Curated OER
Teaching “Level of Difficulty” through Close Reading, Reflection, and Performance
What makes a poem difficult? Explore that topic and more with your class as you work through the instructional activity detailed here. Using materials from Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest, individuals or small groups...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 1, Lesson 9
How did Martin Luther King Jr. establish tone in his writing? Scholars analyze King's tone and discuss how he changes and refines his claim in "Letter from Birmingham Jail." They also define new vocabulary words, respond to a writing...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 2, Lesson 1
Rafael Trujillo was president of the Dominican Republic in the 1930s. Pupils read and analyze the first six paragraphs of Julia Alvarez's autobiographical essay "A Genetics of Justice," in which the author describes Trujillo's impact on...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 2, Lesson 9
How do authors develop the main ideas in their writing? Pupils consider the question as they read and analyze paragraphs 27–31 from Julia Alvarez's essay "A Genetics of Justice," in which Alvarez describes her decision to become a...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 2, Lesson 2
What is the best way to determine the theme of a text? Pupils analyze how central ideas emerge in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. They work in small groups and engage in a whole-class discussion to discuss the play's plot. Finally,...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 22
The Witches, Lady Macbeth, or Macbeth himself: who is the culprit? Using the resource, pupils craft multi-paragraph essays to present arguments about which character is responsible for the tragedy in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Additionally,...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 2, Lesson 9
How does Shakespeare develop the central idea of agency versus fate in Macbeth? Using the resource, pupils work in small groups to discuss the plot of Act 3.1. Next, they complete a brief writing assignment to analyze how the main idea...
EngageNY
Analyzing Character and Theme: Tracking Control in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Scholars examine how characters try to control one another in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They engage in a read-aloud and class discussion to iron out ideas. They also work in small groups to complete a note-catcher...
EngageNY
Evaluating an Argument: The Polyface Local Sustainable
Who has the better argument? Class members work in small groups to compare the arguments on the Example of Strong and Flawed Arguments sheet. They then analyze Michael Pollan’s argument on pages 161–166 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and...
EngageNY
Researching Information about Overfishing
Imagine a world without Nemo and Dory. Using the resource, pupils engage in a jigsaw activity, working in triads to research information about overfishing. They watch a video about overfishing, complete a graphic organizer, read relevant...
EngageNY
Narratives as Theater: Esperanza Rising, from Novel to Script
Calling all thespians! Working in small groups, pupils practice reading and performing a readers theater script for the novel Esperanza Rising. Next, they read aloud passages from the novel and use an anchor chart to compare the script...
EngageNY
Whole Class Model Letter Writing (Concluding Statement) and Preparing for End of Unit Assessment
Pupils work in small groups to collaboratively write a concluding paragraph for their opinion letters about Jackie Robinson's legacy. Then, scholars share their opinion, reasons, and evidence with a classmate.
K20 LEARN
How Many Days Will It Take? Eating To 6,972!: Partial Quotients
The story, How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti introduces a activity about partial quotients. Mathematicians practice rounding and multiplying, then work in small groups to connect those skills with division and partial...
NASA
Cleaning Water
Give young scientists a new appreciation of fresh, clean drinking water. After learning about the ways astronauts recycle their air and water, your class will work in small groups creating and testing their very own water...
Arkansas Economics
The Bead Game
What better way to learn about different economic systems than to participate in them? An engaging bead game highlights the differences between market, command, and traditional economies. In small groups, 6th graders work through three...
Academy of American Poets
We Sing America
Pair the famous poems "I Hear America Singing," by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes, with a more recent poem by Elizabeth Alexander called "Praise Song for the Day" to demonstrate a theme and introduce your...
Curated OER
Sample Lesson 1: Is This Source Credible? Useful? Why and Why Not?
Build background knowledge for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak while teaching your pupils how to determine the credibility of online sources. The plan is designed to take place over the course of two days. On the first day, model...
NASA
Cleaning Water
From their sweat to the water vapor in their breath, astronauts recycle every possible drop of water while in space. After watching a short video describing the different ways materials are recycled and reused in space...
WE Charity
Elementary–Module 5: Transportation Solutions
How does transportation affect the environment? Using the fifth and final lesson from the WE Are Innovators—Elementary Modules series, scholars explore sustainable transportation. Pupils work in small groups to create innovative...
Institute for Humane Education
Selling "Boy" and "Girl"
Monster trucks, action figures, and video games. Are these toys designed for boys or girls? Scholars work in small groups to find and categorize examples of boy and girl toys from catalogs. Next, learners analyze the two sets of pictures...
PBS
The Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment was extremely important to civil rights and is a crucial one to remember. The resource teaches about the Supreme Court decisions related to the amendment through writing exercises, reading, and working in small...
News Literacy Project
News Judges
Order in the court! Scholars act as news judges, learning how to analyze the newsworthiness of several pieces of information. Working in small groups, they determine which events are most newsworthy and then complete graphic organizers...
Teaching Tolerance
Understanding Online Searches
Discover what's behind an online search. Scholars read a handout and engage in discussions to learn how to critically evaluate online search results. Then, working in small groups, they create posters listing their demands for search...
Teaching Tolerance
Sensible Consumers
Girls like pink and boys like blue. Working in small groups, learners discuss stereotypes about children in advertisements. Then, scholars create their own manifestos about how they plan to respond to the consumer market they see in...