DePaul University
Breaking the Food Chain
Throughout history, the growth of big cities has resulted in the destruction of ecosystems. In the case of Chicago, IL, a grassland that was once home to bison, deer, wolves, and foxes quickly became a booming city of over three million...
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Social Studies: Thank you Mr. Carver
Learners explore the life of George Washington Carver and his inventions. they discover his uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes and how his inventions are still in use today. Students write letters to Carver about his inventions.
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Offering Social Action To Address Poverty
Learners examine the problem of proverty throughout the United States. Using documents, they are encouraged to develop empathy for the poor of America and how to make life easier for those in their local community. They create a piece...
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What is effective communication?
Students practice a series of communicaton activities. In this communication skills lesson, students role play listening and active listening strategies to improve communication. Students write a set of guidelines for improving...
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Story Telling with Black & White Photography
4th-8th graders will explore Wright Morris' photography and create their own black and white photographs. They will then use the photographs to portray a message they want communicated by writing a narrative telling a story about the...
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Gotta Dance
Students share dance moves that reflect their personalities or depict how they are feeling, explore popularity of recreational and competitive social dancing by reading and discussing the article "Follow the Flying Feet,"
present...
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Civil Rights/Segregation
Sixth graders investigate Civil Rights by participating in role-playing activities. In this U.S. History lesson, 6th graders research the history of slavery in order to portray a story through their debating and acting abilities. ...
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The Art and Culture of Spain
Students can explore the history, culture and art of Spain with motivating activities.
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Combating Corrosion
Study corrosion on bronze statues with a hands-on instructional activity. As pupils place a penny in water with salt, they observe the changes in the penny throughout a period of a week. They then analyze the pre-conservation and the...
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Welcome to the First Day of School!
Classmates participate in a variety of getting-to-know-you activities for the first day of school. They make resolutions, become detectives about their fellow classmates, learn about each other by playing switch, and make welcome bags.
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A Story on a Vase
Students analyze a scene depicting Herakles and the Hydra. In this Greek art instructional activity, students read Greek myths and choose one scene from a myth to illustrate. Students use tempera paint and a scratch technique using a...
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The Raven: Creator of the Universe?
Young scholars conduct research to learn about the fascinating ways and lore of the raven. They analyze the variety of ways the raven has been perceived by different cultures and classify the information and create a convincing argument...
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social studies: Life in Colonial America
Students explore the trials and tribulations early colonial life and note its successes. Through literature, Internet research, and interactive software, they engage in various activities to evaluate early social and cultural development.
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My "Red" Room
Students utilize art analysis skills by examining the work of Henri Matisse. In this painting lesson, students examine L'Atelier Rouge by Henri Matisse and identify the objects in the room and colors used. Students create their own rough...
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Be a Good Friend
Students discover characteristics of a good friend. In this social skills lesson plan, students read Clifford's Manners and discuss ways Clifford used his manners in the story. An activity that rewards students for modeling being...
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Confronting the -Isms
Students keep "Mindwatch" diaries to chart their own prejudices and stereotypes. In this social justice lesson, students monitor their own reactions to people who are different from themselves. Students identify and discuss patterns of...
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Empathy and Art
Students watch an episode of the PBS show "Maya and Miguel" and examine how to express empathy with someone who has a disability. They discuss the episode, and create an art project using one hand only, or paint an object blindfolded...
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California Poppy Postcards
What a great lesson! Learners discuss California history, including the state flower, the poppy, and then engage in an art activity. For the activity, they learn about value, shading, layering, blending etc. to produce a realistic...
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Global Warming
A series of independent learning activities teaches learners about global warming as it relates to economics and industrialization. The culminating project requires them to create a multimedia presentation identifying the problems,...
Speak Truth to Power
Harry Wu: Forced Labor
Over the course of two class periods, young historians explore human rights issues; specifically, forced labor in China. This resource provides everything you need, including relevant vocabulary, an anticipatory activity, and a...
Speak Truth to Power
Abubacar Sultan: Children’s Rights
This is an excellent resource for introducing and exploring the topic of child soldiers. Ethics, history, or theology classes will benefit from the high-quality information. This includes detailed instructions for an introductory...
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What Does the Public Know About You? --Does it Matter?
Young people today have to be very careful with how they present themselves online. Show them the possible impact of their online activity and what employers might see when performing a basic search. The lesson provides a video clip...
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Information Overload: Looking at News
How do events reported in mainstream newspapers, on television news, blog posts, and social network sites differ? Ask your class to investigate the way the same news item is presented in the many information sources available. Groups...