City University of New York
Women's Suffrage and World War I
Democracy cannot exist where not everyone has equal rights. Discuss the state of democracy and women's suffrage during World War I with class discussions, debates, and primary source analysis, in order for class members to connect...
EngageNY
Equivalent Ratios
Equivalent ratios show up on tape. Young mathematicians use tape diagrams to create equivalent ratios in the initial lesson on the topic. They learn the definition of equivalent ratios and use it to build others in the third segment of a...
Curated OER
Picture Perfect Poetry
Do your language arts students love to draw? Use this lesson to reinforce poetic techniques with illustration. After drawing what they think poem would look like with no words, middle and high schoolers work on several different...
Curated OER
Mystery of Mirrors: Discovery Stations
Hands-on stations in which groups of primary learners experience what mirrors can do provide opportunities for experimenting and authentic discovery. Recording their observations in complete sentences seems age-inappropriate. Drawing...
Perkins School for the Blind
Build a Word
Get out those scrabble tiles and a braille tape labeler because today we are playing a build-a-word game! Label several sets of scrabble tiles using the braille labeler, place them in a box, and have children take turns pulling letter...
Curated OER
Myth and Truth: The First Thanksgiving
Encourage learners to think critically about common myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in Colonial America. They discover that behind every myth are many possible explanations—and that learning more about American history helps them...
Curated OER
Water Cycle
Identify and interpret the earth's different water sources. Third and fourth graders describe and demonstrate the process of the water cycle, make a model of its two main parts, and predict and infer to answer questions about the...
Curated OER
Writing Myths I
Explain a natural phenomenon in an original myth. After researching the phenomenon they have chosen, young readers use factual information to include in their myth. They find synonyms and new phrases to create vivid images as they...
Curated OER
Transition Words in Writing
Transition words in writing are the focus of the language arts lesson plan presented here. In it, learners cut out the word-sort cards (embedded in the plan), and put them into four categories: time, examples, space, and summary. They...
Curated OER
AAA Plan Would Change Teen Driving Laws
Young scholars research and discuss the Graduated Driver Licensing program, and examine reasons that contribute or cause automobile accidents. They prepare a speech from the perspective of a lobbyist either for or against the AAA plan.
Curated OER
Storytelling In America
Students discuss how Washington Irving is considered an important 19th century-American storyteller. They create their own version of a passage from 'The Legend' after listening to the story.
Curated OER
Dramatic Outlines
Students write about main characters. In this dramatic writing lesson, students brainstorm character ideas. Students create actions and give the character a voice. Students act out the scene in groups and create a final draft.
Curated OER
Analyzing Literary Devices
Eighth graders identify figurative language and poetry in this literary analysis lesson. Using Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll and a YouTube video for "The Walrus and the Carpenter," young readers complete a literary device...
Curated OER
An Exploration of Cradle-to-Cradle Design Thinking
Introduce cradle-to-cradle design thinking. Scholars first discuss the importance of natural laws and rights. They then use a variety of online and print resources to research eco-efficiency and cradle-to-cradle design.
National Council of Teachers of English
Writing Poetry with Rebus and Rhyme
Young scholars write rhyming poems using rebus. With pictures instead of words, authors create original work about things they love.
Curated OER
Holes
Students watch the movie Holes. They list 5 key events from Holes and use a pyramid to rank the events in order of importance to the story. They determine cultural differences between the character and themselves.
Curated OER
The Making of a Spy
Students study the life of a woman spy for the Union. They study archival photographs of Pauline Cushman and examine her life. They create a key with
symbols representing her activities (e.g., a baby bottle for her birth in 1833 in New...
Curated OER
Weapons Of War: The Monitor
High schoolers investigate the building of the first warships of the Civil War. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students compare and contrast two battleships of the era using a graphic organizer. They also compose a...
Curated OER
Centipede's 100 Shoes
Students solve equations with the help of their teacher. In this simple equations lesson, students listen to the story Centipede's 100 Shoes by Tony Ross and use the scenarios given in the book as addition and subtraction problems....
Curated OER
Compound Word Games
Students build compound words out of two separate words using a variety of activities. In this compound word lesson plan, students practice building compound words using word cards. These word cards can be used in a variety of ways to...
Curated OER
Ins and Outs of Simple Machines
Students explore the ins and outs of simple machines. They discover the various roles of simple machines, who uses them, where they can be found and how they actually work. Students create a compound machine using simple machines.
Curated OER
Autobiographical Writing
In this unique lesson on autobiographical writing, students compare and contrast three types of writing: narrative, poetry and newspaper. Students prepare to produce a short autobiographical writing based on the framework of one of the...
Curated OER
Global Peace Lesson Plan
Fifth graders recognize the characteristics of poetry. In this poetry lesson, 5th graders listen to poetry by Dionne Brand and discuss the meaning of the poems. Students construct their own poems and present them as an assessment.
Curated OER
Writing About Outdoor Activities
Students discuss what they like about parks and make a list of different things they like to do there such as swing, run, play ball, ride a bike, or go on a hike. They discover the locations of some examples of National Parks and that...