Curated OER
Levies don't pass...and schools cut costs
Students collect financial statements from the district and study how money is spent now. They interview the superintendent, school board members and/or the district's financial officer.
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How safe is your school bus?
Students research various aspects of school bus safety about what makes a bus safe or unsafe. They check the Internet (with sites below and others) and see what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has to say.
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Towing Cars -- Legally and Not So Legally
Students discuss the issue of having cars towed in a small community when they should not be. After watching a local news story on the issue, they work together to conduct three full days of research. They write an article to be...
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Don't Flick Your Bic!
Learners research the ban on lighters and how it is being enforced and interview community members who smoke, especially travelers who have or might be stopped for carrying lighters. Students then write an opinion piece about the situation.
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Finding a Way to Cover a Student Death
Students read articles and discuss how to cover student deaths and consider developing a policy about how to cover deaths of students and/or faculty. Students also interview counselors, especially those who deal with grief counseling,...
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Stepping in: Good Samaritan or Fool?
Learners write an opinion piece, including facts of this situation and any other statistics about helping others during a fight. Students offer suggestions about how to break up a fight, or when not to try (based on what national experts...
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Citizens Hold Their Breath in Smoke-free Cities
Students investigate the laws covering smoking in public places in their community and find out if city council or other governing bodies have considered changing these laws. Students conduct interviews and write an article explaining...
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Safe In the City
Students read a report about the most dangerous cities in America. Using the internet, they research their own community in regards to how safe it is. They interview local law enforcement and determine the degree of local danger. They...
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Same-Sex Schools Gain Ground
High schoolers examine the issue of having same-sex classes. Using the internet, they research how this program is working around the country. They interview local education experts and determine how they view the issue. They include an...
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Stand Up and Sing
Students journal and respond to the question," How does society respond to change?" They create original lyrics to their own song that reflects the context of the Progressive Era.
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Design Explorations: Frieze Patterns
Students will explore frieze patterns. A frieze pattern is a mathematical concept to classify designs on two-dimensional surfaces, which are repetitive in one direction, based on the symmetries in the pattern. They will explore examples...
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How green is your school?
Students read about Sidwell Friends School and the Green School concept and develop coverage for their student media. They employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to...
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Pet Food Safety A Con
Students use the internet to research pet food safety laws. In groups, they examine what happened during the pet food recall earlier this year and what is being done to improve the situation. They write a news feature story including...
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Vandalism leads to locked bathrooms
Pupils research bathroom vandalism in other schools like Freedom High after reading an article about Freedom High and their situation. Students then decide if their school has a similar problem and interview administrators and janitors...
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Forget The Dictionary!
Accessing Web sites and playing interactive word games enliven the study of Greek, Latin and Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes. Alas, the link to resources appears broken. Take some time to find game links.
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Against the Odds
What factors help people achieve goals? What factors prevent people from achieving goals? What are the elements that need to be in place to make a team function well? Using Damien Lewis’ Desert Claw and John Francome’s Winner Takes All,...
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Vocab-u-lous! Build a Fabulous Vocab: Words Beginning with S
In this vocabulary activity, students select the best word to complete the sentence. They are challenged by the difficult words that all begin with "s."
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Telling Our Stories of Giving - Writing to Persuade
After identifying the parts of a persuasive piece of writing, young writers explore different prewriting activities for the persuasive essay. They have the option to write a news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay to...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Informational Writing
Emerging writers identify an informational piece of writing. They are provided with examples of informational writing and view a PowerPoint on narrative writing. Then, they design their own informational writing with a brochure,...
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Miss Nelson is Missing Lesson Plan
Second graders listen to the story Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and James Marshall. In this literature lesson plan, 2nd graders predict the story's ending with drawings and discussions within groups.
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Persuasive Elements
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...
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Writing Process-- Revision and Editing
As guided practice, class members work together to revise a model persuasive paragraph. Then they practice independently with their own writing. The included rubric looks at prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, nonfiction text...
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Olympics and Politics: Let the Games Begin!
Let the games begin! Use political cartoons to analyze current events regarding the Olympic Games. This worksheet includes two cartoons depicting the 2008 Beijing Olympics, background information to help with analysis, and talking points...
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Reading Comprehension 2: Level 8
Need a quick assessment of your middle schoolers' reading comprehension skills? The four questions on this quiz ask readers to identify the likely source of the article, define words based on context, and identify the main idea of the...