Curated OER
Using Text Features
Fourth graders read a nonfiction story that is presented to them with graphic features, and presented to them with only the text. In this text features lesson, 4th graders decide what the benefits of text organizers are and create their...
Curated OER
Because of Winn-Dixie
Students complete a variety of activities related to the book "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo. They create a scrapbook of the characters in the book, play a reading comprehension maze game, and participate in an online...
Curated OER
An Honest Cigarette Ad?
Students recognize the intended audience for a certain advertisement They recognize advertising techniques aimed at the intended audience and create their own advertisements about the truth of cigarette smoking. Students begin to see...
Curated OER
Stories of Hope: Dragonfly and Mosquito
Students identify and interpret the value of the dragonfly as a predator of the mosquito. They create their own folktales using the dragonfly or a creature of their choice to solve the malaria problem or another issue. Students also...
Curated OER
Sticks, Stones, Sinews and Stuff: How Early People Used the Environment to Meet Basic Needs
Students create an artifact. For this early survival lesson, students use found objects to create an artifact that could have been used to help early people meet their basic needs.
Curated OER
1984
Students read 1984, noting the potential dangers of government. They keep private diaries to parctice freedom of expression. They create political cartoons for a secret publication and design posters and T-shirts with warnings on them.
Curated OER
You Don't Even Look Aboriginal
Young scholars view and respond to artwork and demonstrate understanding of different viewpoints about identity. Students then collect images of family members and symbols from magazines that represent their home and workplace, and...
Curated OER
Bag It
Young scholars create a book report in a bag. They include items that explain the elements of the story and share them with the class.
Curated OER
Clay Story Adventure
Students build three-dimensional rough draft for a story by creating objects, people, places, animals, etc., with clay, and write story in a journal, poem, or other written form.
Curated OER
Sculpting a Message: From the Counter-Reformation to the Present Day
Students discuss persuasive messages in art. For this art history lesson, students research 17th- century European sculptures to find the messages given. They create their own sculptures and write press releases to explain their art.
Curated OER
A Maya Masterpiece
Students analyze the symbols presented in a Maya artifact. They create collages that depict a theme related to contemporary life in their community, and write brief analyses explaining the symbolism of the images they chose.
Curated OER
Colonial Migration
Students, in groups, create a student book for an assigned group of immigrants to the Colonial United States (Huguenots, Scots, Irish, Africans.) They create drawings for the book and rhyming text that depicts three struggles that...
Curated OER
Culture Collage
Students investigate their cultural heritage and make observations on how much influence their past has on their current values and lifestyle. They brainstorm a list of things that represent a certain country or cultural heritage and...
Curated OER
The Dracula Game
Learners discuss ways in which the story "Dracula" can be viewed in terms of a board game. After discussion, groups create and illustrated game board, pieces, and written rules for their own version of The Dracula Game. Groups provide...
Curated OER
Adopt-An-Element
In this chemistry activity, students complete an adopt an element information sheet. Then they create an advertisement for their element including the information listed. Students also write its important uses, interesting facts, and...
The Imagination Factory
Design a Postage Stamp for Black History Month
Learners create a postage stamp for Black History Month. In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss the contributions of African-Americans and design a postage stamp to celebrate their impact.
Curated OER
Dream Book Collage
Students discuss dreams and they types of dreams they have. They read the book "Dinosaur Dream" by Dennis Nolan and discuss the characters and events in the book. They look up vocabulary words and create a collage utilizing as many...
Curated OER
Silly Nilly
Fourth graders create their own stories with a life instructional activity and illustrate them.
Curated OER
Cows on Parade
Pupils use assorted drawing materials and sheets from a cow shaped pad to create a unique, bright, colorful cows.
Curated OER
The Maine State Seal
Students evaluate the state seal of Maine and its relevance today. They discuss the Maine state seal and the images and what they represent. They create their own Maine state seal representing present-day Maine including symbols and a...
Curated OER
Editorial Cartoons
Do your classes love reading and drawing cartoons? Middle schoolers read an editorial cartoon from a newspaper. They discuss the cartoonist's topic, audience, and purpose. Next, they brainstorm questions they have about the cartoon and...
Teaching Tolerance
Identity Artifacts Museum
Who are you? It's a simple question, but younger learners have the opportunity to express their complex identities by making artifacts that represent parts of their identities. After engaging in the activity, they share who they are with...
Sargent Art
Improvisation: Dada and Surrealism
Images of works by Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel, and Man Ray launch a study of Dada and Surrealism. After critiquing works by these and other artists, class members gather their own images and arrange them into a cohesive composition.
Described and Captioned Media Program
Malcolm X: Make It Plain, Part I
Malcolm X was a complicated man that few in white America understood. After sharing what they know or think they know about this civil rights leader, about nationalism and Black Nationalism, class members view a two-part documentary...