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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Invasion of the Superdelegates

For Students 9th - 12th
What are superdelegates? Use this political cartoon analysis handout to explore this informal term with your scholars. Background information gives brief context to help high schoolers examine the featured cartoon, and three talking...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prime Factorization: Finding Factors in the Fifth Grade

For Teachers 5th
The lesson starts out with a brain drain, which is a great way to get students to activate prior knowledge and build lasting connections. They tell everything they know about prime factorization, use their knowledge to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marketing to Teens: Introduction

For Teachers 7th - 12th
An introductory lesson shows learners how pervasive and influential advertising is in our culture; particularly, how teenagers are actively targeted by advertisers. As teenagers, your students already have all the information they need...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Text Messages

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can a neon sign be considered art? Kids consider two different works that use neon text as the basis for conveying artistic social messages. They then analyze a truism from Jenny Holzer's web site that holds meaning to them personally....
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Sunshine Week

For Students 11th - 12th
Do the people have the right to know? Is there a real dialogue between U.S. political powers and the American people? Upper graders evaluate these concepts and more when they critically examine two political cartoons depicting Sunshine...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Politics of Change

For Students 8th - 12th
Empty rhetoric in Washington timelessly inspires political cartoons. Examine this concept through an analysis handout, which features a cartoon by Pat Oliphant (archived work is linked for possible extension activities). Although this...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

McCarthyism: 60 Years Later

For Students 9th - 12th
Explore legendary cartoonist Herb Block's bold challenge of McCarthy-era politics through this analysis activity. Two cartoons are included, along with talking points to prompt analysis and background information to help pupils "read...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Shine the Light on Your Government

For Students 9th - 12th
What don't we know about our government? Explore the concept of transparency and freedom of information throught this analysis handout, in which scholars examine 2 political cartoons. Background information provides context, explaining...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ICYouSee: A Lesson in Critical Thinking

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Stress the importance of authenticating online resources and understanding the sources of websites' information with this activity. Using a Web-based activity, the lesson prompts young learners to think critically about determining the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Oil Spill Perspectives

For Students 9th - 12th
With the BP oil spill still fresh on your scholars' minds, take the opportunity to analyze various perspectives on it through political cartoons. This critical-analysis handout features 2 cartoons on the incident. Background information...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: The Tea Party

For Students 9th - 12th
Investigate the Tea Party Movement through this political cartoon analysis handout! Background information gives scholars the necessary context to access the cartoon, and includes the historical derivation of the Tea Party name. Three...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: The End Times

For Students 9th - 12th
Are these the end times? Combine current events with religious prophecy in this activity, where scholars analyze a 2007 political cartoon in the context of current issues. Background information explains the Four Horsemen of the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Charisma vs. Experience

For Students 9th - 12th
Which is more important for a president: experience or charisma? Scholars consider this as they analyze 2 political cartoons in this analysis handout. Background information gives context through a quote from The Telegraph, and 3 talking...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Campaign Fundraising

For Students 9th - 12th
Although this political cartoon analysis assignment has your scholars glancing back at the 2008 presidential campaign, its message is relatable anytime. Background information provides context, giving learners access to the cartoon,...
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Lesson Plan
Media Smarts

How to Analyze the News

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Teach kids how to watch television, specifically the news, with this creative idea for learners of all ages from the Media Awareness Network. The elementary school plan focuses on presenting news as a story and uses Jon Scieszka's story...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Listening Critically

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Eschew obfuscation!! High schoolers learn techniques that permit them to listen critically, sort through verbiage used to hide meaning or mislead listeners, and determine the message's validity.
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Organizer
Curated OER

White Star Line and the Titanic

For Students 6th - 10th
Was the Titanic advertised as an unsinkable ship, or was it just what the public believed? In this analysis activity, historians examine both primary and secondary sources to determine the answer to this question and the reliability of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Sensory Exploration

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using their keen eyes and ears, learners build story observation skills which they will use to create sensory detail in their art. They note all of the things they observed on a walk, categorize them by sense, and then use the same skill...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classrooms: Wall Street

For Students 9th - 12th
Open up an intriguing dialogue about Wall Street controversy using political cartoons! Background information gives context, including quotes from various newspapers about compensation caps, bonuses, and the growing disenchantment with...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Social Commentary

For Students 9th - 12th
Expose your class to the genre of political cartoons less concerned with serious political issues. This political cartoon analysis handout features social commentary on the many entertainments of youth, ironically paired with their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mount Everest

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
  Students brainstorm about what different professions roles are and what skills they obtain.  In this critical thinking lesson, students discuss reasons of why different people would want and need to climb Mount Everest.     
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symmetry of the Addition Table

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Help your class discover the commutative property of addition with this exploration of the addition table. By folding and coloring the table, a symmetry is found that directs students to an understanding of this crucial mathematical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Information Overload: Looking at News

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How do events reported in mainstream newspapers, on television news, blog posts, and social network sites differ? Ask your class to investigate the way the same news item is presented in the many information sources available. Groups...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transparent Shoebox Dig

For Teachers K - 4th
Take this simulated archaeological dig one layer at a time with your young pupils to encourage observation, critical thinking, and careful attention. Using a transparent box full of layers of sand and artifacts, pupils examine the...