Library of Congress
To Kill A Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective
Students study the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Through studying primary source materials from American Memory and other online resources, students of all backgrounds study the relationships between blacks and whites.
Virginia Department of Education
Researching Information
Give your junior high researchers a clear concept of how to go about starting their research paper with the resources available in this exercise. Students develop an idea to research, and spend time in the library or computer lab...
Really Good Stuff
New-Teacher Classroom Set-Up Guide
Packed with teaching tips and best practice ideas from veterans, this 16-page packet is a real boon to new teachers, as well as a great resources for those more experienced professionals. Ideas about how to set up your classroom physical...
Curated OER
Oil Crisis: What Would You Do?
The dynamics between the economies and politics of the United States and the Middle East are here to study. Upper graders read and discuss scenarios relating to OPEC and the current oil crisis, then in small groups role-play members of...
Shakespeare in American Life
Patriarchy in King Lear and As I Lay Dying
King Lear, “Papa Doc” Duvalier, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz and Anse Bundren? Imagine a unit that examines the tragic hero and patriarchy in King Lear, As I Lay Dying and Apocalypse Now. To liven the brew, learners are asked to include in...
Perkins School for the Blind
Accessible Labels
When you're blind it is extremely important to be able to navigate your environment in as independent a way as possible. This idea isn't a lesson plan, but it is a great way to foster independent mobility and literacy skills while making...
Curated OER
Hedgerows
Hedgerows prevent soil erosion, capture pollutants running off fields, store carbon to help combat climate change, and provide homes for predators of many pest species. The biodiversity lesson begins with an activity that discusses why...
Curated OER
Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...
Curated OER
Equipment Ad
Students create a one-minute advertisement for a piece of sports safety equipment. They define the terms ad, advertisement, and commercial and demonstrate creative-thinking and creative-writing skills.
Curated OER
Modern Japan Unit Plan
Sixth graders research modern Japanese culture, society and traditions, examine relationship between Japanese culture and its environment,
compare and contrast Japanese Society with Canadian Society, compare lives of people in Japan with...
Tolerance
A Time for Justice
The Academy Award-winning documentary A Time for Justice launches a unit that examines America's civil rights movement. Class members examine key events and participants in the movement and consider how the civil rights movement changed...
Curated OER
Decision Making Lesson Plans
Critical thinking skills, such as decision making, can make students look at the information they receive in a new light.
Curated OER
Learning Life Lessons through Fables
Explore a variety of fables to learn life's lessons through engaging stories. Add rigor to the learning process with activities that include matching a a fable to the story's moral, short answer exit slips, and a three-column graphic...
Curated OER
Why is It That Johnny Can't Read?
Students listen to and discuss Don Henley's song, "Johnny Can't Read" and the 10,000 Maniacs song, "Cherry Tree." They research reading literacy and find statistics, evidence, stories, facts, and sources which will support their beliefs...
Curated OER
Government Information Worksheet
In this research skills worksheet, students respond to 5 short answer questions based on research sources and information from government Web sites that they find on their research topic.
Curated OER
Learning From World War II and Connecting It to the Present
Compare and contrast World War II to the modern Iraq war with this instructional activity. After watching a film, learners use supporting evidence to support their point of view of the conflicts. Using the internet, they create a...
Premier Literacy
Point of View
Incorporate technology into a literature activity with an innovative language arts activity. Middle schoolers read an electronic version of original stories or fairy tales, and after determining the point of view, rewrite the tale from a...
Curated OER
Sorting and Graphing Animals
Students inquire about animals using SIRS Discoverer or eLibrary Elementary. In this organizing data lesson, students sort pictures of animals in various ways and develop graphs. Students locate a mammal, reptile, fish, insect or bird...
Curated OER
The Countries of Latin America
Fifth graders study the geography, culture, government and economy of Latin American countries. They work in groups to fill out a profile describing their Latin American country. They listen to a reading of Latin American folktales and...
Curated OER
Structure of Natural Narratives
Class pairs select a prompt from a provided list and tell (and record) their story to their partner. They then examine linguist William Labov's model for natural narratives, and apply his model to their tale. Next, class members watch...
Penguin Books
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Booklet
Enter the colorful world of The Very Hungry Caterpillar with a booklet filled with activities to celebrate Eric Carle.
Project Articulate
Textured Landscapes with Grant Wood
Explore the world of textured landscapes through the eyes of the famous artist, Grant Wood. Here is an elementary art lesson in which scholars learn about Grant Wood's life, view his work, draw their own textured landscape, and then...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Time
An activity packet explores the concept of time. First, scholars read two stories—The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle and Telling Time: How to Tell Time on Digital and Analog Clocks! by Jules Older, illustrated by Megan Halsey....
Curated OER
Conversions: Length
If my dog is 36 inches long, what is his length in feet? There are 24 measurement-conversion problems here involving inches, feet, yards, and miles. Two example word problems walk learners through this process before they try it on their...