Curated OER
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Explore Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in this literature analysis lesson. Middle schoolers read and summarize the plot of the story. They then adapt passages for a contemporary audience and analyze the...
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Animal Legends
Seventh graders review the concept of a legend. Using the internet, they research animals found in Illinois. They write their own legends based on the animal they researched. They share their story and show pictures of the animals to the...
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Helpful Animals and Compassionate Humans in Folklore
Students define elements of stories from around the world that include helpful animals. They explore animal character motivations and use graphic organizers to compare and contrast animal stories from different cultures.
Curated OER
The Naming of a Native American
Pupils read and discuss Native American legends. They examine how the Native American name came about.
Curated OER
Creature Seekers
Does it actually exist? Consider the sighting of a giant squid, much like the one that appears in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Middle and high schoolers read the article One Legend Found, Many Still to Go, and research other mysterious...
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The Legendary Raptors
How are raptors and airplanes alike? Combine science and language arts in this fun and interactive project. Young scientists research the animal in order to design their own aircraft, and compete in a contest for farthest, fastest, and...
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Identifying the Characteristics of a Myth
For this lesson created specifically to integrate the use of the SMART Board, Students view a variety of animated myths in order to create a web that identifies the characteristics of a myth. Then Students choose a myth from selected...
Curated OER
Universal Myths and Symbols: Animal Creatures and Creation
Students examine the role of mythology in their own lives. After reading stories, they discover the various theories on the origins of the universe and compare the symbols used by different cultures. To end the lesson plan, they...
Curated OER
Color Coding Richard III
Tenth graders use color-coded annotation or text-marking to analyze a passage from Richard III. In this text analysis lesson, 10th graders read a passage from Richard III and use colored pens to analyze the text. Students then devise a...
Curated OER
Learning the Effects of Weather
Second graders examine how weather affects animals and people. They discuss Navajo and Ute stories told during different seasons of the year, and create a drawing of people or animal behavior and the connection to the weather.
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Aerosol Lesson: Science - Graphing SAGE II Data
Students examine and plot atmospheric data on bar graphs.
Curated OER
Where the Buffalo Roam
Second graders explore what life in the Chicago area was like hundreds of years ago. They discuss how settlers impacted the environment, and why there are no longer herds of buffalo in the Chicago area today. They read an article and...
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A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
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How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun
Students explore U.S. history by reading a Native American tale in class. In this cultural storytelling lesson, students read the story How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun and discuss the characters and themes of the Native American...
PBS
Home, Sweet, Home!
Students investigate the local history and architecture of their community. They draw maps, conduct Internet research, discuss varied architectural designs, take a walking tour of their town and work in teams to record their community's...
Curated OER
The Blackfeet of Glacier National Park
Learners research an aspect of the Blackfeet tribe in Glacier National Park. They work together to create a presentation that is representative of their culture. They share their presentation with the class.
Curated OER
King Arthur's Family Tree
Students examine the genealogy of King Arthur. They create a poster of his family tree and shares with the class. They also place other key figures of the time period on the poster to put his life in perspective.
Curated OER
Landforms All Around
Students create a "Landform Dictionary". They develop an overlay map and participate in hands-on activities to identify the key characteristics of landforms. They discuss the plant and animal life of these areas. Handouts for the lessons...
Curated OER
An Arctic Expedition
Students become familiar with the Arctic region and the difficulties of scientific research by designing and developing an expedition to an "unknown" place. They use the library and the Internet in order to do their research. They...