Curated OER
Visible Speech: A Short Course in the Fundamentals of Writing/Lesson 3
Focusing on writing an introduction, this presentation provides a variety of techniques for how to begin. Although the question marks on slide six obscure the writing, the other slides are clear and legible and display good examples for...
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs: What Do You See?
A study of an image from The Library of Congress collection Civil War Photographs 1861-1865 launches an investigation of the connection between the Civil War and American industrialization. After analyzing “Petersburg, Va. The...
Curated OER
Feeding in the Flow
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a tremendous library of ocean-themed lessons that can be used in a variety of science settings. "Feeding in the Flow" is one of those activities; Its focus is on...
Curated OER
Superbowl XXXVII Ads: Who Wins Here?
Students research what experts and viewers thought about the commercials shown during Super Bowl XXXVII, paying special attention to the reason ads very popular or not. Students prepare a notebook or a PowerPoint presentation on the Best...
Curated OER
Values Clarification
From 34 possibilities (and two blanks for other options), class members choose their top 10 values and rank them in ascending order to focus attention on what they want to prioritize in life. To the list, I'd add "service to others" and...
Curated OER
Same solutions?
This activity focuses in on the structure of an equation and how it compares to another. Young algebraists are tasked with grouping together equations that have the same solution by focusing on the transformation of the equations rather...
Curated OER
Using Light and Shadow to Create a Sense of Character
Young scholars heighten awareness and mastery of the subtle factors of drawing technique. Activities focus solely on the human figure, particularly the face. students list 5 of elements of light and shadow which affect portrayal of...
Curated OER
Viruses/Infectious Diseases: What's Really Bugging You?
Middle school life science or health classes listen to an audio, visit websites, read different articles, and participate in a class-wide simulation about the spread of viruses. The lesson doesn't get into the mechanics of how viruses...
Curated OER
Anticipation Guides Improve Reading Comprehension
Beginning with anticipation guide strategies is a powerful method for improving reading comprehension. First, list initial ideas for a topic the class will be reading about. These ideas are formulated into statements, some of which are...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing - Advertisements
This compelling presentation shows pupils how to write sentences that will persuade. Word choice and tone are the two focuses. Many fine tips are given, such as: sentences focus on the positive and ignore the negative, and they use...
Curated OER
Biopoem: Bud, Not Buddy
Young poets focus on one character from a story they are reading, collect details, and use a biopoem template to analyze this character. The activity can be used with any text.
Curated OER
The Last Lecture: Found Poem
To focus attention on key concepts and vocabulary words in The Last Lecture, readers use power words drawn from the text to craft found poems.
Curated OER
Key It Correctly!
Third graders receive instruction on how to use a keyboarding device or computer. They show the proper technique to type each key as it is called out by the teacher, and also focus on using correct posture when sitting at a computer.
Curated OER
Anasazi Basket Weaving
The Anasazi Indians of Mesa Verde are the focus of this art and social studies lesson. Working in pairs or groups of three, students utilize computers and go online to search for websites about the Anasazi. Students will choose two or...
Curated OER
Meaty Words
Headlines from newspapers launch a discussion of image-rich, meaty words. Just as headline writers choose vivid vocabulary to attract readers, young writers develop headlines that capture the essence of a passage from a book they are...
Curated OER
Common Ground: A Therapy Dog Program Between Students And Older Adults
Students handle a therapy dog and take the school therapy dog to a local nursing home several times over the course of the school year. They complete a culminating project that focuses either on the entire experience or a specific resident.
Curated OER
The Little Children That Can: Growing Independence and Fluency
Get ready to boost fluency in the classroom with this lesson geared toward elementary readers. Listening to the first half of The Little Engine That Could, learners focus on how voice changes create expression. They then read the rest...
Curated OER
Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan
Check specific recall of events and phrases from Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan. Questions focus on exact language, numbers, places, and character names. Be sure your readers know the book by giving them this...
Curated OER
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Do your young readers know that poems can be performed as a team? They listen to a few examples from Paul Fleischman's book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, paying attention to how the how readers work together. They examine the...
Curated OER
Anticipation Guide Strategy for Gary Paulsen's Canyons (For Teachers)
"Things never change." "It's okay to steal from those who already have a lot." Before reading Canyons, readers respond to an anticipation guide that focuses on issues raised in Gary Paulsen's novel. Groups share their responses, and...
Curated OER
Art Self-Assessment
Reflection is a wonderful way to understand yourself as a learner or as an artist. Kids write a one-paragraph analysis of their own self-portrait. They focus on style, character traits, and self characterization.
Teach Engineering
Discovering Phi: The Golden Ratio
Fe, phi, fo, fum. This activity leads pairs to find the ratio of consecutive terms of the Fibonacci sequence. The pairs find that the Fibonacci sequence can be found in many places. A discussion with the class shows that the ratios found...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
A Case Study of Memory Loss in Mice
Using a short news article, high school or college biologists examine the scientific method in practice. The article, which focuses on an Alzheimer's experiment performed on rats, has very limited information, so learners must be able to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Which Function?
Learners are given a graph of a parabola on a coordinate system, but intercepts and vertex are not labeled. The task is to analyze eight given quadratic functions and determine which ones might possibly be represented by the graph. The...