Curated OER
Be Specific, Go West To The Pacific
Fifth and sixth graders follow Lewis and Clark from St. Louis to the Pacific and back again. They read online journal entries made by Lewis and Clark to gather information. The official Lewis and Clark website is used by learners to...
Curated OER
Tell a Ton of Tall Tales
Elementary schoolers read many tall tales. They create their own tall tale about a specific event of their choosing. They must act the part of the author. This well-designed lesson takes three class sessions to complete, and is...
Curated OER
Chinese Calligraphy
Explore the beauty of Chinese Calligraphy. This well-developed activity will take your class on a journey through the history of Calligraphy, engage them in technique and style, then challenge them by having them create new strokes to...
Curated OER
Allowing Students to Explore Simple Physics and Marketing in English Class
Scientific method, linear measurements, friction, inertia. Imagine learning scientific vocabulary in an ELA class. Before researching and developing a presentation about simple machines, class members build a common, but decidedly...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving in America
A rhetorical look at Thanksgiving celebrations from all sides of the American dinner table.
Curated OER
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Who would you love to see at your table? Groups research a decade, ranging from the 1840s to the 1960s, read a short story associated with that decade, and plan a dinner party, complete with table set-up and menu. After researching...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Kentucky Educational Television
What Is Honesty?
This is an absolute must-have resource for exploring honesty with your learners! Youngsters role play four scenarios that involve honest and dishonest actions, and then engage in meaningful discussion and activities regarding those...
Water
Global Water Supply Middle School Curriculum
We take a steady shower stream and clean drinking water for granted, but in many countries around the world, the lack of water or a clean water supply is responsible for higher sickness and death rates. Taking a closer look at the water...
Curated OER
Foreign Language Dictionary Unit
Eighth graders create a Spanish or French language dictionary using online resources. They decide on a theme for their dictionary. They complete the template sheet by adding a word for each letter of the alphabet and inserting graphics...
Curated OER
Storytelling with the Opaque Projector
Students create illustrations for a folktale that are shown with an opaque projector during the story reading. They are assigned a picture description and do not know how their picture fits into the story until all of the illustrations...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Designs
Second graders examine facts that can be found in nonfiction books. They listen to a read aloud of Patrick's Dinosaur, with time before the end for student predictions. They make dinosaur t-shirts using facts from the book.
Curated OER
Fictional Biographies
Students read and discuss the fictional biography, "Strega Nona: Her Own Story" by Tomie dePaola. They compare the characters of the story to other fictional characters then choose their own favorite fictional character to write a...
Curated OER
Here and There: Discovering Communities Through the Olympic Torch Relay
Students compare their hometowns to the towns on the Olympic Torch Relay and complete multi-curricular activities for the lesson. In this Olympics lesson, students complete math, geography, science, and history activities to learn about...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Sixth graders explore simple machines. They identify tools and machines that are used in everyday life. Students examine the purpose and uses of everyday tools. They create a tool or machine that can be used to solve a problem.
Curated OER
Sea Urchins - Diadema Antillarum
Students investigate oceanography by painting sea life. In this crustacean lesson, students identify sea urchins in our ocean environments and describe the functionality of their spherical-shaped bodies. Students design their own sea...
Curated OER
Hurricane Katrina: You Be the Reporter
Young scholars work in a small group to create news stories, feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor and organize them in a podcast, video-based program, or newspaper/magazine focused on Hurricane Katrina.
Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper-Style Article
Help your secondary reader/writers assess texts by studying press releases from Statistics Canada and drafting articles based on them. They then compare the press release, their own articles, and actual news stories they find online. I'd...
Curated OER
The Journey of the Spirit
Young scholars discuss Scholastic Art Magazine issue on 'Artists Today' . They participate in a class discussion & watch a demonstration on the use of 'found objects' and ordinary materials (i.e. paper towels, leaves) to create...
Curated OER
Complementary Superheroes
Students discover the color wheel. In this color lesson, students find the primary colors, secondary colors, and contrasting colors. They look through the designs of super hero logos and create their own using what they know about color.
Curated OER
Oh, What A Day
Young scholars listen as the teacher reads A Country Far Away. They predict what they will do and what they think their partner student will be doing. Students create a KWL chart for Japan. They collect information about their activities...
Curated OER
Metal Foil Drawings
Have fun with foil. This art lesson involves mediums that can easily be found in your home, classroom, or local store. Your young artists will create a design on foil that will result in a beautiful, shiny picture. Tip: Have everyone...
Curated OER
Fantasy Creature
Middle schoolers, in groups, create three-dimensional sculptures from found objects. They paint their sculptures and write essays that reflect on the collaborative creative project.
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas
You can keep this printable idea sheet and use when you're in a tight spot. It contains cross-curricular ideas that span every subject while relating to the African tale, "Anasazi the Spider." Learners will act, write, move, count, and...