Curated OER
Smoke Signals
Students explore the implications of tobacco use. In this personal health lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that calls for them to characterize a smoker and then examine the harmful effects of smoking on his/her body.
Curated OER
Lord of the Rings: The Quest is Achieved
Young scholars analyze what makes a hero in The Lord of the Rings, Book Six. They discuss the characters and the aspects of their behaviors that make them heroes and write essays regarding the climax and heroic gestures of a character....
Curated OER
Charlotte's Web
Students complete a variety of activities related to the book "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White. They create a comic strip based on the characters, setting, and plot of the story, and examine the author's writing process. In small groups...
Curated OER
Cheiftainship / Leadership
Students examine Bill Reid's sculpture "The Black Canoe".They decide which character in the canoe they are most like. Students analyze how their personalities work towards contributing to the group. They explore the moral theme of...
Curated OER
Taking a Stand on Bullying
Middle schoolers stand up against bullying in a character-building instructional activity. After discussing historical figures who became advocates in times of adversity, they brainstorm ways to end bullying at their own school, and use...
Facing History and Ourselves
What Aspects of Our Identities Do We Show to Others?
Sixth graders consider how they present their personal identities. In this character education lesson plan, 6th graders define themselves as they create masks that represent their personalities. Students share their masks and discuss...
Curated OER
Plot/Story Problem/Resolution
Students analyze the plot, problem, and resolution of a story. For this story analysis lesson, students read stories and fill out graphic organizers about the plot, story problems, and resolution.
Curated OER
Traveler's in Time
Students analyze artifacts to become familiar with the Great Migration. In this migration lesson, students read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students role play a migration scenario using an artifact to help describe...
Curated OER
Learning to Respect Each Other
Discover how important Martin Luther King Jr. is to our society. In this civil rights lesson plan, investigate how Dr. King was an advocate for nonviolence and how he fought for civil rights for all Americans. Read and analyze Dr. King's...
Curated OER
A New Look at Romeo and Juliet
Students explore life and language development in the Elizabethan Age. For this English lesson students complete web-quests and other activities surrounding Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Curated OER
Dogs- Canine Familiaris
Students research dog species and breeds. In this dog lesson, students discuss breed of dogs, their personal experiences, and complete a Venn Diagram comparing breeds. Students use the research to analyze television shows or movies which...
Curated OER
Deep Roots of Ancient Greece
Young scholars investigate Greek contributions to modern America. In this ancient Greek influence lesson, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding ancient Greek ideals in order to analyze and trace Greek...
Curated OER
New Shoes for Sylvia
First graders explore reading comprehension by analyzing a story in class. In this story structure lesson, 1st graders read the book New Shoes for Sylvia and discuss the character and her dilemma in the story. Students answer study...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and "Thank You, M'am"
Ninth graders explore the definition of integrity through a class discussion. They provide positive/negative examples from the story and their own experiences. Students determine character traits by analyzing the dialogue in a short...
Curated OER
My Life 24-7
Analyze the "My Life 24-7" project as a part of community involvement. Students discuss the pros and cons of being community involved. They will also write a proposal to increase community involvement and submit a blog entry about the...
Curated OER
From Arbor Day to Earth Day
Students discuss their answers to a given set of questions regarding Earth Day and Arbor Day. They research using the internet then write a bigraphical sketch of their character.
Curated OER
Focus on the Media
Learners critically examine news articles and editorials for attitudes of discrimination and prejudice. Students then complete checklist in which they analyze news reports for context, content, point of view, language, graphics, and...
Novelinks
The Winter’s Tale: Sonnet Strategy
Combine poetry and reading comprehension with an engaging writing assignment. Readers of The Winter's Tale craft a sonnet in the voice of one of the characters in Shakespeare's play.
Brown University
The Candidates and Their Values: Election 2016
Voting for the next president of the United States is about finding the candidate who most closely aligns with your own values and sense of democracy. High schoolers become acquainted with the candidates from the 2016 election with a...
Childnet International
Responding to Cyberbullying
After watching a short video about cyberbullying, individuals play an online cyberbullying game and then create their own Digizen that expresses their values and presents their vision for themselves, their friends, and the world at large.
Library of Congress
Determining Point of View: Paul Revere and the Boston Massacre
If you're teaching point of view, this is the lesson for you! First, decipher the writer's point of view from a primary resource, then compare and contrast the primary source with a secondary source to explore the Paul Revere's engraving...
Curated OER
Setting the Story: Techniques for Creating a Realistic Setting
“It was a dark and stormy night.” Thus begins the 1830's novel Paul Clifford and, of course, all of Snoopy’s novels! Encourage young writers to craft settings for their stories that go beyond Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s often-mocked phrase...
Carnegie Library
Creative Writing: Middle School Lesson Plan
Enhance a unit on historical fiction with an engaging writing lesson. Learners bring the Industrial Era to life as they compose their own historical fiction pieces based on primary source images of Pittsburgh steel workers.
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Socratic Seminar
After reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and an article about the use of the novel, class members engage in a Socratic seminar focused on whether or not Twain's book should be banned.