Curated OER
December Animals
Students examine human actions that have caused certain animals to become endangered. They discover what is being done to help endangered animals and discover what they can do to help.
Curated OER
Netsuke
Young scholars identify different objects from Japanese culture and their purpose. They read Japanese folktales and discuss common themes. They create a sketch and clay sculpture of a character or animal in one of the folktales.
Curated OER
How To Make a Rainstick
Students research the uses of rainsticks in ancient native cultures. The teacher discusses the ceremonies rainsticks were traditionally used in. The students then construct their own rainstick.
Curated OER
Environment and Recycling Issues
First graders read and understand the text found while conducting internet research. They recognize how literature records information and reflects the human experience. Students also compare and contrast answers to questions. Then...
Curated OER
Rock On
Fourth graders create a powerpint presentation to inform their classmates about a selected type of rock. Students are divided into groups to research a particular type of rock. Each group researches their topic using traditional and...
Curated OER
Constitution
Fifth graders explore the importance of the Constitution. They read and discuss the meaning of each section. In groups, 5th graders create posters explaining an assigned part of the constitution. Using the internet, students research and...
Curated OER
Tool Time - Quilting
Students explore quilting. They recognize what tools and equipment is necessary for successful quilting. Students demonstrate how to use quilting tools. They recognize terms in quilt making.
Curated OER
Active Reading: Finding a Conversation Voice
Young scholars practice reading for comprehension and understanding. In groups, students read, out loud, using a conversation voice. They predict and discuss the story as it unfolds.
Curated OER
Biodiversity Trust Games
Students make a tight shoulder-to-shoulder circle. They are asked to turn to his or her right. Students squeeze in tight, they are explained that on the count of three, everyone slowly sits down. Once they are successfully seated,...
Curated OER
Social Studies: How to Teach Children
Students examine reasons for teaching children and the characteristics of an effective teacher. After a Powerpoint presentation which includes a humorous look at the 1915 rules for teachers, they create daily teaching schedules and...
Curated OER
Tool Time - Quilting
Students examine what tools and equipment they need to use for successful quilt making. They discover how to use these items and study the terms he/she needs to know to be successful in making a quilt. They fill out and turn in the...
Curated OER
FORCES, MOTION, AND ENERGY
Eighth graders engage in a variety of activities in order to investigate the basic concepts of physics. They read and answer questions in a written text. This is only one type of activity that is part of many others.
Curated OER
The Physical Setting
Ninth graders study the configuration of atoms in molecules to see that it determines the molecule's properties. In this chemistry lesson students divide into groups and complete their assigned task.
Curated OER
Upcycled Garment or Art Work
Students explain the importance of recycling waste products. In this art lesson, students research different upcycled fashion designs and accessories. They design their own product and present it in class.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Memoirs About Telling Lies That Hurt
Book reviews about Walter Dean Myers' Bad Boy and Madonna's Mr. Peabody's Apples are given on this site. The author suggests that using these books to help illustrate the concept that it better to tell the truth than to suffer the...
Edutopia
Edutopia: Innovative Practice: 5 Strategies for the Early Learning Classroom
Project- and play-based learning are essential in the early grades to develop creative learning dispositions during the brain's most active period of synaptic growth. Here are five strategies that can be implemented in early learning...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Going Beyond "And They All Lived Happily Ever After."
After listening to the first 12 pages of the book Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley, students will discuss story elements leading them to develop their own solution to the story's problem. Students will then generate...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Your Glorious Gene Pool
Young scholars read the books like I Am the Dog. I Am the Cat by Donald Hall and Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman and read the lyrics while listening to the song "Shallow End of the Gene Pool" by the Austin Lounge Lizards. Then students...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Scary Somethings
Dick Gackenbach's classic picture book, Harry and The Terrible Whatzit, is a wonderful story about a child and his fear of the Whatzit that he is sure lives in his cellar. The story shows how through determination and the desire to save...
Other
Bright Hub Education: Preschool Lesson on Perseverance
In this lesson, young scholars will read a book about how a character perseveres when the task is difficult. They will identify the challenges and how the character overcame the challenges. These activities will show your students that...
EL Education
El Education: A Beaver Story
This children's book about beavers was written and illustrated by 6th graders after extensive field research with experts in the field. The book is unique in that it offers a continuous fictional narrative at the top of each page, an...
EL Education
El Education: How Does Your Garden Grow?
This book was created by kindergarten students from the East End Community Charter School in Portland, Maine, as part of an eight-week learning expedition on local food and gardens called, "How Does Your Garden Grow?" These young...
My Hero Project
My Hero: Nelson Mandela
Use this resource to learn about Nelson Mandela's freedom, which marked the end of Apartheid. This article includes images and an excerpt from his book, "Long Walk to Freedom."
EL Education
El Education: A Park Grows in Portland
This field guide was a cross curricular project created by 7th grade students in Portland, Maine. Students engaged in multiple fieldwork visits to the Deering Park (across the street), during which they observed trees, recording with...