California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
US Mint
Desert Dwellers
What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 6: Introducing the Elements of Plot-Part Two
November is National Novel Writing Month, so if your young authors are embarking on this journey, be sure they understand plot elements. This collaborative lesson fits into the context of the larger NaNoWriMo project; however, the ideas...
Curated OER
Credible Sources on the Internet: What to Trust, What to Dismiss and When to Cite a Source
Wait, you mean researchers don't all use Wikipedia? Teach your class about intelligent research with a lesson about evaluating digital sources. The lesson starts with a quickwrite and includes vocabulary exercises and several...
Curated OER
Reading Poetry in the Middle Grades
Bring the beauty of "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost to middle school language arts. After learners read a copy of the poem, they follow an instructional sequence that focuses on sound, figurative language, and theme.
Reading Resource
Flower Building Long Vowel Game
Reading can be as lovely as a walk through the garden! Sets of flowers host words that share long vowel sounds, which kids match to the correct flowerpots.
Houston Area Calculus Teachers
Polynomial Graphing
Your AP Calculus learners probably have their ID numbers memorized, but have they tried graphing them? Pique your pupils' interest by asking each to create a unique polynomial function based on their ID numbers, and then analyze the...
University of Chicago
Don't Be Too Flaky
Snow, ice, and water are all composed of H2O. Does that mean they all have the same volume? Discover the ways that the densities of these substances determine their volumes, and how they change based on their current states of...
New York State Education Department
Comprehensive English Examination: January 2016
Poetry and prose often have more in common than it initially appears. A sample comprehensive English exam has test-takers compare and contrast two passages to answer short response questions. The exam, which is part of a larger set of...
Curated OER
A City Council Meeting
Here is an interesting plan for introducing your pupils to the workings of the local city council. The teacher must go videotape a city council meeting in it's entirety. Learners watch the tape, and discuss what they observed from the...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: "Chalk Talk Strategy”
Hold a silent discussion about concepts related to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. After reading chapter seven, learners participate in a whole-class written discussion based on guiding questions written on the board by the teacher.
International Technology Education Association
Sizing Up the Clouds
How much rain can that cloud make? Through a simulation, the class estimates the amount of candy rain contained in different cup clouds. After probing the clouds using different methods, class members adjust their estimates. Participants...
PBS
Using Primary Sources: Nazi Spy Ring Busted
Spy games are not just for professionals anymore! Scholars use short video clips, primary documents, and photographs to investigate Nazi spies in America during World War II. The young detectives analyze the paranoia warfare can...
Curated OER
Notetaking Skills
Fifth graders review notetaking skills and brainstorm a list of times when notetaking is important. They review a given text then take notes on writing paper, using the modeled style.
Curated OER
North American Explorers
Sixth graders discuss famous explorere then research an explorer, collect reference materials and take notes using notecards. They write a three to four page typed and double spaced report then present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
The Struggle for Human Rights
Tenth graders identify and clarify a problem, an issue, or an inquiry. They identify the changing nature of families and women's roles in Canadian society. Pupils assess the interaction between Aboriginal people and Europeans. ...
National First Ladies' Library
Workers, Take a Holiday! the Beginning of Labor Day
When your upper elementary class returns in the fall, have them identify and define the beginnings of the labor movement and Labor Day in the United States. They thoughtfully reflect on changes that have occurred in the way we think...
Curated OER
7th Grade English/Language Arts Practice Test
The Georgia Department of Education provides practice for their Criterion-Referenced Competency Test in English/Language Arts with 30 multiple-choice questions.
Curated OER
Flying The Friendly Skies
Learners investigate the science of flight while creating their own gliders and test them with the lift supplied by wind in the outdoors. They create a chart to make observations of the flight patterns of different gliders taking note of...
Curated OER
Colonization And The Quarkers
Eighth graders explore the colonization of Pennsylvania and the Quaker religion. They share how they believe Quakers treated the Native Americans. Students take notes and listen to a lass lecture. Afterward, they write at least two...
Curated OER
Social Life in the 1950's and Domestic Politics and Policy
Eleventh graders examine the cultural mood and politics of the 1950's in the United States. They read a section of their text and take notes, view a clip of the movie "Pleasantville" and discuss societal roles in the 1950's, and listen...
Curated OER
English Colonization
Fifth graders discuss their prior knowledge of what colonization means and give their opinions of why someone would want to start a colony. After recording their answers on web map they read about the English colonization in their books;...
Curated OER
Forces And Motion
Eighth graders work together in order to investigate the concepts of force and motion. They conduct research using a variety of resources while taking notes. The notes are compiled in order to construct a notebook that is used for a...
Curated OER
Personal Artifacts
Ninth graders put their observation skills to work. In this observation skills instructional activity, 9th graders examine personal artifacts that their instructor has gathered. Students take notes on the artifacts they analyze and write...