Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Good Decisions

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the consequences of behaviors and what the concept of trade offs are.  In this good decision lesson students read an article and answer questions on making good decisions. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Predictions by Analyzing Key Ideas and Details

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students make predictions. In this language arts lesson, students read nonfiction texts and make predictions about what they are going to read. Students confirm and revise their predictions as they read the text.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ollie the Own Says: WHO

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Scholars examine the strategy of making a story map or outline to identify the main elements of a story. They discuss the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a story, in an outline form. As a class they read a short story, answer the...
Lesson Plan
Beacon Learning Center

What Goes Up Must Come Down

For Teachers 4th - 7th
After your class has completed The Cay by Theodore Taylor, assess understanding of the plot. First, model how to fill out a plot line for your class. Next, have class members fill in the plot of The Cay on the provided story map. Invite...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clues to a Character through Text

For Teachers K - 5th
Readers will read a text and fill out a character map based on the characters in that text. They will explore different qualities of each character for their map. this can be modified to support younger learners. They will learn about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Around the Town

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
In the world of GPS, make sure your kids can still read maps and determine distances between locations. You will need neighborhood street maps, ideally of your class' home turf. Ask kids questions about different locations in relation to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Expansion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the Manifest Denstiny. They explore how the idea was evident in 19th century American maps. Students brainstorm the relationships between maps and national expansion. They review a map from 1816 that called for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

River Run Through It

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
With vocabulary lists, worksheets, and more, this lesson sets learners on an exploration of the Hudson River area. They read an essay about the area, analyze a relief map of New York State, and complete a worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rivers Run Through It

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a relief map of New York State, learners answer questions about the distance between different cities, identify bodies of water, and more. First, they discuss vocabulary related to the Hudson River area. Then, they complete a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography of South America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Student's identify geographic features of a South American map. They use the scale of the map to calculate distances between points. They identify examples of the five geographic themes on the map of South America.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering - Introductory Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Gain knowledge of directions and degrees while learning how to read a compass. NEWS - north, east, west, south, and everything in between. It's crucial to be accurate in reading a compass and understanding degrees and direction when...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering - Lesson 4 - Distance and Height

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pretend that you've been dropped onto a mountain, in the middle of nowhere,  and all you have to find your way is a topographical map and a compass. Could you find your way to the nearest town? Orienteering teaches the skills of map...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Boundaries and People

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students map watersheds to find their boundaries.  In this watershed activity students map and then give their "watershed address."  Students show the trail from stream, larger stream to oceans.  Students describe the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Hudson in 1609

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
While this lesson focuses on a study of the Hudson River, it could be used as a template for a discussion of map skills, converting measurements, and plotting a route. The lesson includes vocabulary and other resources to make it a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christopher Columbus

For Teachers 1st
Help first graders gain an understanding of the beginnings of our nation by learning more about Christopher Columbus. They begin by listening to a read aloud of Christopher Columbus and His Voyage to the New World (another title...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Virtual Field Trip

For Teachers 5th - 7th
This hands-on resource has future trip planners analyze graphs of mileage, gasoline costs, and travel time on different routes. While this was originally designed for a problem-solving exercise using a Michigan map, it could be used as a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Case of the "Lost Gorge:

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the case of a map making expedition. In groups, they read a case study on "The Lost Gorge" in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. They examine maps and determine where the error in the map-making occured to end...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Aaaaaa!!!!" It's Okay, Baby!!

For Teachers K - 1st
Your kindergarten or first grade class works on recognizing the /a/ sound in spoken words. Use the fun tongue twister to help remember the target sound, and practice writing the letter a. Then have them write words that use this target...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Icky Fingers

For Teachers K - 1st
Which i sound is used in the word icky? Kindergarteners and first graders listen to the short /i/ sound. They practice shaking their fingers to indicate icky when they hear the target sound. Then they practice reading a poster with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Saturday Market by Patricia Grossman

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Readers make personal connections to Saturday Market by Patricia Grossman and answer comprehension questions while reading the book. Comparing and contrasting the different characters in a Venn diagram leads to a kinesthetic...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Extreme Weather's Impact on Our Resources

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
How dry is it? It's so dry, the river only runs twice a week! Through an analysis of maps and discussions, pairs learn about droughts across the United States in the ninth of 12 lessons. They then read about, answer questions, analyze...
Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

The Tuskegee Weathermen: African-American Meteorologists during World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Chances are good that young scholars have heard of the Tuskegee Airmen but few would predict that these pilots had their own support in the form of the Tuskegee Weathermen. These Black meteorologists were recruited and trained to provide...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Age of Absolutism

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Who were the absolute monarchs of Europe and what effect did they have on their countries? Young historians begin by naming qualities they believe are important for a monarch to possess. They then take notes on four key factors...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United States Map- Rivers

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students learn about rivers. In this maps lesson, students describe rivers and what human activities take place in a river. Students use a map to locate the rivers in the United States.