Curated OER
Newspaper Crafts
Here are a couple of unique ways to utilize old newspapers in school in the form of an arts and crafts project. The first is a smile umbrella made out of newspaper, the second requires learners to look through newspapers or magazines to...
Curated OER
Once Upon a Time
High school pupils research online to complete a family tree and explore their ancestry. They view a sketch of a family tree, and brainstorm questions to ask their parents about their heritage. They also diagram their own family tree. In...
Curated OER
Call of The Wild
Prompt your class to interact with Jack London's Call of the Wild. By analyzing the events in the novel, middle schoolers discover how human experiences create who a person becomes. They critique and analyze the reading, focusing on...
Curated OER
Immigration Debate
The 2010 immigration bill passed in Arizona provides class members with an opportunity to examine various perspectives of the immigration debate by watching news videos, reading interview, editorials, and viewing images. Discussion...
Curated OER
The Internet of Things: IoT
How has the Internet of Things affected our lives? Scholars examine the massive influence of mobile devices in this analysis lesson, which begins with a seven-minute documentary clip. They also read a New York Times article (linked)...
Curated OER
Redistricting: Drawing the Lines
Difficult redistricting concepts are covered in a context that will make it understandable to your government scholars. They begin with a KWL on the term redistricting and then watch a video to answer some questions. They...
Curated OER
Ornithology and Real World Science
Double click that mouse because you just found an amazing lesson! This cross-curricular Ornithology lesson incorporates literature, writing, reading informational text, data collection, scientific inquiry, Internet research, art, and...
The New York Times
Big Brother vs. Little Brother: Updating Orwell's 1984
Government surveillance is an enduring conflict that has become increasingly complex with our nation's use of technology. Add to the understanding of Orwell’s 1984 by using the resources here that display the contemporary actions of Big...
PBS
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
What rights are guaranteed to learners? Do they align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations in 1948? Middle and high schoolers present persuasive arguments about the rights they believe...
Smithsonian Institution
Latino Expression
How much of your daily life is influenced by Latin American music? Take a listen—the answer may surprise you! High schoolers keep a journal to note any instances they see Latino culture represented, including the media, their school, and...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Eighth Grade
Middle schoolers are likely very familiar with the concept of bullying and cliques. Discuss their experiences and brainstorm ways to handle peer conflict and feelings of exclusion with a poem that focuses on bullying, and a second...
Curated OER
Compare Two Versions: Folk Tales, Sequencing, and Summary
Compare two versions of "The Three Little Pigs" (traditional and Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, told from the wolf's point of view). As your 4th graders recount the familiar version of the story, emphasize the...
National Institute on Drug Abuse
The Brain's Response to Drugs
Marijuana affects the brain differently than inhalants, which have a different effect than opioids. Elementary and middle school classes read about these drugs as well as nicotine, methamphetamine, hallucinogens, and steroids before...
iCivics
Lesson 3: Bias
How do journalists balance bias and ethical reporting? The final lesson plan in a series of five from iCivics examines the different types of bias and how they affect the news we read. Young reporters take to the Internet to find...
PBS
Using Video to Create Setting and Mood
Writers have long used words, the sound of words, and the images created by their words to describe the setting and establish the mood of their stories. To gain a more in depth understanding of how settings can be used to develop a...
Curated OER
Community Arts Projects
Youngsters learn about community through exploration of their own neighborhood.In this lesson about community, students create a community in their classroom. Students think about what their community looks like by making a map. Students...
Curated OER
Picture Fists Full of Kisses
Ease children's back-to-school jitters with this primary grade lesson based on the book The Kissing Hand by Ruth E. Harper. Starting off with a singing of the song "I Wish I Had a Little Red Box", children go on to discuss and...
Curated OER
Reflecting On The Past, Looking Towaards The Future
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the formation of a multimedia presentation to create a documentary of a middle school. They take photographs with a digital camera and use computer software to create a school project.
Curated OER
Farm Animals ABC Book
Students create an ABC book. In this language arts lesson, students create a page for an ABC book authored an illustrated by the class.
Curated OER
Reading to Elementary Children
Middle schoolers participate in a cross-age reading program. In this language arts lesson plan, students choose a class of younger children and read them the book The Legend of the Bluebonnet. Middle schoolers reflect upon their service...
Curated OER
Foods and Languages of the World
Learners explore Japan. For this Japanese culture lesson, students listen to stories regarding Japan, view Japanese art, learn Japanese words, and make Origami.
Curated OER
Babushka Baba Yaga
Students read books by the author Patricia Polacco and complete different activities for the 4 books. In this language arts lesson plan, students read the books Babushka Baba Yaga, Boat Ride With Lillian Two Blossom, Pink and Say, and...
Curated OER
Pretty Plants Point of View
Young poets use Kidspiration to draw a flower, personify the flower, and write a poem from the flower's point of view. Sharing these poems in small groups will reinforce learners' knowledge of personification.
Curated OER
My School, Your School
Students compare their school to other student's schools around the world. They evaluate the education system and discuss how they can improve it. They write paragraphs explaining the different schools and place them with pictures on a...