Curated OER
Buried in Ice: The Mystery of a Lost Arctic Expedition
Students read a novel about a lost arctic expedition by Sir John Franklin. In groups, they discuss the author's quest to determine what happened to Franklin and his crew. Using the internet, they compare and contrast the expeditions by...
Curated OER
My Antonia: Body Biography Book Report
Examine the characters in Willa Cather's My Antonia with a group project. Small groups illustrate their chosen character on a large piece of paper and choose quotes from the text that tell about the character. Where students choose...
Curated OER
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Vocabulary Strategy
In order to truly understand The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, you'll need to provide middle schoolers with background information about the Holocaust. After contributing as many words as they can associate with the Holocaust, such as...
Curated OER
Magic Squares Vocabulary: Catcher in the Rye
Magic squares make learning fun! Seriously! Learners use the given square to review vocabulary terms from J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. The 16 vocabulary terms are not divided by chapter, they represent the whole book. As learners...
Curated OER
Exploring Slope
For this exploring slope worksheet, learners solve and complete 4 different problems. First, they compare an object's weight on Earth to an object's weight on another planet using the information given. Then, students compare this...
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The Wetlands
Complete a comparison of the wetlands found in New York and Louisiana. Using various research methods, gather data on the wetlands found in New York and Louisiana, the animals, conditions, etc. Data is used to create a brief report on...
Curated OER
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 21-23
After answering comprehension questions (good for a homework reading check), class members analyze "Comin' Thro the Rye," and using the included guidance questions, discuss Holden's misreading of Robert Burns' poem. The URL to text of...
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The Village and the Stars
Eighth graders discuss early school memories. They assess hopes and aspirations in greater detail and discover the importance of education as one of the shapes of our 'selves'. They observe parents' reactions to children growing up...
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Science in Focus: Force and Motion
Students explore force and motion through a series of experiments. In this physics lesson, students create and interpret speed graphs. They build an electromagnet and explain the factors affecting its strength.
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Magic Squares for Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Act II, scene 5
Readers of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night use a magic squares matrix to match vocabulary words from Act II, Scene 5 with their definitions. An answer key is provided.
Curated OER
A Long Walk
Seventh graders identify ways people persevere in a difficult situation. In this character education lesson, 7th graders watch a video about a man with cerebral palsy and discuss ways he perseveres.
Curated OER
A Raisin in the Sun: Vocabulary Bingo
Students study A Raisin in the Sun. Students study new vocabulary through a game of bingo. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "I Have a Dream" as a supplementary text. Students create their own bingo cards.
Curated OER
Leading into Good Writing
Discuss the importance of a lead in writing with your upper graders. They examine several examples of leads from literature and practice writing leads for pieces of artwork. They then select a topic from a list and write an introductory...
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Civil Rights in America
Seventh graders visit the Smithsonian and are shown different exhibits. They are to make their own drawing about one of the exhibits and write about the experience.
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Exploring Race Through Literature
Provide your class with an opportunity to examine race through a variety of literary works. They read and analyze a chosen poem, interview, speech, or story describing race in America. They then use key words from the original work to...
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Review with Creative Writing
Connect a wide range of literature concepts where writers demonstrate mastery through creative writing.
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Keeping students engaged after standardized testing
Instructional strategies and lesson ideas to keep students excited about learning, while reviewing and preparing for the next grade level.
Curated OER
The Prince and the Pauper
Mark Twain, the famous American author, is often studied in the school system. Use "The Prince and the Pauper" to analyze the differences between the text and its video version. This activity includes several culminating project...
PBS
Myth of the West: Kit Carson to the Rescue
There's nothing like the Wild Wild West! Scholars investigate the American Frontier through the eyes of Kit Carson. To complete the first installment of a three-part series, they use presentations, a short video, and primary and...
Teach Engineering
Superhydrophobicity – The Lotus Effect
Discover and demonstrate the Lotus Effect and superhydrophobic surfaces with the eighth installment of a nine-part series that teaches scholars about surfaces that exhibit superhydrophobicity. The lesson continues also describes...
Student Handouts
Bubble Answer Sheet
Need a quick way to administer and grade a multiple choice quiz? Keep this bubble sheet as a staple of your curriculum toolkit! It can be used for assessments with up to 30 multiple choice or true/false questions.
Curated OER
Night Compare Contrast
Using a constructivist approach and a graphic organizer, small groups work together to begin a paper, comparing and contrasting the novella Night and the movie Life is Beautiful. Assuming that your learners have studied both of these...
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Learning About Fiction Genres in the Elementary School Library
Teaching about fiction genres can be challenging. The lesson here, designed for library media specialists, offers a fun way to do it. In the lesson, learners visit the library and learn about the different types of fiction...
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Encouraging Students to Embrace Their Inner Author
Everyone is a writer! Youngsters compose an original piece of writing. In this writing lesson, they come up with their own idea for a piece of writing, revise it, and then publish it with illustrations. This lesson includes three...