Curated OER
Paragraph Building
Build the skills your budding authors need to develop to compose well-structured paragraphs. Give them the topic sheet (included here), and have them write a cohesive paragraph using the ideas listed. Consider having them include two...
Curated OER
Fact or Hoax? You Decide.
Students analyze the components of debating and practice what they have learned as they conduct a class debate on the lunar landing. Both sides of the issue are researched and presented to the group.
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
Completing Simple Tax Forms
Twelfth graders practice filling out IRS 1040 EZ forms. They discuss various ways people pay taxes. They assess the importance of W-2 forms and apply skills using the IRS tax table to compute how much money is owed or returned.
Curated OER
Do Deductibles Matter?
Fifth graders discuss insurance and the cost of automobile insurance. They compare and contrast the costs of insurance from different companies. They figure the savings from the lowest deductible to the highest deductible.
Curated OER
Fact V. Opinion
Students use statements out of newpapers to distinguish between facts and opinions. They discuss these differences as well.
Curated OER
What's Your Temperature?
Learners take a look at the local newspaper and focus on the weather section. They get into small groups, and each one looks at the same map, but of a different part of the country. They must prepare a presentation that shows how...
Curated OER
Combining and Rewriting Sentences
Learners practice combining sentences using the conjunction handout provided. They search magazines and newspapers to identify combined sentences that use conjunctions. Finally, these are rewritten again as two separate sentences.
Curated OER
Brain Break: Vocabulary and Context Clues
Young scholars utilize various sources to build and refine their vocabulary skills. They work together to solve a crypto-quote and daily puzzle from the newspaper.
Curated OER
Graphing To Solve Systems of Equations
Students explore graping linear equations and their relevance to real life situations. After a teacher led demonstration, students work at their desks and on the board to plot points and determine the slope of a line. Students then...
Curated OER
Good Enough To Eat
Students are introduced to the five food groups. In groups, they place different foods into the correct section of the Food Pyramid. Using different types of technology, they create one page of a class ABC book sharing what they know...
Curated OER
An Excursion to Cities of Mysterious Pasts
Students use the encyclopedia sources on the computer or in the library to research the historic sites and history of Mexico City. They make notes of what they find to be the most interesting for their visit. They make a large map of...
Curated OER
What Has Happened Here?
Students read a passage from Geraldine Brooks's novel Year of Wonders. They generate questions to clarify the meaning of the text and make connections between the text and information learned in their history and science classes.
Curated OER
Japan: A Cultural Study
Third graders "take a trip" to Japan. They discover what life is like for a typical Japanese child and compare/contrast it to life in America. They give an oral presentation of Japanese holidays and festivals.
Curated OER
The Important Thing About Technology
Students assess the advantages of modern technology tools by creating a page in a class book utilizing pattern writing as well as the writing process. They organize and develop a composition on a selected topic after going through the...
Curated OER
The Velveteen Rabbit
First graders discuss and touch stuffed animals and a real rabbit. They complete a KWL chart about rabbits. They listen to the story The Velveteen Rabbit and discuss it. They research rabbits in the library and make a book.
Curated OER
Gray Whales
Explore the majestic grey whale while deepening your understanding of animal adaptations. Grey whales from head to toe are specifically designed to fit their environment. Learners will examine the ways in which the flippers, head, body,...
Curated OER
My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
Curated OER
An Author Study: Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes' books can be a great way to introduce students to an author study in the classroom.
Curated OER
Under the Sea - Ocean Mammals/Fish
Students explore the similarities and differences between ocean mammals and fish. The characteristics of the life forms observed are placed onto a graph. The classroom becomes the botom of the sea and is explored to gain the required data.
Curated OER
Tall Tales and Urban Legends
Students identify and interpret what tall tales, urban legends, and cyberlore are and to find them in their own lives. They practice telling and listening to these types of tales and explore why people tell them. Students also identify...
Curated OER
The Sky is Falling!!
First graders complete a variety of activities about fall. They study a plant's life cycle and what happens to plants in the fall. They make leaf rubbings and discuss seed dispersal. They write a creative story about a seed and visit a...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Duke Ellington
Pupils read Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of the 20th century composer. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library...
Curated OER
Making Inferences While Identifying Similes and Metaphors
Use this lesson to study similes and metaphors and the inferred meaning. In this language arts lesson, 5th graders write their own similes and metaphors. A worksheet is provided for extension work or to check understanding as homework.