Curated OER
Habitat Happenings
Pupils examine the characteristics of the Prairie Creek Habitat in Illinois. In groups, they travel between various stations writing haikus and reading brochures. They identify what occurs in each habitat and identify the animals located...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
What is Islam and What are the Root Causes of Muslim Anger with the West?
A video and magazine article provide the foundation for learning about Islam and why some Muslims are angry with Western society. In groups, students identify the causes of hostility and prepare a presentation that explains them. While...
Curated OER
The Magic School bus Inside A Hurricane
Students investigate the concept of a hurricane by using the cartoon series "The Magic Schoolbus" to simulate the fantasy of traveling through a hurricane. The lesson uses a KWL graphic organizer in order to guide student inquiry and as...
Curated OER
Chuck Close Up Close
Students practice the art of storytelling using realistic art. They pick one illustration of a character in the book and create a story about the possible life he lived. The important details that are needed is the name, occupation,...
Curated OER
Lily's Crossing
Students listen to a story, "Lily's Crossing," about life during a World War. After completing worksheets, they compare and contrast characters in the story. Using math skills, students develop a time line of the war, calculate the...
Curated OER
The Young Basketball Player
Students explore the history of basketball by reading and listening to a book entitled, "The Young Basketball Player." Afterwards, they create a trivia basketball game and write an interview for their favorite player. As a...
Curated OER
Tell a Ton of Tall Tales
Elementary schoolers read many tall tales. They create their own tall tale about a specific event of their choosing. They must act the part of the author. This well-designed lesson takes three class sessions to complete, and is...
Curated OER
Graphs
Students investigate circle and bar graphs. For this middle school mathematics lesson, students determine which kind of graph is suitable for a given situation and create circle and bar graphs.
Curated OER
Mean and Median
Students define mean and median. For this "average" lesson, students calculate the mean and median for a list of given numbers.
Curated OER
Waves
Students identify the different parts of a wave. In this physics lesson, students explain how animals communicate using sound waves. They discuss the effect of Navy's sonar on dolphins and whales.
Sargent Art
Metal Embossing Weathervanes
Metal work has been used for hundreds of years. Ninth graders get a chance to experience the artistry of metal embossing in this highly structured lesson. Each step is accented with a helpful image and related instruction. The end...
Curated OER
Lao Design: Lotus Flower Constructions
Students create lotus flowers in 3-D designs applying Lao art techniques. Following a teacher demonstration, they assemble their own lotus flower candleholders and the teacher arranges a group flotation in a body of water. Students...
Curated OER
Lao Design: Mask making
Students examine the concept of symmetry in Lao art and apply it to their own works. They construct full-face masks by copying the stencils onto colored paper. Students apply creative touches by painting and drawing on their assembled...
Facebook
Healthy Relationships Online
Chatting, texting, commenting—there are so many options for online communication! How do teens know what's appropriate? Social scholars collaborate to define the elements of a healthy online relationship during an activity-packed digital...
Curated OER
Explore Chapters 1 - 5
Students preview the novel, "Dragonwings," by Laurence Yep, make connections between the novel previewed and their prior knowledge, other texts, and the world. They utilize graphic representations including charts, graphs, pictures, and...
Curated OER
Discovering Dickens
Students restate facts and details in text to inform and organize ideas and have a choice of four activities to enhance learning,
Curated OER
Architecture
Students study tessellations and the work of M.C. Escher. They discuss the terminology of architecture, the historical significance of architecture in different parts of the world, and create their own piece of architecture out of...
Perkins School for the Blind
Wheel of Fortune Game
Games are great for practicing any number of basic skills. Here is a set of wonderful instructions for making a braille version of a spinning game, where children win points by correctly reading/identifying the high-frequency words the...
Sargent Art
Rainsticks
This rainstick lesson isn't just about making art; it's about understanding Native American symbols and culture. Kids read about the use of rainsticks and why specific symbols were used to decorate them. They then make their own...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Students read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding events of the story. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.
Curated OER
Imus: How much free speech is too much?
Students explore current interpretation of the First Amendment, including that of commercial speech. Next read background about Don Imus and his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
Curated OER
Interpreting Lao Design Drawing
Students identify symmetry as a word and concept using drawings. The lesson is cross-cultural using traditional Lao Art. The goal is to then apply the skills of symmetry to personal works of art that are produced.
Curated OER
Adventures on the Eastern Half of Planet Earth
Seventh graders explore a country in the Eastern hemisphere. They develop a packet that could be used by someone visiting that country during the month of December. Students explore the climate, foods, geography, customs and culture of...
Curated OER
Arthur's Thanksgiving
Students investigate Thanksgiving by reading a children's book. In this holiday lesson plan, students read Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown and create a turkey fact book after reading an electronic encyclopedia. Students bring in...