Curated OER
Honour killings: What do we need to understand in looking for solutions?
Young scholars prepare a chart with four columns: things we know, things we think we know but need to check, things we wonder about, and new things we have learned. Each group is given a case study and they discuss the three cases of...
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Hurricanes
Students explore the history of hurricanes. They discuss the worst hurricanes that have formed. Students examine what to expect during a hurricane and the preparations they should make. They learn about evacuation routes, shelters, and...
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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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Education for Global Peace
Fifth graders construct data graphs based upon sets of data. In this graphing instructional activity, 5th graders read the text If the World Were a Village and discuss how types of graphs accurately represent a large population. Students...
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The State of the Planet
Students address four different environmental topics (water issues, the threat of food shortages, human population growth, and global warming) as they watch a film and discuss the future of the earth. In groups, they complete various...
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Making The Geologic Time Scale Real
Students construct a geologic timeline the size of a football field. They work in small groups to calculate the yardage for significant events in the Earth's history and then as a class pace out all of the events.
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Making The Geologic Time Scale Real
Students are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...
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Scientific Methods and Inquiry Skills
Fifth graders conduct a mystery bag experiment and use the scientific method and inquiry skills to solve the mystery. They discuss how to make scientific "guesses," and in small groups use their five senses to try and figure out what...
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Interesting Beginnings: An Autobiographical Sketch
Students discuss the characteristics of an autobiography. Individually, they complete a graphic organizer and a timeline of events about their life. In groups, students brainstorm ideas for an interesting sentence and write an...
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Out of the Dust
Students create a poem that expresses the physical and emotional turmoil of living through the Dust Bowl. In this Out of the Dust lesson, students research facts about the time period and discuss the cause-effect patterns associated...
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If I Had A Million Dollars
Students write a persuasive letter. In this philanthropy lesson, students write about what they would do if they had a million dollars. They discuss worthwhile community causes they could donate money to. Students also research...
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Writing a News Report
Students explore journalism by analyzing current events. In this news report lesson, students identify important questions to ask during an interview and discuss a fictitious news story about a missing teacher. Students read published...
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The Apprentice
In this social studies instructional activity, students use the context of obtaining a job in the corporate world to act out the scenario as a skit. Then they answer questions in a group.
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The Flatmates-The People
Students discover the characters in the Flatmates series. In this character analysis lesson plan, students make guesses about the various characters based on their appearance, then read a brief passage about the characters to see if they...
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Can You Find a Solution?
Students explore the topic of public conservation. In this Florida panthers lesson, students read a scenario about the endangered panther and collaborate to plan a way to protect the panther population. Students also participate in a...
California Department of Education
College: Plan Well and Pay Less
They say you gotta pay to play, and postsecondary education is no exception! High schoolers learn how to research and analyze the cost of postsecondary education as well as the different ways to pay for schooling. Learners then work...
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Eye Spy Science
Fourth graders identify the four kinds of violent storms. Using photographs, they create "eye spy" questions for each and mount them on construction paper. They write a brief summary for each photo and share the questions with the class...
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How Science Works: Fossil Record - Televised Debate
Students compare the three theories used tp interpret fossil records. In this earth science lesson, students create a production of a televised debate. They collaborate with group members to generate relevant questions about the topic.
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Natural Resources
Seventh graders consider how US natural resources have helped it to become a leading industrialized power. They research, discuss, write and edit an expository paragraph in groups. They can present paragraph to another class or compile a...
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The Prevalence of Street Children in the World Today - Introduction
Students are introduced to the topic of street children. They identify the main reasons why they are lead to a live of living on the streets. In groups, they discuss the extent of the problem throughout the world today. They create an...
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Where to Look for the USA?
Fifth graders, in groups, explore the the type of reference sources are needed to answer a question. Each group identifies where the material was located, and the teacher records the guess.
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Debating Fundamental Issues of Child Prostitution
Students in college identify issues related to the rights of children involved in prostitution. Using the internet, they research a specific issue of interest to them. In groups, they develop arguments which support their point of...
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Holding a Wolf by the Ears: Race, Economics, and the Complexity of Thomas Jefferson
Eleventh graders explore the era of slavery when Jefferson was President. For this United States History lesson, 11th graders participate in a class discussion that is led by the teacher. A PowerPoint presentation on the topic is...
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Who Will Get the Last Drop?
Students discuss the importance of California's water system. In this earth science lesson, student play the role of different stakeholders. They present a 2-3 minute argument on their group's perspective about their need for water.