Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Islam or Christianity?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students design a mosaic depicting the city of Constantinople during determined periods of history. They include historical evidence that shows whether the city was under Muslim or Christian rule.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rap as a Modern Poetic Form

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students write and listen to rap songs. They discover how common themes in rap are indicative of the problems, as well as the empowerments, that can be seen in our urban cultures today. They discover how rap is actually an evolution of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

School Reform, Again!

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students discuss their perceptions and experiences with changes in schooling. They work in small groups to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to explain the efforts toward reforming schools since 1983. Students speculate on the next...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Masks

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students design and make animal masks. In this research and application lesson, students use a computer to research what a panther eats, select an animal mask they want to make and then use the materials provided to create their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music in the Common Schools

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students sing songs from the common schools era and compare music from the common schools era and today. In this music lesson plan, students look at pictures, fill out Venn Diagrams, and listen to music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Qur'an: Sacred Scripture of Islam

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students discover the strong emphasis Islam puts on education. Using the Internet, they identify advancements in ethics, math and astronomy. They explain the importance of madrasahs, or traditional places of learning in Islam, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design Your Own Cereal Box

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore the ways in which media messages work and the ways in which consumers are targeted.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Claude Monet Seasonal Painting

For Teachers K
Students discuss and examine paintings of Claude Monet. They examine the style he uses and then create their own painting based on the seasons. They also discuss the difference in the four seasons.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Shakira, Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira and identify the elements that make her music unique. They explore Latin music and dance and research the music and dance of a specific Latin American country.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Media Literacy

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students watch a video a pre-taped TV commercials. They define propaganda and re-watch the video. Students choose a poster from Posters American Style and journal about their observations. Students use the computer lab to develop tape...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Claude Monet Seasonal Painting

For Teachers K
Students are shown examples of Claude Monet's paintings. In groups, they are given one season to focus on and create their own reproduction of the same season in a painting. To end the lesson plan, they share their paintings with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Families and Neighborhoods

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars distinguish where their homes are in relation to the city of Pittsburgh. For this geography lesson, students read the book All Families Are Specialand find their city on a map of Pennsylvania. Young scholars...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

JAPANESE CULTURE

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore what life in Japan is like including, home and daily life, food and eating customs, school life, games and sports, holiday customs, and religion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ancient Africa's Connection to Today

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders engage in a lesson in which ancient Africa's historical contributions are told though the eyes of a spider, Anansi, and his search calabash game. The game is accessed through a website which is embedded in this lesson plan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad in the I and M Canal Area

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss provocative statements about the Underground Railroad and form opinions. They locate and read a selection on the Internet that either supports of discredits their written opinions. They then read a speech by John Hossack.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jingle Shapes!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students play a movement and freeze activity to jingle bells.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

CLASSROOM MAPS

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students do a blind tour of their school by responding to verbal commands. They look and discuss various maps in the classroom. They locate the direction of the sunrise and discuss the compass directions of North, South, East, and West.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitution on Trial: The Internment of the Japanese During World War II

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders analyze primary source documents during the Second World War. Students recall statements of Japanese-Americans who were placed into internment camps during the war.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pine Cone Turkeys

For Teachers K - 8th
Students work together to create pine cone turkeys for the holidays. They practice following instructions and thinking creatively. They share their creations with the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Visual Opacity

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students discover the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque. They use those descriptions to classify clouds. They create a presentation in which they show the different types of clouds with their descriptions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Totem Pole and Native American Costume

For Teachers K
Students create a totem pole, Native American costume, and Native American mask. They discuss design elements, view a slideshow, and using various craft materials construct a totem pole with various face designs, a Native American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Canada Or Bust

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders answer the following problem based lesson with the essential question, "Which city or town in Canada would adequately meet my family's needs for relocation?" They present their city and provide rationale for its...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Sunk the Titanic

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students discuss possible reasons for the Titanic sinking. They are split into small groups to research a historical figure involved in the sinking of the Titanic. They formulate a way to prove their characters guilt or innocence....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tribute to the Summer Olympics

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students participate in an afternoon of games and festivities intended to mirror the actual summer games. They create flags from various countries, and participate in field day like games. They have an opening ceremony, flag parage,...