Curated OER
Writing Pattern Books
Have your older students assist young children with writing in this community service and literacy lesson. Middle schoolers become partners with a local elementary school. They assist the grade school children in writing a pattern book...
Smithsonian Institution
Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
Curated OER
Identifying Structured Patterns in Folk Tales
Young scholars are introduced to the structure of folk tales. After working through an example, they identify as many folk tales as possible that follow the same pattern. In groups, they compare a folk tale and a fairy tale to identify...
National Gallery of Canada
A Unity Wall Drawing
Build class community with an art project. Learners first examine and discuss works of art. They then contribute to a class mural by tracing their hands and decorating them in relation to their own cultures. The final mural...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Red States/Blue States: Mapping the Presidential Election
Young historians investigate how voting patterns have changed by comparing the outcome of the 1960 election to the outcome of the recent election. A creative final assessment has participants making a news show wherein they provide...
Curated OER
Tides at the Battery, NY
Skill in using Excel and increasing proficiency in manipulating data are challenged with this data analysis work. A web link supplies data and step-by-step instructions help learners create a graph. There are many extension...
Curated OER
Navajo Weaving: A Lesson in Math and Tradition
Combine geometry and tradition with a lesson that spotlights Navajo weaving. The book, The Goat in the Rug by Charles L. Blood and Martin Link hooks scholars before watching a video of Navajo people tending their sheep and beginning...
Curated OER
Indian Ragas
Young scholars explore Indian ragas and learn the differences between an Indian raga and the Western scale. They sing the familiar song "America," first in the Western major scale and then in two Indian ragas (bhairavi and purvi) on a...
Curated OER
The Poinsettia: Native Mexican Plant vs. U.S. Christmas
Students compare and contrast native Mexican poinsettia plants to those marketed in the United States. They watch a PowerPoint presentation, and listen to a version of the legend of the poinsettia. Students then create a paper pinwheel...
Curated OER
How to Make a Mummy Mask
With some plaster casting materials and a quick lesson on the ancient burial traditions of Egypt, your class can create amazing mummy masks. Listed here are all the tools, precautions, and steps needed for each child to make an Egyptian...
PE Central
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Dance
Erin go bragh! Enliven your St. Patrick's Day celebration by teaching your class members some of the combinations found in traditional Irish step dancing.
Curated OER
America: The Land We Live In: Landmarks
Students explore the concept of landmarks. In this landmark lesson, students brainstorm different landmarks around their community and nationally. Students then identify the patterns in Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings or...
Curated OER
Analyzing Oregon’s Population Changes
Students examine immigration. In this Oregon history lesson plan, students compare and contrast the population patterns of the state in the 1800's and the 1900's.
Curated OER
Immigration
This 3-day immigration study draws on historical trends and current events. A worksheet accompanies initial research on one group's U.S. immigration history, giving opportunity for collaborative learning through sharing findings. Groups...
Curated OER
Read All About It! California History of the 30s and 40s
Explore the Great Depression! Discover the challenges people experienced during the time period. Learners investigate photographs from the Dust Bowl and WWII era and create a story line about the photographs, writing a newspaper article...
Curated OER
The 50 States
Fifth graders use a database to gather information on the United States. Using this information, they try to describe the settlement patterns in the various states. They enter additional information into the database and use queries to...
Curated OER
Group Juggling
Young scholars participate in a group juggling game in which they use skills such as coordination, concentration, and team work to pass a series of tennis balls around in an established pattern. During reflection, the class discusses how...
Curated OER
Taming the Wild Aurochs
Fourth graders assess the development of animal husbandry, outline it in detail as well as arrange the steps in sequential order. In addition, they discuss how certain animals came to be domesticated, concentrate to research on one of...
Curated OER
My Hero Story Scramble
Use websites to read stories about heroes. The "My Hero" website provides skills and reading materials to help your class analyze sequence and story parts. They put the events in order to show the correct sequence of events.
Midwest Clinic
Latin Rhythms: Mystery Unraveled
There is an indescrible energy to Latin American music—but if you know your music theory, it's not so indescrible after all. A thorough packet provides definitions for terms like bolero, charanga, shekere, and tumbao before listing...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Special Order 40
The city of Los Angeles' 1979 Special Order 40 states: "LAPD officers shall not initiate police action with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person." After reading a fact sheet that details the history of Special Order...
Curated OER
Where Do You Shop?
Students examine shopping patterns in another community to develop a hypothesis on why there are more opportunities for goods and services in some neighborhoods while others lack these goods and services.
Curated OER
Hip on Hemingway
Students participate in an official "Hip on Hemingway Club." They explore Hemingway and create a biography of Ernest Hemingway patterned after an alphabet book. They record their "key word" with each of the twenty-six letters of the...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Unauthorized Immigration and the US Economy
As part of a study of immigration and the U.S. economy, class members assume the role of newspaper editors to determine which submitted letters to print on their paper's editorial page to present a balanced view of the debate.