Curated OER
Renaissance: Rebirth to Revolution
Sixth graders use a variety of resources to research the Middle Ages and Renaissance over a nine-week period. Working in cooperative teams, they become experts on specific topics. Students hold a Renaissance Faire and role-play as...
Curated OER
The Use of Myths in Science
Students are told stories, myths and legend to explain their world. After telling the tales and discussion them, students are assigned to write a myth that describes a familiar situation, such as why the school garbage cans are always...
Curated OER
Comparing Countries
Students use a graphic organizer to research, compare and contrast two countries. They write a brief (or detailed - depending on age) report of their findings.
Curated OER
Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty and Secession
Young scholars read and discuss background material on several key decisions that played a role in the Civil War including the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dredd Scott Decision. They create a timeline and write an...
Curated OER
A Flip of Life in the 13 Colonies
Fourth graders create a flip book illustrating the 13 original colonies. They study the growth and development of each of the three groups of the original colonies. They use maps to observe and interpret geographic information and...
Curated OER
Comparative religious Teachings
Ninth graders examine the goods and culture that was traded along the Silk Road. For this World History lesson, 9th graders compare and contrast the belief systems of the Silk Roads. Students analyze a primary text of sacred and...
Curated OER
Rosa Parks Refused to Do What?
First graders listen to two books about Rosa Parks. They contribute factual information for a web. They listen to an interview with Rosa Parks on the internet, adding more information to the web. They write and illustrate a book using...
Curated OER
Conflict Resolution in the World Today: Introduction to Current World conflicts, their Antecendents, the Progression, and their Potential Conclusions
Young scholars write a paragraph describing a conflict they had with a friend or a family member and a paragraph explaining how it was resolved. In this social science instructional activity, students share their paragraphs with a...
Curated OER
Medieval Celebration
Students celebrate the completion of a unit of study about Medieval times. For this Medieval celebration lesson, students showcase their work from a unit of study by creating a wax museum. They complete KWL charts and read over their...
Curated OER
Polymerization Experiments
Students study the concepts of polymerization and the function of crosslinkage. In this polymer lesson plan students complete a lab activity and write down their observations.
Curated OER
Grab a Winning Book to Read on March 3
Students identify periods of history and read a news article about a librarian who wrote an award winning book. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with a class challenge and a vocabulary...
Curated OER
What Makes a Cat a Cat?
Learners investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them. In this animal life lesson, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab. Learners review the footage from the cat and other animals and...
University of New Mexico
César Chávez: Migrant Farm Workers and Their Leader
During the first week of instruction, middle schoolers research biographies on Cesar Chavez and make a pictorial collage of his life. For the second and third week, they maintain a seven-day diary of a farmworker and write a poem. For...
Curated OER
Smoky Night
Second graders compare the neighborhoods they know to those of a different place and time. In this historical perspectives lesson, 2nd graders read Eve Bunting's Smoky Night and discuss the outcome of the story. Students also discuss...
Curated OER
Design Your Perfect Career
Students incorporate the design process to create their own perfect job or career. For this career design lesson, students develop questions to research for a future career choice. Students brainstorm about their personal skills to use...
Curated OER
Shadows
First graders measure how a shadow changes over the course of a day. They write about what they would do if they lost their shadow, and make silhouettes of themselves. Students make up a shadow dance and read stories about shadows.
Curated OER
Cold War into Guerilla War
Students examine the Cold War and the War on Terror. In this American history lesson plan, students research print and nonprint resources regarding both wars. Student compare the experiences of youth at the time so both the Cold War and...
Curated OER
McLean Train Yard
Students conduct online research and incorporate graphics and maps into a Powerpoint presentation that details life at the McLean train yard in its heyday.
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Space Travel Guide
Looking to take a trip? Why not go to space? Here, scholars take on the role as travel agent to create a guide to their favorite planet including travel tips and sightseeing recommendations.
Newseum
Can I Trust the Creators?
It's easy to find information at the click of a mouse, but is it trustworthy? Pupils learn about the E.S.C.A.P.E. acronym for evaluating sources. Next, learners read a news story and evaluate its sources to determine credibility. Last,...
Curated OER
Tutors & Readers Theater
Students complete literacy service learning projects. In this literacy lesson, older students work with younger students to tutor them in reading and writing. They help prepare a Readers Theater for the younger students.
Curated OER
How Do Respect and Humiliation Shape Conflict?
Young scholars explore the feelings surrounded by humiliation, resentment and retaliation in the context of school violence. In this character building lesson, students examine possible reasons for school violence and focus on possible...
Curated OER
Mali
Seventh graders begin the lesson by reading primary sources about the country of Mali. Using maps drawn in the past, they discuss what they can gather about the country from the map and how it has changed over time. They use a graphic...
Curated OER
We the People v. We the Children of the World
Students compare the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child to the Bill of Rights. In this social justice lesson, students read and analyze both documents. Students discuss how the documents compare and then write their...