Curated OER
Finders Keepers: Vocabulary Instructional Routine Guide for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Like Oskar, the curious boy in Jonathan Safran Foer’s story, class members journey through other “stories that the mouth can’t tell” to find another sentence that uses a word found in novel. Individuals create their own vocabulary list,...
Curated OER
Four Corners Debate
Should the student population wear uniforms to school? Pupils express whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with a controversial statement, moving to a designated corner of the room to indicate their stance....
Achievement Strategies
CCSS Unit Design Template for PE
From baseball and tennis to capture the flag and four-square, here is a great document that will help you design your next unit on a sport-related activity.
Teaching Tolerance
Social Media for Social Action
Engage in activism, not slacktivism! Scholars discuss social media and the Internet as tools for social change. Next, they engage in a close reading strategy called Thinking Notes as they read an article about social media activism.
Curated OER
Victory in the Pacific, 1943-1945
Students examine the military campaigns of the Pacific theater, tracing the path of the Allied offensives. The lesson presents what the Allies were trying to accomplish and why.
Western Justice Center
Underlying Needs
Conflicts arise when underlying needs are unmet. An engaging video introduces viewers to nine basic human needs. Then, through a series of videos, worksheets, and activities, class members learn that by focusing on interests and needs,...
Health Smart Virginia
Stepping Up to Depression and Suicide
Health Smart provides a lesson that shows middle schoolers how they can step up and help someone exhibiting self-harming behaviors. After learning the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide, teams research local resources...
Curated OER
Teasing Is Tough
Teasing happens in school. It's a fact. So, teaching your children about the evils of teasing, and also how to cope with it when it happens to them, is a very important. Pupils talk about how it feels to be teased, and they work together...
Scholastic
Lions, Tigers, and Slugs? Oh, My!
Explore the power of words with your class by analyzing the connotations of fictitious sports team names. Learners discuss team names and the mental images they convey. They create logos to illustrate the meanings and connotations of...
Curated OER
World War I
A thorough and engaging look at World War I, this slideshow details the start, strategies, and surrender of "The Great War." The breadth of this presentation could sustain an entire unit on World War I, and could be split into several...
Curated OER
Multiplying Decimals
A challenging presentation helps learners practice strategies for multiplying when using decimals. There are lots of good tips regarding these type of calculations, and many good practice problems for pupils to engage in.
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Alphabears: An ABC Book (Hague)
Learn new words in the context of Kathleen Hague's whimsical alphabet book, Alphabears: An ABC Book (note: you can use these strategies for any text). Get pupils ready by introducing the new words they will hear: useless, gruff,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Clap Your Hands (Cauley)
Lorinda Cauley's book Clap Your Hands is a fun way to expand budding readers' vocabulary in context (although you could use any book for this strategy). To prepare kids, introduce the following terms before reading: dare, flap, frown,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Barrett)
Although this vocabulary strategy would work in the context of any text, it's a piece of cake if you're reading Judi Barrett's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Go over the terms they will hear so pupils are ready to raise their...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Cows Can't Fly (Milgrim)
Cows can't fly, can they? David Milgrim's whimsical story makes vocabulary fun! Although this strategy can be used with any text, using Cows Can't Fly will be a breeze with this outline. Pupils are ready to raise their hands when they...
Illustrative Mathematics
Which Number is Greater? Which Number is Less? How do you Know?
When comparing groups of objects, it's easy for children to identify which has more, but it's not so easy for them to explain their reasoning. This simple whole-group activity provides multiple opportunities for learners to compare...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: National Identity and Why It Matters
Combining a close reading of a classic American text with the study of history can be a very powerful strategy, and this is most certainly the case with this resource using Edward Everett Hale's The Man without a Country. Consider themes...
Intel
Energy Innovations
Collaborative groups examine the importance of energy resources on quality of life by researching different energy sources and alternative energy sources through data analysis. They make a comparison of different countries and cultures,...
Royal Society of Chemistry
pH and pOH
Feeling a little neutral about your pH and pOH teaching strategy? Perk it up with engaging puzzles! Young scientists relate ion concentration to pH and pOH, as well as the dissociation constant for water. The resource is available as an...
Flipped Math
Calculus AB/BC - Selecting Procedures for Determining Limits
Knowing more strategies is always a plus. Pupils watch an engaging video to learn additional ways to algebraically determine the limit of a function at a specified value. The video covers multiplying radical expressions by their...
PBS
Terrific Trees
Engage in a shady activity to practice measurement techniques. Classes venture outside to collect measurements of various trees, using different strategies to measure the height, trunk circumference, width, and crown size. Then they...
Health Smart Virginia
Social Awareness: Empathy
As part of the unit on social, emotional health, seventh-graders examine the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Pairs then engage in an activity that analyzes a scenario and role play resolution strategies that show...
Facing History and Ourselves
Picture This
Sometimes what you get is far more than what you first see. The third routine in the Building Community series asks participants to engage in a See, Think, Wonder strategy. Small groups analyze a projected image, infer what is happening,...
Anti-Defamation League
Cyberbullying and Online Cruelty: Challenging Social Norms
"Everybody does it!" is often the clarion call to justify cyberbullying. Here's a lesson plan that encourages high schoolers to challenge these behaviors. Participants examine images, watch videos, and engage in discussions designed to...