Curated OER
Heartfelt/Handmade Activities: Genre Painting
Students examine genre painting. They explore the Illinois State Museum website, identify how genre paintings were composed, analyze the activities of an Illinois farm in the 1850s, and create a genre painting of current everyday...
Curated OER
Illnois River and Lake Mussel Habitat Diorama Activity
Students identify the environmental elements of river and lake mussels. They compare the elements to the time before settlement and during industrialization. They also participate in a field trip to a mussel exhibit.
Curated OER
Power to the People: Social Movements of the 1960s
Students engage in a professional development workshop for teachers in the delivery of curriculum about the era of the 1960's. The emphasis of the workshop is using popular culture of the time in order to launch investigations that are...
Curated OER
Heartfelt/Handmade Activity: Hand-Molded Pottery
Learners view and discuss examples of pottery. They discuss how pottery has always been made by hand and use a ball of clay to roll and shape into a form of their choice.
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Student Survey
Students create questions they would like to ask another class of Students, send the questions by email, examine results, and create slideshow illustrating results.
Curated OER
Techno PC: Computer Lessons for Elementary Students
Students explore computer science by participating in mini activities. In this graphic design lesson, identify the different components on a personal computer and define their purpose. Students utilize Microsoft Paint to create a digital...
Curated OER
DNA Activities
Students work together to identify the structure of DNA. They practice using new vocabulary as well. They create a 3-D model of DNA to complete the lesson.
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Making Connections Activity: Seeing Connections Among Works of Art
Young scholars view images from fine and decorative art galleries in the Museumlink Illinois website. They make connections regarding theme, mood, or emotional expression. They present their findings orally and display their images.
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Prairie Activity: Prairie Quilt
Students investigate prairie life in the 19th century. They research quilts and prairie images online, take a photo of an object related to prairie life, transfer the image onto fabric, and create a class quilt.
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Botanical Illustration with Watercolor Activity
Students examine anatomy of flowers as depicted in watercolor drawings, and create their own artwork.
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Compound Words
First graders discuss what compound words are and what they look like as a whole group. For this compound words lesson, learnerseach have a single word card and pair up with another student to create a compound word. A valuable,...
Teach Engineering
Water Power
Young hydrologists observe a waterwheel which helps them investigate the transformations of energy that occur when the blades of a hydro-turbine are turning. They work together in pairs and pretend to be engineers who are building a new...
Cornell University
Magnetic Mad Libs
Examine the science behind computer communication. After defining the properties of magnets, learners simulate how a computer hard drive works by sending each other binary codes using the magnets. They use these communications to...
US Institute of Peace
Responding to Conflict: Mediation
What happens when two parties can't come to agreement? Scholars explore the role of a mediator through part 10 of a 15-part series of peacebuilding lessons. Through individual work and role play, pupils brainstorm solutions until they...
Curated OER
The Outsiders
Tenth graders complete a variety of activities related to the first two chapters of the book The Outsiders. They define metaphor, simile, idiom, and hyperbole, and take a vocabulary pre-quiz. In small groups, they write a character...
Curated OER
Service Learning
Students view video clips to define service learning. For this civics lesson, students read quotes, take a survey, and define altruism. Students view video clips and evaluate the motivation and impact of those who perform community...
Curated OER
How About a Hand?
Students experience a shared reading regarding the importance of feeling like a valued member of the community within a family. For this family member feelings lesson, students discuss the feelings and the motives of the characters....
Curated OER
Habitat Breakdown
Young scholars investigate the fragility of insects and organisms and their survival needs. In this habitat lesson, students discuss what elements they need to survive day to day, then hypothesize what they would need to live as an...
Curated OER
Counting on Coins
Learners count coins. For this currency and mathematics lesson, students use skip counting to figure the value of a group of coins. Learners use plastic replica coins and real coins.
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Shape Hunt
Young scholars explore two-dimensional and solid shapes. In this shapes and patterns geometry lesson, students work with a partner to create identifiable objects using tangrams. Young scholars describe the attributes of their shape and...
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Let Me Tell You About My State
Fifth graders research one of the 50 U.S. States that they were unfamiliar with. In this U.S. Geography lesson, 5th graders utilize encyclopedias as well as the Internet to research a chosen U.S. State in order to write a report....
Curated OER
Lessons from the Holocaust
Students investigate the horrors of World War II by participating in a role-playing activity. In this holocaust instructional activity, students read handouts describing the atrocities committed against the Jews in Germany during...
Curated OER
Let it Roll!
Students explore how various ramps affect the rate of speed of a rolling object. In this physics lesson, students work in groups to build a ramp out of various materials. Students test and record the rate of speed of a rolling object by...
Curated OER
Chrysanthemum
Young scholars identify the main story elements in the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. In this literacy lesson, students listen to the book and use a guided reading ball check for comprehension. Young scholars answer questions such...