Curated OER
The Soviet Choice For Growth
Students examine five major events in Soviet History to introduce the concept of opportunity cost. They identify considered alternatives at the time of decision and examine benefits and cost. They apply these ideas to a typical school day.
Curated OER
Sweeten The Day With Kindess
Students participate in an act of kindess for a staff member in the building. Each student then writes about the activity that they performed and it is then displayed on the bulletin board with their picture. Learning is observed through...
Curated OER
Changing the World, One Month at a Time
Students participate in kindness and good citizenship activities in this lesson plan. Each month of the school year, they are assigned a different activity. For example, in August the theme is "Getting to Know You!" The students hand...
Curated OER
I am Proud To Be a 2nd Grader
Second graders discuss the need for each one to meet educational expectations. They draw pictures and write a summary to explain important behavior for a 2nd grader. In groups, 2nd graders discuss the importance of following rules, and...
Curated OER
Can You Erase the Damage?
Third graders examine the need to treat others the way they would like to be treated. They determine whether the damage from teasing and mean words can be healed. They discuss how people feel when they are teased and how to repair the...
Curated OER
Retelling the Tiny Seed
Here is a very age appropriate idea that can be stretched, modified, or used as is. Learners review plant parts, discuss pollination, read the story The Tiny Seed, and write a retell sentence. Their sentences describe to way a seed...
Curated OER
The Gummywolf
Learners read a story about "Gummywolf," stopping periodically to answer questions about the progression of the story. Next, they create a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast "Gummywolf" to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Students...
Scholastic
Ask the Author
Here is a quick activity that could help your kids with their reading comprehension. They practice a classic strategy that gets them to start asking questions about what they are reading, while they are reading it. They write out...
Curated OER
Caring Makes a Difference
Students define caring. In this character education lesson, students examine the attributes of compassion as they read a folktale and discuss plans to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Missouri Department of Elementary
Don’t Tease Me!
A whole-class discussion sheds light on school bullying and ways to prevent it. Scholars share a moment when they observed or experienced some sort of teasing. Pupils brainstorm ways such behavior can be stopped or prevented.
Curated OER
Philanthropy in Literature Lesson 2: Common Good
Students listen to a number of children's books that describe private citizens participating in acts of kindness, sharing their time, talent or treasure. They identify the characters, problems, and solutions in the books.
Curated OER
Piecing Together the Puzzle
Students examine tikkun olam. In this religion lesson, students define the concept of tikkun olam and identify actions that they can do to help make the "perfect world." Students share ideas and post their ideas on the class web.
Curated OER
Seasons and Weather
Young scholars, in an open forum with the teacher, discuss the four seasons and all the activities they do during each season. They tie in all the different types of weather that is experienced during each season. In conclusion, the...
Curated OER
Philanthropy Play
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students simulate and role play people involved in the act of helping others.
Curated OER
And Others?
Having integrity is often easier said than done. After completing the first lesson in a unit on being true to themselves and their values, learners engage in a discussion about three different people in difficult situations that call for...
Curated OER
Charles Darwin
Students research Charles Darwin and the process he used to develop his theory of evolution. They keep a journal about the skill of observation and make a newspaper of their learning.
National First Ladies' Library
"Just a Little Bit Different": Inclusive Classrooms, Inclusive Schools
Learners explore visible and invisible differences, those of language, religion, dress, ethnicity, gender, etc. with their classmates. They play Bingo with a created list of classroom differences. Afterward, they write a short paper...
Curated OER
Silly School vs. Super School
Students explore the importance of classroom jobs. They observe a puppet who is irresponsible and never gets her work completed and then discuss whether or not this puppet should be given a classroom job. As a class, they examine the...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Safe and Healthy Life Choices (Part I)
As high schoolers seek to grow more and more independent, they must constantly make choices. Some options are healthy and some not so much. To begin the discussion, class members are asked to identify five safe and healthy (or...
Curated OER
Kindness Certificate
Students demonstrate that gifts don't need to be bought. In this philanthropy lesson, students list types of gifts and create homemade gifts for family and friends from various materials.
Curated OER
Underground Railroad
Fourth graders read about Harriet Tubman and develop vocabulary lists. For this Underground Railroad lesson, 4th graders find similarities and differences in primary and secondary sources, create a timeline and recognize important...
NYC Department of Records
Citizenship and Elections: The Importance of a Ballot
Approximately 58 prcent of those eligible voted in the 2016 US Presidential election. In an attempt to impress upon learners the importance of voting and voting rights, class members examine primary source documents related to...
Curated OER
Structure of the Earth
Eighth graders examine the forces that are constantly acting on the Earth. They describe the theory of tectonic plates and demonstrate the two kinds of earthquake waves. They also examine the role of volcanoes in the structure of the...
Curated OER
Mental Health 2: Bedlam
Students are oriented to the kinds of treatment and care the mentally ill received prior to the 19th century-using the example of England's legendary Bedlam, the world's oldest mental health asylum.