Curated OER
Artificial Selection
The second lesson in the series begins with a starter activity discussing wild versus domesticated animals. Then, scholars play a card game, with optional variations, to emphasize artificial selection. Next, they attend a field trip to a...
University of the Desert
How Can Conflict and Disagreement be Managed and Resolved?
As you explore the meaning of cultural understanding and diffusion with your learners, discuss how dialogue can play a role in resolving conflicts based on misunderstanding. Examine keywords such as compromise, communication, and...
University of the Desert
How Do I Feel That My Culture Is Misunderstood by Others?
Using video clips of young adults from around the world describing their cultures and how they can be misunderstood, learners compare their own cultural point of view to that of others through discussion and writing.
TESOL
Are You a Good Listener?
Your learners talk to each other every day, but are they really listening? Use a lesson based on listening skills to ensure that class members feel heard and respected. It includes games, discussion topics, and self-assessment tools that...
Facing History and Ourselves
How Should We Remember?
We must remember the past in order to avoid its mistakes. Young historians analyze the importance of historical remembrance using primary and secondary documents, as well as video clips. They then study the creation of a World War II...
Baylor College
Crossing the Synaptic Gap
As part of a unit on the chemistry of the brain, thinkers learn how chemicals work to transmit messages between individual neurons and how controlled substances impact the synaptic cleft. They do so by playing a dice-and-card game in...
Childnet International
Peer Pressure
What do you do if someone you like wants you to do something you don't want to do? A series of activities, including discussion, videos, role-play, and poster projects, demonstrate the most effective ways to withstand peer pressure online.
Ned Show
Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale
If friendship were a soup, what ingredients would be in it? As part of a study of Marcus Pfister's Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale, kids engage in a series of friendship-themed activities using materials contained in this richly...
University of the Desert
What Are the Possible Causes of Cultural Misunderstanding?
Why do cultural misunderstandings happen? What causes stereotypes, and what is dangerous about them? After viewing some possible explanations to these questions provided by young adults around the world, your learners will discuss how...
Curated OER
ESL Discussion Starter
In this ESL discussion worksheet, students will focus on the usage of the word "should." Students will read a letter and offer up advice pertaining to the problems discussed in the written note.
Curated OER
Novel Study: The End of the Line
The End of the Line, Angela Cerrito's gripping novel about an adolescent murderer incarcerated in an unusual "school," is the subject of a comprehensive set of support materials. Chapter vocabulary and discussion questions are excerpted...
Curated OER
The Glass Menagerie: Anticipation Guide
Readers are introduced to the key themes in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie by this carefully crafted anticipation guide. A great discussion starter.
Curated OER
American Heritage Themes
Pupils define freedom, unity, progress, and responsibility in relation to American Heritage. They explore the origin of how American Heritage was developed and ways in which they can continue it today. They also determine ways they can...
Curated OER
Nov. 17, 1973 | Nixon Declares 'I Am Not a Crook'
Connect events of the past to events of today. Budding historians read an eight paragraph passage describing the Watergate scandal. They then connect the Nixon scandal to sex scandals of recent times. There are six critical thinking...
University of the Desert
What Is Extremism?
By participating in discussions using prompts and statements provided in the lesson plan, learners identify the concept of extremism and consider what causes violent acts of extremism in the modern world.
K20 LEARN
Reframing the Argument: Examining Argument through a New Lens
As part of a study of crafting compelling arguments, class members tackle the problem presented in Lawrence Kohlberg's "The Heinz Dilemma." After discussing the dilemma with classmates, writers draft an essay with a claim, support it...
Curated OER
Technological Grand Conversations
Conduct a written literary discussion and diminish stress about public writing. Class members, already arranged into literature circles, compose and post responses to novels, signing with initials or class number. The process continues...
Curated OER
Cyberbullying: Effects on Teens Across the Nation (Segment 3)
Free speech, privacy, and cyberbullying are the focus of a series of activities that prompt class members to engage in discussions about these interrelated topics. They view a segment from PBS’s series on bullying, read articles about...
Curated OER
Napoleon!
Present the life and times of Napoleon to your World History class. This is a very complete slide-show that high-lights the key events, players, and politics that lead to the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. There are many rich and...
K12 Reader
Discrimination Against Gold Rush Immigrants
Immigration to the US has been a topic of discussion for many years. Inform your class about discrimination against immigrants during the Gold Rush with a short reading passage. After reading, class members answer five questions related...
Curated OER
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself
The narrative works of Frederick Douglass engage learners in the topic of slavery. They will experience American history in a new way, a Douglass expresses his thoughts in his own words. Pupils then interpret this literary work.
Childnet International
Self Esteem
To middle schoolers, there's nothing worse than being excluded from a peer group. Developing important self-esteem skills can not only get them through awkward adolescent times, it can carry them through the rest of their lives as...
Overcoming Obstacles
Clarifying Values
Encourage thoughtful decision making with a instructional activity that highlights the importance of values. Scholars take part in a grand conversation, listen to stories, and make decisions based on their personal values.
Curated OER
Student Opinion: How Far Would You Go for Fashion?
Is being uncomfortable worth it if you look good? Inspire discussion about fashion and culture with a brief New York Times article about painful fashion. Whether used as a persuasive essay prompt or as a discussion starter, class members...