Curated OER
Shall We Dance?
This four to five day mini dance unit has many components. Discussion on what makes a good dance partner, research on famous dancing pairs, as well as learning a choreographed piece in class. The class learns a short dance sequence and...
Poetry Out Loud
Creating "Golden Shovel" Poems
Get even your most reluctant pupils reading, writing, reciting, and maybe even enjoying poetry! A four day lesson, young writers learn about Golden Shovel poems: a poem format that uses borrowed words from other poems as the last words...
Curated OER
Water in the Biosphere
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Personal Choices and the Planet
The last activity in the series of four has individuals determine steps they can take to reduce their carbon footprints and then analyze their schools' recycling programs. Through a sustainability audit, they identify how and where their...
US Institute of Peace
Making a Difference: Becoming a Peacebuilder
Being an agent of change is no easy task! What are some of the common challenges that peacebuilders face every day? The 14th portion in a series of 15 explores the lives of peacebuilders. Grouped pupils discuss these challenges before...
Syracuse University
Erie Canal
While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...
Curated OER
Where Is Away?
Students explore garbage. In this landfill lesson, students investigate how much garbage is collected in landfills on average each day. Students discover hazardous materials that are disposed of improperly and the effects of these...
Curated OER
Hot and Cold Colors
Students experiment with the color and solar energy absorption. In this color and solar energy absorption lesson plan, students spend two days discussing and experimenting with the concept of energy absorption. They paint cans with...
State Library of Ohio
Tuck Everlasting
A great toolbox of ideas for any teacher preparing to teach the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, this resource includes a short biography of Natalie Babbitt, several discussion questions that could double as writing prompts,...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
A Strange Fish Indeed
Communication is one of the most important aspects of science. In a two-day activity, your high school or college-level biologists will read excerpts from a fictional diary of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, the woman who discovered the...
San Francisco Symphony
Dear Mr. Copland and Mr. Ellington
After a teacher-led demonstration on the lives and music of Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington, learners write a letter to them which shows their understanding of how a person's life experiences can be reflected in a composer's music. They...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
The Dating Game
Learn about the human's ancestors through the (carbon) Dating Game. Use the script to have your high schoolers act out one round of the game. Once they have the idea, they will research another human ancestor and play a second round the...
Curated OER
Exploring the Water Cycle
The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...
What So Proudly We Hail
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Lesson on the Declaration of Independence
What does it mean to say that a right is unalienable? How did the founding fathers convey this revolutionary concept in the Declaration of Independence? Engage in a close reading and analysis of the Declaration of Independence, and...
Curated OER
The Role of International Organizations in Peacekeeping
Eighth graders are given two case studies. They determine if the United Nations should become involved, and if so, in what capacity? students explain their decisions based on a set of criteria determined by the class.
Curated OER
An Elephant Never Forgets
Students are introduced to the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. In this natural science lesson plan, students identify the elephants by name according to the diagrams. Students study the unique characteristics of the...
Curated OER
Parade of Colors
For this American holidays worksheet, students follow directions to make a wand using construction paper and crepe paper streamers. Background information on Memorial Day and Independence Day is provided for teachers.
Curated OER
People Who Have Made A Difference
Students explore, experience, and develop a list of ways they can make a difference in their communities. They assess a matrix of attributes of people who have already made a difference in the lives around them. The class surveys a group...
Curated OER
Building a Peace
Students take a closer look at the rebuilding of Rwanda. In this current events instructional activity, students review the genocide in the country during the 1990's and perform role plays that require them to determine how to rebuild a...
Alabama Learning Exchange
President's Day for Special Education/Early Elementary
Students investigate how both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington displayed the trait of honesty. They listen to read alouds of class books and poems that address both the lives of these men and the trait of honesty. They use a graphic...
Curated OER
Governing National Socialist Germany
Young scholars spend a month discovering the role of the Nazi Dictatorship during the Holocaust. Using the internet, they research the history of the Nazi party and the decline of the Weimar Republic. They examine how Hitler rose to...
Curated OER
Face the Nation! A Panel Discussion
Sixth graders simulate an election-year debate between opposing political parties. In this persuasive-speech lesson plan, 6th graders will work in teams to prepare for and participate in a debate between opposing parties. The lesson plan...
Curated OER
An Apple A Day
Third graders brainstorm a list of how they can tell if someone feels bad about themselves. As a class, they describe three different apples shown to them. Individually, they cut out shapes of apples and color them to place them on a...
Curated OER
United Nations: A Jewish State
Students role-play as members of the United Nations and debate the formation of a Jewish state. They create national flags, research their nation's stance, create proposals, and form voting blocks. Students hold a two-day meeting of...