Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coming to Terms with the Past

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal. They conduct research to examine how the post-Holocaust period has been handled historically and hold a teach-in to promote continued awareness of the Holocaust's impact.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adding Fuel to the Fire

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider global warming and the greenhouse effect, then explore how these issues affect other countries. They graph findings and write papers considering how continued usage can affect the future of the atmosphere and the global...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sizing Up The Senate

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider Senate leadership by examining specific positions and staging a mock legislative session. They write reflective essays considering the inner workings of the Senate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taking From the Giving Tree

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the ways in which various American cities negotiate the protection of their "green infrastructure," gaining a broader understanding of proposed and enacted legislation as it relates to preserving and planting trees in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

For the Birds

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine the different types of pandemic flu viruses and virus "scares" that have occurred over the past hundred years by creating a master chart that displays the origins, transmission, symptoms, and socio-historical impact of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Geometry of Circles

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners review the parts of a circle, calculate the circumference and area of a circle, and create student-made tests on the geometry of circles using educational software.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pop on the Block

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider what makes a movie, television show, musical talent, or artist a cult classic and create descriptive lists of items from these phenomena that may be sold at auction.
Lesson Plan
The New York Times

Researching the Researchers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars match scientists with their major discoveries, choose one figure to research further, and co-author articles profiling the scientist and his or her achievements.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cuba On My Mind

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the Cuban society, politics, culture, and economy. As a class, they take a look at the Bush administrations policy on Cuba after reading "Embargo Remains Until Cuba Alters Policy, Bush Says" from The New York Times....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

After the Deluge

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students witness a flood demonstration, offering hypotheses and observations throughout the demonstration. Students discuss flood prevention techniques and examine the impact of the devastating flood and mudslides in Venezuela. In small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Having the Last Word

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the influence of foreign languages in their everyday speech after reading an article from The New York Times on language legislation in Brazil. Students are divided into 4 groups in order to research languages spoken...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The 'Capital' of the World

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the purpose of the World Bank and its president Paul Wolfowitz. After reading an article, they work together to complete a writing exercise in which they use primary source documents to state their viewpoint. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land of the Rising Guns?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the decision after World War II of Japan's to follow a policy of pacifism. After reading an article, they identify the ways Japan is strengthening its military. They watch a video to discover how their Constitution was...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Doing Things the Wright Way

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate 20th century inventions in order to examine how inventions reflect the historical events during which they were developed an
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Finding The Middle Ground

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the recent truce between the Israeli and Palestinian governments. They explore the turbulent history of these groups and the recent developments from the viewpoints of Middle Eastern nations in preparation for a mock...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring The Columbian Exposition

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen to a read aloud of a book that provides background information on the Columbian Exposition. They research the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the city of Chicago at the turn of the century and create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Urban Explosion

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars investigate the uncontrolled development of the world's major cities. They define key vocabulary terms, view and discuss video excerpts, and complete a project that involves drawing a "perfect city," developing a plan to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

States and Mates

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Discuss and reflect on the concept of allies and alliances. The class examines the competition between the United States and Venezuela. Using the New York Times, they search for examples of geopolitical alliances. In addition, they write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harvesting Mosaics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use pieces of farm pictures to investigate the elements of art.  In this farm art lesson, students use pieces of pictures to create an original artwork. Students use the Internet to find images.  Students create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sense, Sensibility and Sentences: Examining and Writing Memorable Lines

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Involve your readers in finding works of literary genius. Have each individual write down compelling sentences that they read or hear, whether in a newspaper, advertisement, book, movie, song, or any other place! Once each person has a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jason Technology Project

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders use the Internet to participate in an interactive tour of the Jason Project. They explore the peninsula, coral reef and marine life off of the coast of Florida.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Has Brown Done for You?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners review the facts of the court case Brown v. Board of Education. Next, they research recent court cases that uphold contrasting views on the landmark decision. They write opinions about these recent court cases from a 1954...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Truth Be Told

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Encourage your middle and high schoolers to share their memories of a recent event. After reading a New York Times article, they discuss Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night. They write their own memoir about a significant event that affected...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What a Relief!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
How are disasters addressed by the Federal Government? This New York Times lesson, based on the article "Disaster Aid: The Mix of Mercy and Politics," prompts middle schoolers to discuss the idea of using a disaster declaration as a...