Curated OER
Art Appreciation
Students analyze and critique famous art prints in this introductory lesson to the appreciation of Visual Art forms. Emphasis is on classroom discussions of cultural values, prejudice, and opinions. The lesson includes possible...
Curated OER
Using Words to Work Things Out
Students listen as teacher reads Words Are Not For Hurting, and answer questions about the content. Students discuss how to prevent arguments and work disagreements out with words. Students watch a puppet show that promotes discussion as...
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Animals Lewis and Clark Encountered
Students conduct research on an animal Lewis and Clark encountered on their journey, compare numerous factors from past and present, and report findings to other groups by web page or discussion board.
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Friendships and Differences
Students complete a variety of activities related to the book "My Friend Jacob" by Lucille Clifton. They complete a graphic organizer web about friendship qualities, and participate in a discussion about friendship. In small groups...
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Introduction to Indians and the First Thanksgiving
Students use yarn to create a timeline of the first Thanksgiving. After a class discussion, they view pictures of artifacts and Native Americans to identify the tools and items present during the first Thanksgiving. In groups, they...
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Are Our Classroom Materials Gender Biased?
Students explore equality by analyzing their own classroom belongings. In this gender bias lesson, students investigate their classroom and identify objects as either male or female biased. Students collaborate while exploring the idea...
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The Secret School
Fourth graders read THe Secret School. In this language arts lesson, 4th graders make predictions prior to reading and discussing the story. Students write a summary of the chapter.
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Monarch Butterflies
First graders identify monarch butterflies and study their life cycles. They order the stages of the life cycle and create a monarch butterfly of construction paper. This well-designed lesson should be easy to implement in your classroom.
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Vocabulary Strategy Instructional Routine: Maus I and II
Pogrom, schlepped, meshuga. Kapo, reich, Wehrmacht. As part of a unit study of Maus I and II, readers use a list-group-label (LGL) strategy for vocabulary drawn from Art Spiegelman's famous graphic novels. The focus of the activity is...
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NIMBY...Settlement...This Is The Place
Fourth graders identify the discussions, disagreements, and resolutions that zoning or location decisions can create. They explain how NIMBY (NOT IN MY BACK YARD) works and how the desires of the individual and the group affect the NIMBY...
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Moonwalking to Mars?
Pupils examine a quote from George W. Bush's recent speech on space exploration. They evaluate one writer's stance on Bush's space exploration goals by reading and discussing "Plea to Policy Makers: Let's Take Another Giant Step." In...
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Summarizing is Fun with Flat Stanley!
Students read the book "Flat Stanley" by Jeff Brown. Through modeling and guided practice, as a class, they complete a story map and 1-paragraph summary of the first chapter in the book. Then, in groups, they follow the same procedure...
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What is an Organism?
Sixth graders take a pre-test and summarize teacher's discussion of cells, tissues, organs in their notebooks. They read selections on organisms in their textbook and perform a dissection of a chicken drumstick with the thigh attached....
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What's Past is Prologue
Young scholars examine a picture of a Cuban billboard and discuss what the billboard signifies. Students then consider the impact of the end of Fidel Castro's rule by reading and discussing the article ¿What Was Once Theirs.¿ Young...
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Layers of the Earth
Third graders examine the layers of the earth during a teacher led discussion. They listen to a read aloud of "How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World," as they "visit" each layer. They work a worksheet while small groups design...
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Once Upon a Time...
Model for emergent readers how to write a story by interpreting picture clues. For guided practice a second book is used, and then pupils work independently or with an adult to write their own stories based on illustrations.
Center for Learning in Action
Properties of Balls
Enhance your states of matter lessons with a hands-on science investigation that compares six different balls' color, texture, size, weight, ability to bounce, and buoyancy.
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Weather
Sixth graders hear the book "Tornadoes" by Peter Murray, they use a hot list to research information on tornadoes. Then they create a group PowerPoint on the information they have gained on their research. They share these PowerPoint...
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Crocodiles
Work on research procedures in this lesson, which prompts writers to collect and evaluate information pooled from a number of sources. They work in teams to collect information about crocodiles from different sources. They compare the...
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Imagine That!
Enter the fantastical world of "Dungeons and Dragons" and other role-playing games with this lesson from The New York Times. Middle schoolers create the outline for a role-playing game based on their own community. Then, they...
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Special Sunflowers
Learners view a picture of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. In this caring and kindness lesson students read Camille and the Sunflower and explore the feelings of the characters. Learners complete worksheets related to Camille's feelings in the book.
August House
Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail
Learn about the animals of Australia with a language arts activity about an Australian folktale called, Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail. After reading the story as a class, kids discuss events and characters from the book, retell the...
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 11: Setting
Encourage your learners to examine the setting in Theodore Taylor's The Cay. Pupils work in small groups to put together a description of the setting before reading two more chapters of the book. They use their double-entry journals to...
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Differentiate between Formal and Informal Language
The Pledge of Allegiance, the Gettysburg Address, the National Anthem, and the Preamble to the Constitution all get close attention in an exercise that asks learners to rewrite these formally-worded documents into informal language....