Curated OER
Sim's Cities
Young scholars investigate city management and government by creating a fictional city in groups. In this civics instructional activity, students create rules and a mascot for their fictitious city which they create from poster board...
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Teaching with Primary Sources Across Tennessee: Debunking Civil War Photographs
Young scholars analyze photographs and texts using primary source analysis. In this primary source activity students determine whether the photographs and text are truthful.
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The Built Environment-An Integrating Theme
Students observe, record, and present knowledge of their local built environment while conducting a walking tour of their community. They develop written and photo journals, drawings, time lines, graphs, and charts to engage in...
National First Ladies' Library
Finding Treasure Island; An Exciting Escape
Students read Treasure Island. They have a choice of a number of activities associated with the novel, including writing a review of the book. Students also participate in a National Geographic High Seas Adventure, going on an Internet...
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Covering the News
Students compare the coverage of two crime stories Using local or national newspapers, news magazines and other reference materials, each group trace the "unfolding" of two crime stories: The Laci Peterson investigation plus one students
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What's New?
Students act as teams of product managers for personal electronics companies. Each team evaluate new electronic devices in different product categories (such as handheld devices and portable music devices), and create product...
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Still-Life Painting: Arranging Nature—Lesson 2
Learners choose meaningful objects for a still-life arrangement and paint it using watercolors. After reflecting on their choice of objects and composition, students begin to write an artist's statement.
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Connecting Immigrants In Black And White
Young scholars explore the many ways that ethnic newspapers help immigrants in the United States stay connected to their cultures and countries of origin. They write articles for ethnic newspapers.
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Poetry In Motion
Fourth graders read and analyze poetry and examine the process of writing poetry. They read and analyze the poem "From a Railway Carriage" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and answer comprehension questions. They identify the similes,...
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Closing the Gaps
Students examine the defining characteristics of their own generation. They apply their analysis to learning about previous generations, and synthesize their learning by creating improvisational skits and writing creative essays.
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Whitewashing History
Students revisit issues of civil rights in the U.S. They use the recent national discussion of retiring Senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat Presidential campaign as a starting point.
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A Tough Act to Re-enact
Students discover the significance of various historical events. Using the information they find, groups re-enact these events, stressing their importance to history and our lives today.
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A Penny for Your Thoughtfulness
Students reflect on the value of a penny. They examine how working families endure economic hardships with the help of charities. They create their own philanthropic event to raise money for a charity.
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Trying Teens
Students explore the court cases and legal organizations that were instrumental in creating a system of juvenile justice in the United States, then present their findings in a composite timeline.
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Strike Up the Band
Students create song lyrics celebrating the history of labor unions serving the entertainment industry, then create posters illustrating the importance of each union to the industry they represent.
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Pressing Cases
Students investigate famous criminal cases in which the media has played a significant role and reflect on how the news helps to shape attitudes and behaviors in their own lives.
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Sweet on Faith
Students create informative pages for a fictitious desserts cookbook that examine the religious significance and symbolism of holiday sweets from cultures around the world.
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Where the Spirit Moves You
Students explore the spiritual significance of locations throughout the world. After studying the historical and mystical importance of these places, students write about a spiritual place that is special to them.
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Primate Primer
Young scholars examine the different branches of the primate family tree. They create fact cards about various species of non-human primates and then write fictional skits about interactions among the different primates.
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Sense-itive Issues
Students consider the difficulties of adapting to the loss of different senses. They work in small groups, each developing a fictional superhero who experiences a loss of one of sense and must compensate for it with his or her other senses.
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Performance Poppers
Students examine the controversies surrounding the use of performance-enhancing supplements in sports by interviewing athletes and writing feature articles that compare the skills required to compete in different sports.
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Industrial Light and Magic
Students investigate early mass production in various industries, and then create presentation posters outlining how a typical 19th-century factory, mill or refinery worked.
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Too Much of a Sweet Thing
Students examine the growing prevalence of processed sugar in the American diet, first through a demonstration that makes graphically clear the amount of sugar an average boy and girl consumes on a daily basis.
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Cemeteries Are Historical, Not Solely Grave
Students reflect on the value of graveyards as places of great historical importance and information. They create an epitaph for and a brief biography of a deceased historical figure whom they admire.