University of Minnesota
Sheep Brain Dissection
Bored with frog and earthworm dissections? Had your fill of fetal pigs? Anatomy students will be intrigued by the sheep's brain, and you will be prepared with guiding questions, extension activities, and pictures as they dissect one —...
Science Matters
Earthquake Preparedness
Forty-five states and territories in the USA are at moderate to very high risk of earthquakes. The discussion-based lesson covers what to do before, during, and after an earthquake. The 14th lesson in the series includes how to...
Curated OER
Arrest- A Legal System Simulation
What would your class do if a police officer arrested a student in class? This is exactly the anticipatory set that gets students engaged in a unit on the legal system. The plan is to get the officer to simulate an arrest, and then guest...
Curated OER
Guest Readers
Young readers explore reading comprehension by creating a class presentation. In this storytelling lesson, puils read an assigned text in class and analyze the characters, settings and story. They create an illustrated presentation in...
Curated OER
100 Questions
Students practice problem solving skills by asking questions and participating in a design challenge. In this asking questions lesson, students work in pairs to ask questions to design a solution for a difficult personal problem....
Curated OER
The King of the Birds vocabulary
Science and language skills come together in The King of the Birds. After reading, discuss the names and types of birds in the story and write given sentences to portray the difference between comparative and superlative adjectives....
Japan Society
Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
Curated OER
Paws in Jobland: An Interview With...
Elementary schoolers listen and watch television or radio interviews in order to learn interviewing skills. They work in pairs, and "interview" their partner to find out about his/her life, job, and any interesting personal facts. Peers...
Curated OER
What's Your Problem?
Students role play giving advice. In this social skills lesson, students work in teams to offer advice and suggestions. Students give each other advice and the class attempts to determine the problem. Resources are provided.
Curated OER
Dictionary Bluff
Middle schoolers practice their dictionary skills by participating in a game of words with correct and incorrect definitions. They must work in pairs to determine the incorrect definitions and uses for a word.
Curated OER
Speaking Skills - Asking Questions
Students focuses on the question form and helping students gain skill while switching tenses in the question form. They improve speaking confidence when using quesion forms.
Curated OER
Speaking with Healthcare Professionals #2
Students create their own dialogue using vocabulary associated with the healthcare industry. They practice using different tenses of verbs. They also respond to questions about their health.
Curated OER
Impromptu Speeches
Students brainstorm their favorite summer activities and volunteers five impromptu speeches. They review the rubric for impromptu speeches and discuss possible topics for speeches. They give impromptu speeches and evaluate each other.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Nursery Rhymes
Students retell a memorized nursery rhyme. In this early public speaking activity, students retell a familiar nursery rhyme with the help of visual prompts.
Curated OER
Effective Speaking in a Debate
Students examine and discuss the concept of stage fright. They demonstrate positive debate techniques, constructively critique other speakers, and implement debate techniques for a practice debate.
Curated OER
Comparing Temperatures and Latitudes
Eighth graders collect weather data from a variety of cities at the same latitudes, but on different continents. They organize data using spreadsheet program, generate graphs, and incorporate into a word processing document. Students...
Curated OER
English - "What can I say?" - Sharing Ideas
Prepare pupils to experience an authentic presentation. They will prepare themselves for giving speeches before their classmates. Then they discuss the introduction, body, and conclusion of a speech and then practice the concepts in...
Curated OER
Forensic Colloquium Experience: Debating the Issues
Pupils prepare for an participate in a debate. They watch instructional videos on how debates proceed. Pupils work in teams to research various topics, present their opinions on the issue, and respond to opposing viewpoints during a...
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Exploring Afghani Culture through Literature
Hosseini Khaled's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are the anchor texts in a semester-long course that explores Afghani culture and traditions.
Curated OER
Pornography Debate
Present your seniors with a controversial topic while studying the first amendment: pornography. This multi-layer resource has scholars writing a pros and cons research paper. They also attend a city council meeting to prepare for an...
Curated OER
Viewpoint and Persuasive Writing
Practice persuasive writing skills in this thorough lesson. After selecting issues and discovering viewpoints, middle schoolers write letters or brochures created to express the individual's perspective. The ideas are presented to the...
Curated OER
That Is Not My Opinion!
Being an informed citizen requires distinguishing fact from opinion and understanding persuasion methods. Secondary learners evaluate newspaper editorials. They read opinion pieces, identify the writer's purpose and position on an issue,...
Curated OER
Coping or Coping Out?
Fifth graders explore, analyze and study personal safety skills and coping strategies for managing life changes or events. They participate in small groups to identify and present coping skills when experiencing possibly the loss of a...
Museum of Tolerance
Cultural Research Activity
Class members explore cultural diversity through a variety of texts that showcase the importance of traditions. Then, they interview their family members to research their own cultural background and write their findings on quilt...