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Curated OER
America's Mighty Rivers
Students examine the cultural importance of America's rivers. Using the Mississippi and Hudson Rivers, they examine a story that takes place on each river. They are introduced to the concepts of preservation and stewardship.
Curated OER
Puerto Rico: The 51st State?
Students examine the political status of Puerto Rico. In this global studies lesson, students explore Puerto Rico and consider the feelings of Puerto Ricans regarding their unique political status.