National Geographic
Measuring Elevation Past and Present
After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...
Reporters Without Borders
2017 World Press Freedom Index
Freedom of the press was seen as a right so important that the Founding Fathers listed it as part of the first amendment to the United States Constitution. Americans pride themselves on this freedom, but just how free are American...
Curated OER
Secrets of the Mummies
How did the ancient people of Egypt preserve their dead so well that their bodies are still recognizable today? Learn the painstakingly complex process they used for preservation. Young scholars read and summarize a narrative detailing...
Curated OER
GPS Sports Field Activity
Students practice using GPS receivers and explore how knowing the coordinates of two locations allows them to determine the distance between those two points. They use the theory that they already had knowledge of and apply it to a...
Curated OER
Pre Writing Strategies
Second graders review story mapping along with characters, setting, problem, events, and solution. They view pictures and tell the story of their picture orally then they write rough drafts and final copies of their stories in the...
Curated OER
"The Drum"
Second graders read and discuss the folktale "The Drum" from India. They also answer story comprehension questions, complete an adjectives and verb worksheet, and label a map of India. Students sequence events from the story and make...
Curated OER
Sum It Up!
Students read the book Esperanza Rising and discover the meaning of a summary. They re-read chapter one and write down some things that they think are the most important facts about what is going on in the story. They copy a story map...
Curated OER
The Adventure of Negative clue and Alice World
Students read the story "The Adventure of the Negative Clue" and design an Alice World for the story's setting. In this reading analysis lesson, students read the story and complete a story map. Students use the Alice program to design...
Curated OER
Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
Pupils read "Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss. They complete a story map and write about the topic of prejudice. They role-play star-bellied and plain-bellied sneetches and write a persuasive essay about their experiences.
Curated OER
Fictional Hereos
Students are introduced to the definition of a hero. As a class, they compare and contrast the difference between non-fictional and fictional hereos they have read about. They read a story, create a story map of one of the heroes and...
Shakespeare in American Life
Tom Hanks and Caliban: Survivor Superstars
Here’s a clever way to combine language arts and social studies. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is believed to have been inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609. The class views a brief scene from Castaway in which Tom...
Curated OER
New: Around the World
First graders identify and demonstrate how symbols and models are used to represent features of the environment. They use a map and a globe to label where the students in the book came from, point out the continent, and show which ocean...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr.
After listening to a story about Martin Luther King Jr., first graders answer questions about the text. They discuss the importance of the illustrations, identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and complete a writing...
Curated OER
Primary History: Viking Settlements
In this Viking culture learning exercise, learners complete 4 extension activities to learn about Viking settlements. Students write a newspaper story, a TV newscast between Alfred the Great and the Danes, use a map to locate modern...
Curated OER
Book Trailers/Sneak Peeks
Looking for a motivating and creative technology lesson? Then this lesson is for you! After viewing a movie trailer, middle-schoolers follow that design to create a video preview of a book's story elements. They also create a storyboard...
Ed Helper Clip Art
Character Problem Solution
Intended for younger audiences, children identify the main characters, setting, problem, events, and solution in a graphic organizer.
School District No. 43
Writing a Greek Myth
Ask your learners to dream up a myth set in modern day. These mythology writing prompts require individuals take on the role of an ancient Greek citizen who just woke up to a totally different world. Through this lens, class members...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - Dirty Beards
The problem with beards is that they collect a lot of food. The first activity in an 11-part unit related to The Twits by Roald Dahl explores the hairy jungle that is Mr. Twit's beard. A concluding project has learners create their own...
American Battle Monuments Commission
Honoring Service, Achievements, and Sacrifice: A WWI Virtual Field Trip
The largest offensive in United States military history comes alive in a online interactive resource. Young historians explore the Meuse Argonne battlefield and scour the landscape for evidence from the battle. They then use primary...
Curated OER
All About Me
Using technology, learners create and deliver a multimedia autobiographical presentation to present to the class. This ambitious instructional activity has learners use a variety of sources both old and new; magazines, poster board, the...
Reed Novel Studies
The Light in the Forest: Novel Study
"Make new friends but keep the old" is a wise saying. However, True Son, a main character in The Light in the Forest, struggles doing just that. Once living among the white people, he was taken into an Indian tribe for several years....
Describing Egypt
Ptah-Hotep and Akhet-Hotep Mastaba
Did you know that mastaba means bench in Arabic? Learn why a mastaba was so important to ancient Egyptian architecture. Middle and high schoolers alike stay entertained while reading a passage that describes the virtual tour of...
Curated OER
Graphic Organizer Collection: Character
In this collection of graphic organizers for a literature unit, students will complete 22 different graphic organizers on the topic of character development. For example, this collection includes character analysis and various attribute...
Curated OER
Ticky Plans His Trip to Antarctica to See Tacky
First graders participate in a creative problem solving activity to help Ticky get to the Atlantic Ocean. They identify Ticky's problem, brainstorm ways to solve the problem, and develop a plan. They write the steps Ticky needs to take...