Curated OER
Launching Your Ship with Citizenship Lesson 4: Hoisting the Flag
Students discuss the U.S. electoral process and brainstorm solutions to increase voter turnout in their community. In this democratic citizenship lesson, students identify keywords in speech and video related to freedom of speech and...
Curated OER
Getting Down to Business
Three lesson plans are shown on this site, two of which pertain to Read 180. Start the year with the first lesson by having your learners create a brochure about themselves. In the computer lab, they find clip art and photos to make a...
Virginia Department of Education
Quadrilateral Sort
If only you had a Sorting Hat to sort out quadrilaterals. Learners sort cutouts of quadrilaterals based on their properties and attributes. A flowchart helps them organize the results of the activity.
Curated OER
Fresh Water and land of Kiribati and Hawaii (Molokai)
Fourth graders examine the islands of Hawaii. Using this information, they organize it and create a map or graph that represents the data. As a class, they discuss how the watersheds on the islands are different and how people react to...
Curated OER
Launching Writer's Workshop
Writer's Workshop can be a great way to create a community of writers.
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird - Introductory Role Play and Historical Background
Students participate in role-play activities to explain that emotional and social effects of prejudice discussed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Curated OER
Number the Stars, Lesson 2
Students discuss the qualities of a good book club. They explore the behaviors that contribute to a good book club discussion. Also, they compare/contrast a response type that could be used any time in their reading logs.
Curated OER
The "Art" of Baseball
Students investigate the art of baseball. In this sports lesson plan, students discuss their thoughts about the sport of baseball and create a baseball word list. Students use pattern blocks and drawing paper to create a simulated...
Curated OER
Banned Book Week Lessons
Students are surprised when they discover how many books are challenged each year.
Curated OER
Noteworthy?
Why do we have CliffsNotes? SparkNotes? Middle and high schoolers examine arguments for and against the recent influx of book notes, or study guides. They stage a debate in which they represent Advocates For or Critics Against the use of...
Curated OER
Old Hobbits Are Hard to Break
Explore film adaptation of literature with this lesson, which focuses on the world of film advertisements. Middle schoolers discuss various films (including The Lord of the Rings) and create advertisements for a pretend film based on a...
Carolina K-12
Are You a Democrat or a Republican? Are You Really?
Have new or soon-to-be voters examine different political parties and their platforms as they figure out which one aligns most with their beliefs. After taking a few online quizzes, students split into pairs to discuss and then in larger...
Curated OER
The Princess's Point of View
Everyone wants to be part of a royal family. Let your pupils experience the privilege of royalty by rewriting the story The Frog Prince from the point of view of the princess. While the story line remains the same, perspective is bound...
Curated OER
Celebrate Make a Difference Day on October 26, 2013
Join millions of volunteers around the world by uniting for a common mission to improve others' lives.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Democracy Wall
How free are people in the United States, or in the world for that matter? The class reads and compares two articles that discuss levels of freedom enjoyed by different people around the globe. They discuss why some people have more...
Curated OER
Tangerine: K-W-H-L Strategy
As part of the introduction to Edward Bloor's Tangerine, class members generate a KWHL chart listing what they know, what they want find out, how they plan to find this information, and what they have learned or still want to learn.
Teach Engineering
The Grand Challenge
Magnetic resonance imaging, just how safe is it? The introduction to unit study of magnetic resonance imaging technology presents the grand challenge questions of how an MRI machine works, the risks involved, the physics involved, and...
Curated OER
The Stock Market and the Great Depression
How does the Stock Market work, what was Black Tuesday, and how did the Market crass of 1929 lead to the Great Depression? Have your class play this stock market game for two weeks to better explain how the stock market works.
Curated OER
"I Believe..." Podcast Style
Use this communication skills instructional activity to emphasize evaluating a speaker's main point and argument. After reading Martin Luther King's, "I Have a Dream Speech" and John F. Kennedy's speech, "I Believe in an America Where...
Curated OER
Scale/Ratio
Investigate the use of ratios in scale drawings. Learners scale objects up or down using ratios then find the actual size of something using ratios. They apply their knowledge of ratios as they make their own telescopes in science class....
Media Smarts
Defining Popular Culture
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Taking Action
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights passed in 1948 when the majority of members of the United Nations voted in favor of the resolution. Scholars use their knowledge of human rights to determine ways they personally can help promote...
Historical Thinking Matters
Scopes Trial: 1 Day Lesson
Why did many Tennesseeans support the 1925 Butler Act, which forbade the teaching of evolution? Using several primary source documents and a brief video clip, your young historians will draw connections between the broader historical...
Curated OER
Wildwood Dancing: K-W-H-L Reading Strategy On Prejudice
As part of a study of Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, class members create a KWHL chart listing what they know, what the want to know, how they will find information, and what they have learned about prejudice.