Curated OER
School Lighting Audit Preparation
High schoolers work together to develop a school lighting audit plan. They practice using new vocabulary related to an energy audit. They also identify the components of a school lighting audit.
Curated OER
School Lighting Audit Action Plan
Students write a school lighting audit action plan from the data they collected in previous lessons. They develop a presentation that shows the results of the data and their recommendations. They present their action plan to their...
Curated OER
Life Before Kindergarten
Students investigate the life that takes place before going to kindergarten. They brainstorm about some of the key events that are common for children entering school. Students create two drawings about life before kindergarten and...
Curated OER
Idea-Noun Definition: Source Searching
A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...
Curated OER
The Alphabet Garden
Third graders transplant, tend and observe a plant for each letter of the alphabet in a school garden. They work individually to research and select a plant that will grow in their local climate. Students then care for and observe the...
Curated OER
Active Viewing: Eyes on the Prize "Awakenings"
Dive deeper into the Montgomery Bus Boycott with this multi-stage lesson, centered on the essential question: Why did the boycott last so long? Historians investigate the Jim Crow south through a video clip (not included), then analyze...
Curated OER
Silly School vs. Super School
Learners explore the importance of classroom jobs. They observe a puppet who is irresponsible and never gets her work completed and then discuss whether or not this puppet should be given a classroom job. As a class, they examine the...
Curated OER
Introduction to Primary Sources
Students explore the usage of primary sources, what they are and how they originate. Artifacts are compared and contrasted as part of this historical inquiry as questions are formulated and conclusions drawn.
National Wildlife Federation
Is It Getting Hot in Here, or Is It Just Me?
Currently, only 2.1% of global warming is felt on continents, while over 93% is felt in the oceans. The fourth lesson in the series of 21 on global warming is composed of three activities that build off one another. In the first...
Curated OER
Exploring Tolerance and Related Essential Questioning on Acceptance and Diversity
Learners explore the concept of diversity. They discuss ways in which people differ. Students visit various websites and discuss the vocabulary words found on these sites. They read stories from various countries and discuss the people...
Curated OER
Knowing the Essential Elements of a Habitat
First graders compare their environment with that of Belize by researching via the internet on the sites provided. Students participate in various activities/centers utilizing the information they discovered.
Fluence Learning
Writing an Opinion: Is Pride Good or Bad?
Does pride really goeth before the fall, or can it be essential to one's development? Second graders read two of Aesop's fables that refer to pride in their morals, and write a short essay about whether pride is good or bad, based on...
Danya International, Inc.
Life Journey through Autism: An Educator’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome
Whether this the first time you've had a learner with Asperger Syndrome in your class, or you have years of experience with learners on the autism spectrum, a booklet about the best ways to accommodate these kids in the classroom could...
Virginia Department of Education
The Ratio of Surface Area to Volume
Demonstrate the ratio of surface area to volume in your high school class by using phenolphthalein, gelatin, and an onion. Intrigue the class by leading a discussion on osmosis and diffusion, then making "scientific jello." Participants...
Teaching Tolerance
Digital Activism Remixed: Hashtags for Voice, Visibility and Visions of Social Justice
It's time to discover hashtag activism! Using an engaging resource, learners explore viral hashtag campaigns relating to diversity, identity, and justice. Next, they either design their own hashtag campaigns or respond to existing ones.
Curated OER
The Heart of the Matter
Middle schoolers discuss importance of heart fitness, research essential questions relating to teen fitness, practice using heart rate monitors daily, collect and record information, and analyze information at end of quarter to determine...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion
Fifth graders create a brochure outlining what he or she has studied throughout the unit. The brochure contains evidence that Students have understood and mastered the answers to the essential questions.
Curated OER
Speaking Skills - Asking Questions
Students improve speaking confidence when using difficult question forms. This lesson focuses on helping students explain how to engage in this kind of social conversation. A worksheet imbedded in this plan provides practice.
Curated OER
William Apess and the Mashpee "Revolt" of 1833
Prompt your class with the following question: What was the status of American Indians in Massachusetts during Jackson's presidency? To answer this question, class members will read a series of primary source documents (attached),...
National Wildlife Federation
Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Extreme Weather's Impact on Our Resources
How dry is it? It's so dry, the river only runs twice a week! Through an analysis of maps and discussions, pairs learn about droughts across the United States in the ninth of 12 lessons. They then read about, answer questions, analyze...
Anti-Defamation League
The Road to Brown
As part of the study of segregation in U.S. schools, scholars research and create a timeline of events that led to the historic Supreme Court case, Brown V. Board of Education. Groups research a topic or event that led to the decision,...
Curated OER
From High School to the Real World
Twelfth graders work in small groups and use any resources they wish to find the answer to the question "What skills that I learned in high school will I use in real life?" They present their answers/findings to the rest of the class on...
Curated OER
The Essential Brick
Learners examine their position within their school and discuss qualities they need to be productive citizens outside of school. they culminate the unit by writing an autobiography that includes the concepts of responsibility, choice,...
Curated OER
Bullying: What Is It Good For?
Fifth graders examine how to respond to bullying in a proactive manner and to identify how to descrease incidents of bullying at their own school. They participate in a discussion and brainstorming activity, watch a PowerPoint...