Curated OER
Bioethics: Where the Future May Take Us
Students investigate bioethical issues. In this bioethical issues instructional activity, students research gene cloning, imaging technologies, transplantation, and other bioethical issues. Students share their finding with their...
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The Well of Truth
Second graders explore the Egyptian folktale, The Well of Truth. In this folktale lesson, 2nd graders read the tale and discuss the events from the text. Students write a diary entry from the point of view of a character in the text....
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Literature Focus Unit: Civil War
Fourth graders complete a two-week unit on the U.S. Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They read the books "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Pink and Say," complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from "Follow the Drinking Gourd."...
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A Penny for Your Thoughts, Movies, or Music?
Students investigate copyright violation laws. In this media copyright activity, students read two articles that discuss copyright laws, then they develop their own perspective on the laws. Students then divide into small groups and...
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The Cleverest Thief
First graders read The Cleverest Thief and participate in various activities across the curriculum areas. In this story lesson, 1st graders arrange an anagram of the word monastery. Students complete worksheets to alphabetize and use...
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Spanish Culture Lesson - Cinco de Mayo
Students role play the characters and events which led to the holiday of Cinco de Mayo. In this Cinco de Mayo lesson, students dance the "La Raspa" dance. Students complete a Cinco de Mayo word search.
Curated OER
Lights, Camera, Action...Crossing the Delaware in 9 Scenes
How does reading a drama differ from reading a novel? Middle schoolers become playwrights and explore these differences. After viewing the A&E movie,"The Crossing," groups create stage directions, write dialogue, and design sets and...
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The Reunion
Learners dramatize a postwar reunion between people who held opposing views during the U.S. Civil War.
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Wetlands/Migration
Students play a game of hopscotch as they simulate birds migrating north through wetlands. They compare the game to real bird migration and discuss how the health of the wetlands is proportional to the health of birds.
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Animal Habitats
Students explore animal lifestyles by researching their characteristics. In this animal habitat lesson, students read the story Over in the Jungle and analyze the animal illustrations in the book. Students create clay animal characters...
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Space Exploration Narrative
Fourth graders role-play a space exploration. They read scripts detailing an astronaut's journey on a space exploration. They discuss how it felt to be an astronaut, the emotions, moods and feelings of going on a space exploration.
Maine Content Literacy Project
Introduction to John Updike
Expand your pupils' understanding of the short story genre with a study of John Updike and his story "A&P." This lesson, the fourth in a series of fourteen, invites learners to examine literary terms and read and discuss the story....
August House
Anansi And Turtle Go To Dinner
That tricky Anansi! Join him and Turtle in the story Anansi and Turtle Go to Dinner by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, based on the African folktale. Kids answer comprehension questions and sing songs about spiders before creating spider webs...
Curated OER
Portrait of a Hero
Students complete a series of interactive activities to explore their beliefs about heroes and heroism. In this hero analysis lesson, students define the meaning of the words hero and heroic. Students research U.S. heroes and everyday...
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"No, You Can't Take Me!"
Students study imitation or pantomime. In this creative drama lesson, students pick an object to imitate and state the reasons why that object should not be taken out of the room pretending to be that object.
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Of Mice and Men: Viewing Guide
In this Of Mice and Men viewing guide worksheet, students study movie terminology as they read brief descriptions and respond to 26 short answer questions as the watch the film based on Steinbeck's novel.
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Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
Dramatic activities promote enjoyment of literature, increase reading comprehension, and help develop oral expression. It is important for children to engage in activities which help to develop their creative potential. Drama allows...
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Creating Characters: Movement
Students compare two characters and role-play how they would perform various actions. They view and discuss a video, list opposite descriptions for the two girls in the video, and role-play the opposites.
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Newscast From An Ancient City
Seventh graders produce a newscast from an Ancient Roman city. For this journalism and history lesson, 7th graders work in groups to dramatize a historical event from the Roman Empire. students sequence the events, role-play, and create...
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Predators and Prey
Students explain how the food chain works. They contrast predators with prey and describe their function in nature. Students discuss how the food chain aids in keeping nature balanced. In small groups, they play a game that simulates the...
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Glacier Basics
Students are introduced to the powerful nature of glaciers. Using an atlas, they read the section on glaciers and examine pictures of before and after the glacier moved through an area. In groups, they complete a worksheet on the role...
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Breaking the Food Chain
Students investigate the food chain. They brainstorm questions about the human food chain and explain what would happen to living things in the food chain if organisms or resources were removed. They role-play situations in which the...
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Art Auction
Students participate in a variety of activities that present art history. They arrange an art auction where each student serves as auctioneer to present a favorite piece. Students keep track of their accounts and bid to buy desired...
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Making The Geologic Time Scale Real
Students are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...