Stanford University
King Philip's War
King Philip's War was the crescendo of a violent period between the Pequot and English colonists. Using documents from English settlers, including a contemporary report on the conflict, learners explore the little-known period. They then...
Carnegie Mellon University
Bathtub Model
Using a colorful infographic handout and a guide sheet, hold a class discussion about how a bathtub can serve as a model for the greenhouse effect created by Earth's atmosphere. Participants will understand that as energy or matter is...
Curated OER
Checking the Surf
Students read and discuss waves and their wavelengths and amplitudes. In this waves lesson plan, students draw the wavelength and amplitude of a wave and discuss tsunamis and storms.
Curated OER
Facing The Unknown
Students discuss how images help us to mark the passing of time, and to remember people, places and events from the past. They discuss the different ideas and images related to life, death and the idea of the afterlife. Students also...
Curated OER
Still Burning
Students study about an infamous 1964 crime and discuss opinions on a recent verdict in the case from different perspectives.
Curated OER
Population-Building a Foundation
Students research to find information about populations and complete world maps by labeling the current population, and determining the 10 countries with the largest population. They search the "World Population Data Sheet." On the third...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and the Unreliable Biographers
High schoolers research biographical facts about Edgar Allan Poe and Ambrose Bierce and complete literary analysis activities. In this biographical lesson plan, students research basic biographical facts about Poe and Bierce. High...
Curated OER
Hands On Biome-Building
Students create a model biome to understand the abiotic and biotic factors that go into creating a biome. In this biomes lesson plan, students should display plants, animals, temperature, precipitation, and more.
Curated OER
Hands On Biome-Building
Students create a desert biome to understand the abiotic and biotic factors of that biome. In this desert biome lesson plan, students include elevation, precipitation, temperature, plants, and more.
Vanderbilt University
Dia de Los Muertos
To honor El Dia de los Muertos, scholars work together to create Day of the Dead displays—paper sugar skulls and banners—that bring a festive and memorable flare to the classroom.
ELA Common Core Lesson Plans
American Romanticism
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" provides the text for an activity that asks readers to select specific passages from the story, identify the aspect of American Romanticism the passage exemplifies, and then provide an...
Edible Schoolyard
Pan de los Muertos
Accompany instruction and the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos with a loaf of Pan de los Muertos. Here, scholars measure ingredients precisely to create tasty bread, write a remembrance for someone who has...
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...
Santa Ana Unified School District
Getting to the Core: Early American Poets
How do poets convey emotion and represent their views of life? Pupils learn more about Whitman and Dickinson through the unit and analyze their bold reinvention of craft and style for poets to come. Looking at classic pieces such as...
Curated OER
John Lennon Lesson Plan - Anniversary of His Birth - October 9th
Learners practice reading and vocabulary connected to music.
Curated OER
Korean Lesson Plan
Seventh graders are introduced to the history of Korea. Using maps, they identify the reasons why Korea is important geographically. They also research the reasons for the Korean War and how actions of the United States and Korea led...
Curated OER
Shine On, Moon
Students explore space science by conducting an experiment in class. In this Moon lesson, students define a list of space science vocabulary and read the book The Moon. Students utilize shoeboxes and string to conduct a sunlight...
Curated OER
The Death Penalty -- Background and Quiz
Students participate in an activity about the death penalty. In groups, they research the history of corporal punishment and take notes on interesting facts. They identify and discuss the arguments for and against the use of it and...
Curated OER
Grieving/Death
Students discuss the stages of grieving and reactions to death. They list the steps of the grieving process and how to develop a positive adjustment to loss. They study The 'Rape Myths' key (from the Sexual Violations lesson) as part...
Curated OER
Forensic Examination of Artifacts: The Mystery of Meriwether Lewis' Death
Students role play the position of a scientist to gather information on Meriwether Lewis' death. They discover what he did after the famous expedition and how centuries affect the study of a body. They share their information with the...
National First Ladies' Library
The Debate on Slavery
Young historians research the debate over slavery; some students take the pro-slavery side and others the anti-slavery side. They take the role of a character such as a plantation owner, a legislator, a free Black, a slave, or a northern...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Decisions and Consequences
Teach young learners that most drug addictions end in one of three outcomes: treatment, jail, or death. After watching a short video segment on the consequences of drug abuse, class members discuss what they viewed and consider what...
Stanford University
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X: A Common Solution?
Much has been made of the differences between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. But was there any common ground between them? Class members reconsider what they think they know about these two civil rights leaders with...
Crafting Freedom
Sequencing of Events in the Slave Narrative of Henry "Box" Brown
What steps did Henry "Box" Brown take while planning his own escape from slavery? Learners work in groups to analyze segments of Brown's narrative and identify the sequence of the most important events of his story.