Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

The American Five - Pentatonic scales in early American melodies

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Through vocal warm-ups and exercises, budding musicians will attempt to grasp the five pentatonic scales, commonly used in early American songs. They'll sing and work to identify the pitch, tone, melody, and scales being expressed in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet Our Teachers

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners of all ages interview, record, and photograph teachers and staff at their school. They organize the photo with a soundbite into a PowerPoint presentation. They transcribe the interview and write a response to it. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The Three Billy Goats Gruff:" Retelling the Story

For Teachers K - 2nd
Youngsters retell the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. They write a sentence for speech bubbles for a character in the story, identify the phrases that can be used for retelling a story, and in small groups write a sentence for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Networking for Nonprofits

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students investigate how important networking is to businesses and non-profit organizations. They examine fundraising options and design a flyer advertising a fundraising event.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Picture

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students create miniature portraits of George Washington using a primary source image, watercolor pencils, colored pencils and white drawing paper. This Art instructional activity can be used as an introductory instructional activity on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pebbles, Sand and Silt -- Categorizing Fiction and Informational Books

For Teachers 1st
Primary readers complete the activities in a Pebbles, Sand and Silt FOSS kit. As a class, they are given a group of rocks and they are to categorize them based on their activities in the FOSS kit. They use this information and apply it...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scrambled Stories

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Character development, setting, and plot? Sounds like the makings of a good narrative story. Young authors read and analyze several narrative examples, and then they use what they know to pen an original composition. They work both in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

California Artists

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify and compare works of art from various regions of the United States. Telecollaborative partners, from different states, work together to complete this assignment. Using the internet, 5th graders research a specific...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Do your young readers know that poems can be performed as a team? They listen to a few examples from Paul Fleischman's book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, paying attention to how the how readers work together....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolution! Freedom for All?

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine the causes of freedom by revolutionary patriots. In this Civics and Economics lesson, 12th graders analyze primary sources. Students work cooperatively to write a freedom declaration for their group.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture This!

For Teachers 1st
First graders watch the teacher model how to draw pictures and write words in a First, Next, Then, Last - 4 block graphic organizer. They write and draw in their own 4 block papers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Which Way is Up? The Tree of Life in Africa

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students read a book titled This is the Tree about a baobab tree and draw a picture and label the tree. In this tree lesson plan, students also write a paragraph explaining why they drew that tree. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty, and Secession

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine sequence of national events that resulted in the Civil War by using primary sources, and creating timelines and maps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Goal Pole

For Teachers K - 1st
Studnets discuss the meaning of exploration and investigate a map of the Louisiana Territory. They discuss Lewis and Clark's expedition and complete worksheets. They create a "goal pole" that represents their learning.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Photo Essay

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students explain the purpose of a photo essay, sequence a series of events, and explain the format in creating a photo essay, which includes a caption for each picture. They complete a photo essay as a creative activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fish Communities in the Hudson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use tables of fish collection data to draw conclusions about where fish live in the Hudson Estuary. Given available data they interpret organized observations and measurements and recognize simple patterns, sequences, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Does the Government Get Its Authority?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss elected and appointed officials and identify figures of authority. They complete a worksheet to explain that governments provide for organization and safety.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seedfolks

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students explore sequencing. In this sequencing lesson, students sequence events to analyze character actions as cause and effect or the plot of the story. Students discuss character actions and list them on a chart.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paul Revere's Ride

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read and discuss the selection "Paul Revere's Ride" (included with the lesson). Students imagine they live in one of the villages that Paul Revere stopped. They are awakened by his knock on the door. Students write an essay...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reagan and Bush: The Conservative Years

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students investigate the conservative agenda of the Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. They conduct Internet research, evaluate an edition of the Wall Street Journal, and write and publish a special-edition newspaper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Role Playing in North America: Mid 1600s-Mid 1700s

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders apply their knowledge of North American history from the mid 1600's through the mid 1700's to a role-playing scenario. In small groups they plan, write, and perform a dramatic skit of a group that was affected by events in...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

It's Not Just Story Time... It's Learning Time!

For Teachers Pre-K
Students look at picture books and describe the story elements. In this picture book lesson, students retell a story and begin to understand the story elements of plot, setting, and characters. Students complete graphic organizers to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To War Or Not To War?

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders research the political, societal, and economic factors of World War I, World War II, and the 2001 war against terrorism. They participate in class discussions, write journal entries, and conduct Internet research. ...
Lesson Plan
Pennsylvania Department of Education

Comparing Key Ideas and Details in Fiction and Nonfiction

For Teachers K - 4th
Students recognize the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts. In this genre study lesson, students discuss what nonfiction means and write the definition. Students listen to a read aloud and vote whether the text is fiction or...