Curated OER
A Light in the Storm
Examine the genre of historical fiction while reading A Light in the Storm. They extract events in chronological order to make a timeline. Then, they use information in the book important to the characters to create a presentation of an...
Curated OER
Reliving History through Slave Narratives
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...
Curated OER
Breeds of Cattle Internet Search
Students identify different breeds of cattle and select one breed to investigate further. They gather information online about breed's origin, physical characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages, and present their findings orally to...
Curated OER
Breeds of Sheep Power Point Presentations
Students perform internet searches about breeds of sheep. They collect illustrations and information to build a PowerPoint presentation of their selected breed that includes origin, physical characteristics, advantages and disadvantages...
Curated OER
Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King
Students investigate the history of Mali. In this African cultures lesson, students research the impact of Sundiata Keita as king of Mali, recognize the significance of historical Malian festivals, and create character masks to be worn...
Curated OER
Adapting a Musical
High schoolers transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts instructional activity, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. High schoolers then select literature they are familiar with to adapt...
Curated OER
Art Show with the Masters
Students contribute to a classroom art show. In this art appreciation lesson, students research the lives and works of artists from different ages. Students write reports, recreate artwork of their researched artists, and participate in...
Curated OER
Life of a Navajo Weaver
Students explore Native American weaving patterns and dance movements. For this Native Americans lesson, students view examples of weaving patterns on the Internet and compare the patterns to a Native American dance. Students demonstrate...
Curated OER
Reliving History Through Slave Narratives
Young scholars read slave narratives and retell the stories to the class, identifying sensory details. In this slavery lesson, students discuss the importance of sensory details, then read the slave narratives looking for specific...
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: Artful Recordings
Students examine the nature journals of Lewis and Clark. For this primary source analysis lesson, students research the journals that the members of the Corps of Discovery kept during the expedition and then conduct further research on...
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Lewis and Clark: Prized Possessions
Students consider the role of Sacagawea as part of the Corps of Discovery. In this Lewis and Clark expedition lesson, students discover details about Sacagawea's wampum belt and then create their own wampum belts using their computer and...
Curated OER
We Are The Freedom Riders
Students consider the role of the Freedom Riders. In this American Civil Rights activity, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding the participants in the Freedom Ride protest. Several weblinks,...
Curated OER
Pioneer America: Legendary Westerners - Can One Person Really Make a Difference?
Fourth graders research famous Americans from the Westward Movement and complete an interview. For this Westward Movement lesson, 4th graders work in pairs to research someone who was important during this time period. They prepare and...
Curated OER
Swing your Partner: The Basics of Square Dancing
Young scholars perform square dancing steps. In this square dancing activity, students view a video to learn the basic steps. Young scholars discuss the history of the dance and perform with partners.
Curated OER
The Monkey Dance: Exploring Balinese Culture
Students explore Balinese culture. In this Balinese integrated fine arts instructional activity, students listen to a podcast of "The Monkey Dance," taking notes about important features of the dance. Students participate in a jigsaw...
Curated OER
You're Invited to a Ceili: Exploring Irish Dance
Students recognize a Ceili as an Irish dance of celebration and investigate Ireland while studying the dance. In this Irish dance lesson, students search the geography of Ireland, read poetry, identify costumes, draw and perform a dance.
Santa Ana Unified School District
Lord of the Flies Unit
How does a society influence and shape individuals? Class members ponder this essential question as they read Lord of the Flies, as well as primary source materials about the historical background of the novel. As a final assessment,...
Curated OER
Rock Swap
Learners collect rocks found locally and write a brief description which includes the name of the rock, whether the rock is sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous, and what uses the rock has. They exchange rocks with another class in...
Curated OER
Autism - What Is It?
High schoolers investigate the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, and compare expected child development with development that may indicate a diagnosis of these disorders. The final project for the lesson is the creation of posters...
Curated OER
Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Disorders Extending Beyond the "Norm"
Learners develop an understanding of autism by engaging in an inquiry-based discussion. Pupils are exposed to the vast array of defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorders. They create posters about the developmental...
Curated OER
You Gotta Have Heart: Congenital Heart Defects and Heart Surgery
Assess anatomists' understanding of the structure of the mammalian heart by giving a pretest. Have them visit some websites to further learn about heart anatomy. Then take them into the laboratory to perform a dissection so that they get...
Curated OER
West Nile Virus-What is the Risk?
Begin with an online pre-quiz about West Nile Virus. Using a fictional scenario, young epidemiologists read how it is transmitted and examine the stages of the life cycle of a mosquito. They imagine that they are members of the Centers...
Curated OER
Exploring Weather Conditions Through Painting
Your advanced class will paint a picture of a particular weather condition. In this painting lesson students describe elements of art in pieces of artwork. They analyze the weather and seasons in the artwork. The students use paper,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Survival of the Fittest - Variations in the Clam Species Clamys sweetus
It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative...