State Bar of Texas
Wisconsin v. Yoder
How far does freedom of religion truly go? The 1972 Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Yoder introduces the concept of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Individuals examine the case with a short video and open discussion. To...
State Bar of Texas
White v. Regester
One vote doesn't really matter, right? Class members investigate the concept of voter rights and restrictions using the 1973 Supreme Court case White v. Regester. They view a short video and work in pairs to analyze how people create...
State Bar of Texas
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Who decides someone is not a real person? Scholars investigate the Dred Scott v. Sandford court case which deals directly with slavery and citizenship. After viewing a short video clip, classmates work in pairs to assess and discuss the...
State Bar of Texas
Mapp v. Ohio
Do you have a search warrant? Scholars investigate the concept of illegal search and seizure through the eyes of the Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio. A short video clip along with paired group work opens discussion on the concept of how...
State Bar of Texas
Gideon v. Wainwright
How does a trial begin without a lawyer for the defendant? The 1963 Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright serves as the backdrop for the study of the rights of the accused. Scholars use a short video along with paired discussion and...
State Bar of Texas
Grutter v. Bollinger
A university decides not to allow a qualified scholar to enter its institution based on skin and gender—but this case is about a white female? The 2003 Supreme Court case Grutter v. Bollinger lays the foundation for open discussion and...
Curated OER
The Fear Place
Students use the strategy turn and talk to discuss inferences they have while reading the book The Fear Place. In this inferences lesson plan, students answer discussion questions and read independently as well.
Curated OER
The Lott House - a History Mystery
Students read a newspaper article about the historic Lott House in Marine
Park, Brooklyn. They study the history of slavery in New York and uncover the secrets of a historic Brooklyn farmhouse that kept slaves and later protected them...
Curated OER
Soldier Emily
Pupils explore the role of women as soldiers during the Civil War period.
They read about a young Brooklyn woman who concealed her identity to
join the army and imagine how her family or fellow soldiers responded. They role play a scene...
Curated OER
Poetry Creations
Students produce iMovies to share their thoughts of friendship along with poetry creations in this technology-based lesson for the upper-elementary classroom. The lesson includes a link to a "create a poem" site and requires computers...
Curated OER
Inferring Themes
Fifth graders practice making inferences on various types of reading material. As a class, they develop a definition of the word "theme" and discuss themes for some of their favorite stories. They use the context of the reading...
Curated OER
Global Literature: Nectar In A Sieve
Students write a persuasive essay explaining how religion and/or spirituality serves as both a guide and a source of conflict for both an individual and their culture. They develop a definition for the terms spiritual and religious...
Curated OER
Visualizing Trees
students draw what they visualize after the teacher reads a page from the book Oak Trees. They share their pictures and compare how they visualized the tree being described.
Curated OER
The Twelve Months: A Slavic Cinderella Variant
Students locate Slavic countries and identify a few characteristics of those countries. They read and/or listen to the Slavic tale, "The Twelve Months," and compare this version with another Cinderella story.
Curated OER
Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment: A Primary Source Document Activity
Eighth graders explore the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this US History lesson, 8th graders read and analyze primary source documents. Students write a three minute paper demonstrating their understanding of the...
Curated OER
African Novel Study
Seventh graders participate in literature circles as they read African novels. They read, work on word studies, and complete comprehension activities. They share their reading with other literature circle groups in the class.
Curated OER
Pinky and Rex and the Just Right Pet
Young scholars engage in reading comprehension activities for the story "Pinky and Rex and the Just Right Pet". In this reading comprehension lesson, students make prediction drawings before reading the story, create new illustrations...
Curated OER
Ancient Greece Research
Sixth graders explore ancient Greece. In this ancient civilizations lesson, 6th graders research how ancient Greece influenced modern societies. Students prepare PowerPoint presentations to share their findings with their classmates.
Curated OER
What's A Word?
Young scholars listen to the story "Wilfred Gordon Mcdonald Partridge" and brainstorm about memories. They write a story describing what they would put in a memory basket when they are 80 years old.
Curated OER
Defining Character Traits
Students read and analyze an extended definition in preparation for writing an extended definition of a CHARACTER TRAIT. They use analogy as a definition strategy to tailor writing to a particular audience. Finally, students SHARE...
Curated OER
Commemorations Across Cultures
Young scholars explore how different cultures commemorate people and events. They research how commemorations are created through music, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and poetry. In collaborative, students create a...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Predicting and Clarifying Techniques
First graders discover predicting and clarifying skills while reading "The Old Woman and Her Pig." During the reading, they check their predictions while evaluating the characters, setting, problems, and solution. On the second day,...
Curated OER
Missing May
Students listen to the first couple chapters in the book, Missing May by Cynthia Rylant and then sketch or write about a character or the setting, using words and phrases from the book as guides. They then discuss the chapters using the...
Curated OER
Dwellings Around the Globe
Students explore dwellings around the globe and conduct collaborative research on cliff dwellings, igloos, longhouses, and yurts. They then explore how different dwellings reflect environmental and cultural conditions, and they create a...