School Improvement in Maryland
United States Foreign Policy
Policies of United States government which promote or fail to promote relationships with other countries—national defense, arms control, security of other nations, trade, human rights, economic sanctions, foreign aid, etc.—come under...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Islamic Civilization in Spain
There may be elements of this lesson that are useful for a unit on Islamic influence in Spain; however, there is little alignment between the learning objectives and the final product --a ten page report. For example, some of the...
Curated OER
Exploring Dietary Guidelines and Healthy Eating Patterns
How nutritious is a tiny lollipop? Pass them out to your class as they view a PowerPoint presentation on the basics of nutrition. The students measure and record their weight and height and then carry out a computer activity using their...
Curated OER
Is Anyone Out There? Examining Astrobiology and the Value of SETI
Blow their minds with a lesson on the search for life outside of our planet! A brief video proposes the question of how to define life. A couple of articles investigate the possibility of alien existence. Finally, the class is divided...
Curated OER
Importance of American Flag in American Literature
Betsy Ross - fact and myth. As an introduction to American Literature, class members become detectives and search web sites to find information about the flag, prominent places it has been displayed (on the moon, at ground zero, in...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Using Maps to Inspire Personal Narratives
A solid description of one way to teach narrative writing, this resource outlines the writing process from concept to completion. Class members create concept maps of moments in their lives and follow the writing process to publish their...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
To Boldly Go, or Not
Here is a different way to combine social studies and science. Have your high schoolers read a passage about the 2004 vision for space exploration and then discuss the practicality, costs, and reasons for returning to the moon. Then, the...
Japan Society
Individual and Society: Natsume Sôseki and the Literature of the Early Twentieth Century
Combine literature and history by examining the work of Japanese writers after the Russo-Japanese war. This resource is for advanced classes with an interest in how literature reflects and reacts to societal change. Activities outlined...
Curated OER
But mango is my favorite…
What are the chances of getting your favorite flavor in your fruit snack package? Have your class use the given information to compute their own experimental data using the multiplication rule of independent events and compare it to the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Sarah, the chimpanzee
Is Sarah, the chimpanzee, smart or just a lucky guesser? Here, learners set up a simulation and read a dotplot to find out the likelihood of getting 7 out of 8 questions correct. One suggested modification would be to have your class...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2
There is nothing more frustrating than discussing theme in literature, and now the Common Core requires that your learners determine two or more, and discuss the development of it throughout the text. This is crazy, but manageable with...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4
New to teaching and the Common Core? Then you need to check out how the skill W.9-10.4 is broken down into easy-to-understand steps for your learners to dominate and conqueror. Included is a script to present to your class that details...
Curated OER
Elizabethan England Worksheet
Set the stage for your next literary or historical adventure into Elizabethan England with this straightforward worksheet, which includes questions covering the political, social, and economic situation of the period. Ask your class to...
Curated OER
Using Gustar
Expressing that you like something in English is quite different from expressing that you like something in Spanish. Clarify gustar for your class with the information included here. Pupils can read the information on the webpage to find...
Smarter Balanced
Aztec Empire
To set the stage for a study of the Aztec Empire, groups use the provided definition of civilization and generate a list of elements that make up our modern day civilization. The whole class then examines an image of an Aztec city and...
Illustrative Mathematics
Global Positioning System II
Intricate details of a modern technology that many of us take for granted in our phones, computers (and some cars) are laid bare in a short but deeply investigative activity. The math behind a seemingly simple GPS device is...
Curated OER
What Is the True Story of the Three Little Pigs?
Cozy up and listen to a recording of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Three Little Javelinas. Then, lead your class in a compare and contrast of the two stories by creating a Venn diagram.
Curated OER
Species Interactions
Students research desert species to find where it lives, what it eats, and what species it interacts with directly. Upon completion of research, students construct a web of all the species as a class. This emphasizes the role each...
Curated OER
Rights vs. Responsibilities
Students work in pairs to look up definitions of "rights" and "responsibilities." The class discusses the differences of the two terms and brainstorm lists of rights and responsibilities.
Curated OER
Antibiotic Resistance
Students using the scientific method, study bacteria as a covering surface of the earth in many forms. They discover that not all bacteria is bad and introduce the topic of antibiotic resistance. Science Fair expectations are addressed.
Curated OER
Early Voting, Other Election Changes are Possible
Students use the internet and linked sites to explore current voting methods in their community. They research suggestions that have been made for changes and interview people who made these suggestions (when possible). Students suggest...
Curated OER
Buckling Up May Not Help Bus Safety
High schoolers discuss the issue of putting seat belts on school buses to increase safety. Using the internet, they research the school bus safety record for their district. In groups, they interview school administrator's and debate the...
Curated OER
Parents and Alcohol: Who's To Blame
Young scholars use the internet to read research to find out what other communities are doing to solve the problem of underage drinking. They interview local experts and law enforcement. As a class, they debate the pros and cons of...
Curated OER
Sexual Development
Pupils identify what puberty is and what changes they can expect during this period of time. Students discuss the challenging aspects of puberty and celebrate the best and most exciting aspects. Pupils record the best/easiest things...