Friends of Fort McHenry
Was the War of 1812 Our Second War of Independence?
Though it occurred almost 40 years later, could the United States have been fighting for their independence again in the War of 1812? Using appropriate primary source material from each of the two wars, compare and contrast the situation...
EngageNY
Describing Distributions Using the Mean and MAD II
The 11th lesson in the series of 22 is similar to the preceding lesson, but requires scholars to compare distributions using the mean and mean absolute deviation. Pupils use the information to make a determination on which data set is...
EngageNY
Point of View: Comparing Esperanza's and Isabel's Perspectives About Life in the Camp (Chapter 7: "Las Cebollas/Onions")
Explore point of view and more with a Common Core-designed instructional activity. Learners experience different points of view by representing one of two characters from Esperanza Rising during a partner discussion. They must use...
Cleburne Independent School District
Grade 6 English Language Arts and Readiness: Persuasive
What is the best way to compare and contrast viewpoints on the same topic? A persuasive writing unit plan addresses targeted skills, vocabulary, instructional strategies, and suggested resources that would be perfect for developing writers.
Curated OER
Viewing Bacteria
Have you ever wanted to know the true structure of E.coli? Does the thought of peering into its "small world" sound exciting? Here is a lesson that allows pupils the ability to do just that. Blossoming microbiologists use microscopes to...
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
George Washington: Centerpiece of a Nation
A neat Presidents Day activity, this lesson provides a culminating learning experience for upper elementary aged learners. After analyzing George Washington's, "A Display of the United States of America," your learners will conduct...
Stanford University
Explosion of the Maine
An intriguing lesson features newspaper articles to help academics understand the political impact of the sinking the Maine and how the American media depicted the event. Scholars also view a presentation, participate in group...
Media Smarts
Advertising All Around Us
Here is a set of advertising lessons, explore language, techniques, representation, and target audiences. Discuss the impact ads have on our daily lives. What do we see and how do they make us feel? Observe ads from around the world and...
El Museo del Barrio
Dia de los Muertos Educator Resource Guide
What are the origins of el Dia de los Muertos, and how is this tradition observed in contemporary celebrations? With a variety of lesson plans and suggested hands-on activities, here is an excellent resource to reference as you prepare...
K20 LEARN
Monster Monday - The Good, the Bad, and the Sparkly: Vampire Tropes through History
Fangs, capes, pale skin, and beady eyes! High schoolers investigate the tropes associated with vampires by examining excerpts from stories and films. They then create a timeline that reveals how the depictions of vampires have evolved...
Curated OER
Here's My Family
Family traditions help to instill personal values, social norms, and the warmest of childhood memories. Elementary and secondary learners share their favorite family traditions with a fun diorama project. Using modeling clay, they create...
NOAA
Microfriends
Is there medicine found in the organisms that live deep below the surface of the ocean? The fifth activity in a six-part series has learners team up to research bacteria and the relationship it has with nearly every living thing on...
Stanford University
League of Nations
An interesting lesson explores the Treaty of Versailles and the creation of the League of Nations to prevent further large scale warfare in World War I. A presentation explains how the United States Congress reacted to the offer to join...
US House of Representatives
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Groups select a photograph from one of the four eras of African Americans in Congress and develop a five-minute presentation that provides background information about the image as well as its historical significance. The class compares...
Newseum
Bias Through History: Analyzing Historical Sources
Young journalists use the E.S.C.A.P.E. (evidence, source, context, audience, purpose, and execution) strategy to evaluate historical and contemporary examples of bias in the news. The class then uses the provided discussion questions to...
K20 LEARN
I Need A (Super)Hero: Literary Elements And Narrative Writing
Need a hero? Super! Groups create their modern-day marvel and craft a narrative with all the elements required in such a tale.
K20 LEARN
The Power of Poetry: Perspectives in Poetry
What do Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Amanda Gordon have in common? They all believe in the power of words—the power of words to create change. After analyzing the rhetorical strategies in several poems and speeches,...
Newseum
Persuasion Portfolios
After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...
Curated OER
Comparing and Contrasting Two States
Students investigate two states of their choosing. In this comparison and contrast lesson plan, students research two states and write comparison and contrast papers that feature their research findings.
Curated OER
Geography: Puerto Rico
Take a trip to Puerto Rico! Learners engage in a web quest, identify Puerto Rico on the map, and gather information related to physical features and cultural factors. Their efforts culminate when they design a brochure comparing the...
Curated OER
Role Models - Defining Positive Role Models
Being able to identify what characteristics make a good role model is one way for students to better understand their own positive behaviors. The class brainstorms what characteristics make up a good role model, research a role model...
Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Dr. Seuss in the Classroom
Explore the works of Dr. Seuss, such as Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches and Egg, The Sneetches and Other Stories, The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. Each story lesson includes reading...
Curated OER
Evaluating Eyewitness Reports
Learners consider the advantages and disadvantages of eyewitness accounts as records of history. They research several accounts of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and then compare and contrast each version to arrive at a final picture.
NOAA
Mud is Mud...or is it?
We know that the type of soil varies by location, but does the seafloor sediment also vary, or is it all the same? Scholars compare photos of the seafloor from two different locations: the Savannah Scarp and the Charleston Bump. Through...