Curated OER
A Presidential Portrait: Andrew Jackson
Eighth graders examine the role of intended meaning in Ralph Earl's portrait of Andrew Jackson. They, in groups, research periods in Jackson's life and use gathered information to create their own portraits of Jackson.
Curated OER
Playing With Science
Young scientists investigate the scientific concepts and principles that help make common toys such as hula hoops, yo-yos, slinkies, and silly putty work. As a class, they read "Backyard Rocket Science, Served Wet" to get a look behind...
Curated OER
What's on My Plate?
Kids work together in groups to discuss and understand the differences between a typical diet and a healthy one. They use the My Plate recommendations to compare what they eat with what they should be eating according to the MyPlate...
PBS
Historical Perspectives: Coming Home from War
What do the homecoming experiences of soldiers who fought in WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan reveal about the politics and culture of the US during the time period of each war? Young historians view The Way We Get By, which tells...
Curated OER
Creating Dramatic Monologues from The Grapes of Wrath
The characters in The Grapes of Wrath come to life through an activity that asks groups to craft a dramatic monologue for a character in John Steinbeck's National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Writers are challenged to...
Curated OER
Calendar Time
Students review and answer questions about calendar topics. In this calendar lesson, students sing calendar songs, discuss the weather, day, month and year. Students read a book and ask and answer questions.
Curated OER
Any Small Goodness
Are you thinking of reading Any Small Goodness with your learners? Engage them with these worksheets. Sharpen prediction and response skills, in addition to creating a character analysis map. Also included, are some thoughtfully-written...
Curated OER
Making Independent Reading and Book Reports Motivating
Here are some exciting ideas to get your students motivated to read independently.
Curated OER
Understanding Tiananmen Square
William Bell's Forbidden City is used as the basis of a study of China, Chinese culture and government, and especially of the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Class members select a topic for Internet research and then prepare a...
Curated OER
Off the Record
Music reflects culture and culture is reflected in popular music. Reading an article on how hip-hop has affected the lives of two young men of different races launches an investigation of the development and influences of various musical...
Curated OER
Knights of the Round Table
As an exploration of the Knights of the Round Table, this activity helps students organize their information and check for understanding by using the comprehension questions. This packet would be a terrific supplement to a unit on this...
Curated OER
Mapping My World
First graders make two maps. For this developing and reading maps lesson, 1st graders read Mapping Penny's World, discuss the parts of a map, create a map of their classroom, and create a list of directions of how to get to various...
Curated OER
Spanish Influence on the Caribbean Islands
Students participate in a discussion about the Spanish influence on the Caribbean islands. They define the Spanish words in the book, Isla, and respond to a question about cultural influences in a response journal.
Curated OER
Jane Goodall
Learners read about Jane Goodall and complete discussion questions after they read about her. In this Jane Goodall lesson plan, students discuss questions as a group or write answers individually.
Curated OER
Congruent Figures
Learners read and analyze "Congruent Figures," by Takahashi Takako. They participate in a literary circle discussion, complete reading log handouts, complete a pre- and post-reading survey, and conduct a debate.
Curated OER
The Little Red Hen
Students analyze a classic children's story by discussing it with their peers. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read The Little Red Hen, and discuss ways the hen takes care of his responsibilities. Students utilize Clip...
Curated OER
The American Revolution
Fifth graders read about the Revolutionary War. In this history lesson plan, 5th graders review what they know about the the Revolutionary War in order to identify British and American leaders. Students read a chapter from their text...
Curated OER
Chocolate Fever
Fourth graders read and interpret each chapter of the book in small groups through various exercises. Vocabulary lists are given, as well as rubrics, quizzes and activity sheets. Students create their own PowerPoint presentations to...
Curated OER
What On Earth
Students explore earth science through concept mapping, discussion, and self-discovery.
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs
Eighth graders explore the new technology brought on by the Civil War. In this U.S. History lesson, 8th graders examine photographs and drawings that depict the changes that happened as a result of the Civil War, then have a class...
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Analysis of the Tuck Everlasting and The Birchbark House Text Exemplars
Looking to introduce some text-based questions into your ELA lessons? Practice the kinds of skills the Common Core demands with the seven text-based questions and the essay prompt provided here. Designed to be a three-day lesson, day one...
Scholastic
Hill of Fire Teaching Plan
Some books are perfect for drawing connections between multiple subjects. The book Hill of Fire becomes the hub for three very different, yet related activity ideas. First the class hones their oral language skills by creating an...
Curated OER
Drawing The Line
Students explore how arbitrary borders affect communities by participating in two hands-on activities and by reading about and discussing a community divided by national borders. They investigate the borders of their own neighborhoods.
Curated OER
Exploring Ancient Greece
Sixth graders use play dough to create a relief map of Greece and through personal investigation and class discussion, draw conclusions about the impact of the geography of Greece on daily life and culture in Ancient Greece.