Curated OER
Forces of Flight - Lift
Learners design and test paper airplanes to understand the concept of lift and how it affects flight. This technology-based Science lesson is excellent for use with upper-elementary and middle-level learners and uses spreadsheet software...
Creative Educator
Dream Room Design
Junior designers brainstorm the elements that a bedroom might have, such as a bed, television, and dresser. They identify which items are needs and which are desires. They practice measurement skills in the classroom by determining its...
Nemours KidsHealth
Breakfast
How can breakfast help you to avoid feeling sluggish and distracted throughout the day? After reading informational articles, learners will discuss how to overcome obstacles to eating breakfast, brainstorm ideas for quick breakfasts, and...
Curated OER
How Much, How Fast, How Far?
Students investigate the concept of the number one million. In this number concepts lesson plan, students read the book How Much is a Million? and brainstorm questions, such as "how many leaves are on a tree" and "how many hairs are on...
Curated OER
America: The Land We Live In: Landmarks
Students explore the concept of landmarks. In this landmark lesson, students brainstorm different landmarks around their community and nationally. Students then identify the patterns in Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings or...
Curated OER
Episodic Writing Using Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Help your middle-schoolers expand their writing skills with this lesson on episodic writing, which focuses on story details, idea development, and organization. After reading "The Eighth Picture: End of Summer" from Patricia Reilly...
Curated OER
Cutting Expenses
Young scholars explore budgeting. In this finance and math lesson, students brainstorm ways in which households could save money. Young scholars view websites that give cost reducing ideas. Students complete an expense comparison chart...
Curated OER
Flowers for Algernon: RAFT
Should Charlie undergo an operation to increase his intelligence? A mini-lesson for a unit on Daniel Keyes novel Flowers for Algernon uses a RAFT activity, which prompts students to write a letter to Charlie's doctors explaining why they...
Curated OER
The Function of Music
Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this activity from Media Smarts that asks students to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm possible functions...
Curated OER
Our Classroom Constitution
Develop a system of classroom rules created by the kids, for the kids with this three-part lesson series on the US Constitution. After learning about the structure of the Constitution and the government it established, young...
Curated OER
Social Class Stereotypes
Encourage your learners to think about how and why people and categorized in terms of social class. They decide what "class" they belong to, and then brainstorm about the indicators that society uses to define class and to categorize...
Curated OER
Transparency: Accountability
Students study the concept of "Question Time" as it relates to the ministers and the federal Parliament. In this accountability lesson plan, students investigate accountability in the federal Parliament. Students role-play to arrive at...
Center for Learning in Action
Introduction to Matter
Begin your states of matter lessons with a demonstration designed to introduce the concept that all matter has properties. Reinforce this concept through vocabulary exploration, and the creation of atom models; salt, water, and carbon...
Curated OER
Build Your Dream Science Lab
Would your ideal science lab be filled with bubbling beakers and zapping Tesla coils? Or would it contain state-of-the-art computer technology and data analysis? Dream big with an innovative lesson that connects math and language...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Sustainable Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Brainstorm ideas to design a sustainable guest village in the Sonoran Desert. The first installment of a nine-part unit teaches young environmental scientists about the basics of the Saguaro National Park and about sustainable design....
C-SPAN
Student Symposium and Resulting Action
Your class may not be able to vote yet, but that doesn't mean they can't feel like they're part of the presidential election! The resource creates a symposium where pupils debate about a selected topic in current events during an...
Council for Economic Education
What Makes an Entrepreneur?
What do the founders of Wendy's and Virgin Airlines have in common? They are both entrepreneurs! Key definitions and case studies help learners brainstorm their own definitions of what it takes to succeed in business. A series of...
Curated OER
Why Rules or Laws
Here’s a fresh approach to establishing classroom rules at the beginning of the school year. Class groups brainstorm what they know about rules for baseball, basketball, and football. They then consider how the games would differ without...
Virginia Department of Education
Properties of Real Numbers
Students use paper cups and colored chips to observe properties of operations with real numbers. As a class, students brainstorm and use manipulatives to demonstrate associative, commutative, distributive identity and inverse properties....
Curated OER
Water Uses and Children's Lives in East Africa
Students explore water usage around the world. In this "water" social studies lesson, students brainstorm ways in which water is used. Students visit the Water in Africa website to view pictures of water usage in...
Curated OER
School Forest
Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity. In this biodiversity lesson plan, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment. Students also...
TryEngineering
Exploring at the Nanoscale
Discover a world too small to see. In the lesson, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects are made smaller...
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast Poems vs. Lyrics
Combine your pupils' love of music with their growing knowledge of poetry! First, have them bring in their favorite songs for a discussion on word choice and literary devices. Then, use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the...
US Mint
Symbols in My Eyes
Explore the hidden meanings behind the images on US currency with this elementary school instructional activity on symbolism. Starting with a class discussion about symbols, children go on to brainstorm different objects that...