Curated OER
The Conquest of the Aztec Civilization
Students use the classroom atlases, the Internet or textbooks to draw a freehand map. They work in groups using the maps in the book The Broken Spears (Portilla) and The Conquest of New Spain (Diaz) to draw a freehand map identifying...
Curated OER
Salvaged Pages: Writing as a Response to Literature
Students discuss the topic of the Holocaust. Before reading and discussing Elie Wiesel's "Night", they complete an activity giving them a different perspective on the event. They read diaries and journal entries of children and write a...
Curated OER
Dropping the Atomic Bomb The Decision That Defined a Presidency.
Students examine historical evidence regarding the atomic bomb. In this Truman presidency lesson, students research images and documents about the use of the bomb in Japan. Students write position papers that identify their stance on the...
Curated OER
Tales From The Tummy
Students use creative writing in order to review the digestive system and other various parts of the human body. They write a creative story about a hamburger and the journey it takes during digestion. The lesson includes key words that...
Curated OER
Technical Writing
High schoolers discuss technical writing and its importance in the work place and review the definition of technical writing They evaluate technical writing examples and look for characteristics of effective technical writing. They...
Curated OER
Women of the Twenties and The Great Gatsby
Students research social elements of the 1920s. In this persuasive writing lesson, students make comparisons between women of the 1920s and women in the 21st century. They work in small groups to discuss the women in The...
Curated OER
The Memory Play in American Drama
Students take a closer look at a memory play. In this American drama lesson, students read Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie and analyze it as a memory play. Students discuss the linear and non-linear aspects of the play prior to...
Curated OER
The Collaborative Works of Rodgers and Hammerstein: Show Business
Young scholars study the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein in an historical context of the development of American musical theatre as an art form. Students explore "roots" of the genre as it evolves in last half of the 19th and first two...
Curated OER
Writing to a Specific Topic
After a class discussion where learners make predictions about what will happen in a book based on its cover illustration, pupils are asked to compose a written response about an aspect of the story and include some of their own...
Curated OER
Louisa May Alcott: The Candle and the Mirror
Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times. In this Louisa May Alcott lesson, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement, relating...
Education Outside
Papermaking
Imagine recycling food scraps and using them to make paper. The directions are all here in a seven-page packet that details several paper-making strategies.
National Gallery of Canada
Class Commission
Simulate a real-life situation with a project proposal activity for an art installation. Learners look at work by Joe Fafard and examine his website for information about public art displays. They also search for other proposals for...
National Gallery of Canada
Who Are You?
What can a self-portrait reveal about an artist? Discuss various self-portraits before tasking your pupils with creating their own. Learners research artists, develop an idea of their own individuality, and create photo collages with...
Safe Drinking Water Foundation
To Filter or Not to Filter
Drinking clean water can be taken for granted. Explore the process and high cost of filtering water with a water pollution and filtration activity. Young scientist build a filtration system to filter polluted water, examine the economics...
Curated OER
The Captain And Lake Wilmar
Tenth graders examine the ecosystem of Lake Wilmar through three coordinated performance tasks. They first investigate the effects of pH on freshwater animals by comparing the zooplankton counts from three different areas. They then...
Curated OER
Writing Paragraphs
Twelfth graders examine the process of writing a paragraph that describes events in chronological order. They listen to a teacher-led discussion, construct a paragraph in pairs, and independently write a paragraph following the process...
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
Tools of the Trade: The Use of Geographic Tools
Students examine the tools of demographic analysis and apply them to real-world situations. They analyze maps, define terminology, and write an information paper for the appropriate government agency to recommend an action or policy change.
Curated OER
Scientists Write!
Students use a journal to record observations. They make notes about what research may be needed to answer questions that have come up in the field and sketch or make connections in the curriculum. They research bioinformatics and...
Curated OER
George Washington: The Living Symbol
Students discuss George Washington's life and how he became a symbol of this nation. They categorize various images of Washington into the various roles he plays.
Curated OER
A Cut Above the Rest Administration Procedures
Students analyze how the Law of Conservation of Energy applies to the design and use of scissors. Working in groups, they determine the output work for a standard pair of scissors.
Curated OER
Lincoln's Legend and Legacy
Students evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. In this Civil War activity, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Students take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their own poem or...
Curated OER
Ride the Road to Freedom
Second graders discover that people can connect the dots of the stars to make pictures in the sky and have been doing so for thousands of years. They understand that throughout the United States people worked together to plan an escape...
NPR
Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...