Orange County Department of Education
Poppa's New Pants
Angela Shelf Medearis' Poppa's New Pants provides third graders with an opportunity to stitch together their own narrative filled with sensory details. After reading the story and noting the sensory and concrete details in the tale that...
Roald Dahl
Matilda - The Weekly Test
Readers take the main characters in Matilda and individually describe them through a mnemonic. To get there, group members create an acrostic poem describing the character they were given, and choose one of the words from the acrostic...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Reproduction
Attracting the right mate is as important for humans as any other species. An interesting lesson teaches individuals about several strategies that animals and plants have adapted to attract their mates. From colorful nests to powerful...
Curated OER
Effective Writing is More Than a Five Paragraph Essay
Groups become experts in one aspect of the six traits of writing, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, jigsaw, and teach others about their trait. Writers then focus on these traits as they compose a persuasive essay about a person they...
Curated OER
The Illusion of Race
This is mostly an exploration of race through an interactive website, class readings, and discussion. Individuals take an online quiz about race, they answer questions on a worksheet by visiting another website, and discover that race is...
Curated OER
Our Successful Traits
Students investigate the traits necessary for classroom success. They brainstorm in order to find different traits while creating lists. Then students work in groups to create simple definitions for selected character traits of success...
Curated OER
Pioneering Principles: Why Character Matters
What does it mean to "be of good character"? What are the qualities that define such a person? The 1825 Colonization Law of Coahuila y Texas required that all new immigrants into Mexican Texas present documentation that they were of good...
California Department of Education
What Occupation Interests Me?
Is the secret to success turning an interest into a career? Eleventh graders explore the occupation-interest connection in a career education lesson plan. Individuals first take an interest inventory and then create a presentation about...
American Museum of Natural History
Talk to a Titanosaur
Learn all about the Titanosaur with an engaging website that delves deep into the large reptile's physical traits, family history, discovery, and fossil reconstruction.
Learning for Justice
Cliques in Schools
Band geeks, jocks, preppies; every school has its groups. Middle and high schoolers identify the various friendship groups and cliques in their school and consider these groups' positive and negative traits. After completing a Clique...
Curated OER
Human Traits
Learners study vocabulary and complete a survey. In this human traits lesson students collect and analyze data then discuss what they learned.
Curated OER
Setting Goals with Benjamin Franklin
Students discuss historical accounts and accomplishments of "Benjamin Franklin" which exemplify good character traits. They create a display of paper keys which describe these traits. They relate these traits to their future goals and...
Curated OER
Heredity Worksheet #4
In this genetics worksheet, students use a pedigree to determine if any of the offspring carry a recessive trait. This worksheet has 5 fill in the blank and 5 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Do Your Earlobes Hang down?
Seventh graders listen as the teacher explains the differences between dominant and recessive traits. The data sheet is described and delivered to students. Students collect data about themselves and record it on their sheet. For the...
Curated OER
Fun with Heredity
Students explore basic concepts of heredity and collaborate to see genetics in action through several activities provided in the lesson. Inherited traits are examined and identified as dominant or recessive.
Curated OER
Reproduction and Heredity
Sixth graders investigate how traits are passed from parents to their offspring. They list things they have in common with family members, read key vocabulary terms, create a poster of shared physical and personality traits, and watch...
Curated OER
Preparing the Soil
Students explore philanthropy through literature. In this service learning instructional activity, students consider character traits as they read Seedfolks. Students record their notes regarding the characters in the story of a...
Towson University
Mystery of the Crooked Cell
Can your class solve the Mystery of the Crooked Cell? Junior geneticists collaborate to learn about sickle cell anemia in a fascinating lesson plan. The included materials help them to examine the genetic factors behind the disease...
Curated OER
Your Eyes Saw My Unformed Body: closing lesson
For those who teach and believe in Intelligent Design, this lesson plan is perfect. Religion students read and discuss Psalm 139: 1-18, and present their cell representation in class. They then watch a speech by Louie Giglio about the...
Curated OER
Bio-Poem
Everyone can be a poet with this simple activity! After reading of Lucy Westerna's death, assign your class this bio poem on Professor Van Helsing. There's a specific format to follow, but it'll be interesting to see how your kids add...
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 2 - Grade 3
A discussion of bioluminescence launches an investigation of animal adaptations. After re-watching the opening minutes of Dark Water, class members listen to a reading of What Do You Do with a Tail Like This, and then create a new animal...
Curated OER
Taster or Non-Taster?
Students conduct a simple experiment to determine if a trait has been passed from a family member to them.
Curated OER
People Are Like Peas in a Pod
Students experiment with pea pods to observe/appreciate the diversity of individuals within a population, and to explain of how dominant and recessive traits, genotypes, and phenotypes help produce variation in a population.
Curated OER
What Makes a Hero?
Students identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing lesson plan, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Students explore individuals and charitable...