Curated OER
Self-portrait Poem
Students practice naming various features or parts of their bodies using similes and vivid adjectives. The format is extended to poetic expressions as they develop a self-portrait and extend the creative experience through art.
Curated OER
African Art: Ntan Drum
Students study African history, anthropology and culture using the lens of the art object, Ntan Drum. Lesson and instruction is differentiated for elementary, middle and high school students.
Curated OER
Streams of Time Lesson Plan: Visually Organizing the History of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Middle schoolers, after reading the Transatllantic Slave Trade, create a color coded triple-timeline to help them explain the chronological streams that flow through the essay.
US Institute of Peace
Responding to Conflict: Mediation
What happens when two parties can't come to agreement? Scholars explore the role of a mediator through part 10 of a 15-part series of peacebuilding lessons. Through individual work and role play, pupils brainstorm solutions until they...
US Institute of Peace
Perspectives on Peace
Is peace simply the absence of war, or is there more to the story? Young social scientists define peace in the second installment of a 15-part series. Groups work together to explore cultural concepts of peace and the peacemaking process...
Curated OER
Cool Stuff I've Done!
Sixth graders reflect on the life experiences they have had and discover how those experiences may be classified on a resume. They begin brainstorming their life experiences and writing each one on a sticky note. At end of brainstorming...
Curated OER
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff:" Retelling the Story
Youngsters retell the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. They write a sentence for speech bubbles for a character in the story, identify the phrases that can be used for retelling a story, and in small groups write a sentence for the...
Curated OER
Slavery in Colonial America
Students examine the experience of the middle passage of slaves. They review slave songs and discuss their common themes. They develop a monologue in which they integrate a fragment of an actual slave song into a poem they have written.
Curated OER
Family Portraits
Pupils discuss, analyze, and interpret "Portrait of a Dutch Family" by Fans Hals and then create subject specific projects for assessment. This cross-curricular lesson plan is well-suited for Language Arts or Visual Arts classrooms and...
Curated OER
The Case of Suspected Child Abuse
Students reduce their victimization through discussion of what constitutes child abuse. Also, they take responsible action on behalf of themselves or their friends.
Curated OER
The Big Circle
Students explore geography by participating in a mapping activity. In this concentric ring lesson, students utilize a poster board, string and markers to identify their current location within the entire world. Students write about their...
Curated OER
Tense Buster
Students, after using the "Intermediate" selection of the Tense Buster software, recognize and practice using passive voice in their writing. As a result of this task, they correctly use five new vocabulary terms with passive voice in...
Curated OER
Learning Ratios and Proportions Through Scale Drawings
Middle and high schoolers explore the concept of scale drawings. They discuss what a scale is and that scales provide a ratio. Pupils construct a scale drawing of their classroom using graph paper.
Curated OER
This is Your Life
Middle or high-school pupils choose a scientist to research. They collect biographical information and explore their contributions to scientific understanding. With all that they compile, they create a scrapbook of the scientists' life....
Curated OER
Mind Your Pints and Quarts: Making Sense of Liquid Measurement
Elementary and middle schoolers identify different units of liquid measurement. They use the online Visual Thesaurus to learn about the relationships between units of liquid measurement.
Curated OER
Solving Linear Equations
Study linear equations with this algebra lesson. Middle schoolers solve linear equations using the appropriate properties and create their own equations for each other to solve.
National Security Agency
Sampling for a Rock Concert
Over the course of three class periods, middle schoolers design an experiment to provide learner input to administration about which rock band to invite to play at school. They practice several random sampling exercises, all well...
Curated OER
Celebrate National Inclusive Schools Week
Students list traits that make them unique. They participate in a Bingo-like game, where they try to identify people by their traits.
Curated OER
Composer/Musician Study
Middle schoolers research a musician or composer of their choice and present their research through a written paper and free choice activity. This lesson can be done over the course of five to six classes with some homework. The paper...
Curated OER
What is effective communication?
Students practice a series of communicaton activities. In this communication skills lesson, students role play listening and active listening strategies to improve communication. Students write a set of guidelines for improving...
Curated OER
Choose Your Path
Middle schoolers identify the plot and theme of cartoons. In groups, they discuss and compare the written and movie versions of popular fairy tales. Individually, they write their own fairy tale and share them with the class. They...
Curated OER
Making Plans
Students gain an understanding of the U.S. Census. In this civic lesson plan, students use real-life problem-solving skills and census data to choose a site for new school.
Curated OER
Microbes: Louis Pasteur - A Microbe Discoverer
Students study Louis Pasteur and the process of pasteurization in controlling microbes. In this pasteurization lesson, students discuss microorganisms and how they can affect health. They discuss Louis Pasteur and research his work by...
Curated OER
Image as a Metaphor
Students define "metaphor" and discuss examples of it in writing. They look carefully at a photograph by Dorothea Lange and discuss its relationship to the concept of metaphor. They write effectively about their own experience, picking...