Virginia Department of Education
The Writing Process for Expository Writing
Struggling on what steps to take in your expository essay lesson? Or confused on what to include for your scribes? This exercise in the process of expository writing provides concepts and structure for the educator on what the writers...
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Newspaper Towers
The challenge is quite simple: build a tall tower from a predesignated number of newspaper sheets. Emerging engineers work in teams to build the tallest structure. You will demonstrate some structure shapes and discuss their relative...
Curated OER
Fun With Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Students read the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and listen to the musical tape. Then they make their own coconut trees, adding their own letters. They express and record their favorite parts. All are displayed on a bulletin board.
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Hatching Chickens
Students observe chickens hatching in a classroom incubation environment In this egg-hatching lesson plan, students make observations of the hatching process and later care for the hatched chickens.
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Current Events
Here is an ongoing activity intended to build interest in local, national, and world news. The class is divided into four groups of approximately five students each. The groups are responsible for monitoring the daily news. They compose...
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Cooking Terms
Using culinary text books, matching exercises, and an "Old Maid" style card game, classroom chefs learn and distinguish cooking vocabulary. They identify terms and techniques used in a chicken/vegetable stir fry demonstration.
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Firestorms: The Bombing of Civilians in World War II: War, Ethics, Guernica, Precision Bombing
Pupils explore the history, rationale and ethics of civilian bombing in times of war. They consider war strategy, the laws and conventions of war and international implications.
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Problem Solving
Scholars will learn to solve word problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. Using a grocery store theme, they will identify the best way to solve real-life problems. There are many ways this basic instructional...
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Why Kosovo? Why Now?
Middle schoolers explain the establishment of the modern state of Yugoslavia and the breakup of the country. They examine the human characteristics of the region - ethnic groups, languages, and religions.
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When Work is Done
Eleventh graders create an album based on a thesis statement about life in the 20th century after completing the introductory lesson for a lesson on the web site "When Work is Done".
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Creating Stage Designs that Reflect
Students identify and research cultural, historical, and symbolic clues in dramatic texts. They demonstrate knowledge of research sources.
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Supreme Court Decisions and Their Effect On Us
Consider five Supreme Court cases and how their outcomes have directly affected the American population. Government students research and compose a 1-2 page pager outlining the examples of our daily life that have specifically been...
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Argumentative/Persuasive Writing
Intended for an intermediate/advance ELD course, this resource can support anyone learning the techniques and discernment needed for effective persuasive/argumentative writing. Beginning with the issue of curfews for a quick class...
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Watercolor Collage
Sixth graders study about Impressionism and Post Impressionism. They create a watercolor collage.
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Totem Mask
Sixth graders study totems of the Northwest Native Americans and design their own.
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Survival Experts
Students take on the role of survival experts as they research and produce brochures or guides to educate others about what to do in the event of a natural disaster.
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Lesson 1 Activity 2: A Place in Time
Students select place to study, note how it has changed over time, and create and illustrate a timeline.
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Create a 60s Mural
Students conduct Internet research on the 1960s and use what they have learned to create a mural.
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Preparing a Business Plan to "Be Your Own Boss"
Do your scholars strive to work for themselves some day? Help young entrepreneurs create a business plan for an original idea and present it to a "board of directors." They complete online research (some links provided) and put together...
Curated OER
Pizza Possibilities
Middle schoolers create and interpret line plots, bar graphs, and circle graphs. The lesson assumes mastery of conversions from fraction to decimal to percent, construction of angles, and at least an introduction to graphs displaying data.
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How Does Advertising Affect You?
Students understand what advertisements are trying to do and how they do it
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Sing Your Way Through Phonics Lesson Plan
Pupils recognize and spell sets of words with r-controlled vowels. They become familiar with r-controlled spelling patterns.
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What's the Purpose Anyway?
Examine author's purpose in newspaper articles, comic books, cookbooks, encyclopedias and other forms of written materials. Working in groups, middle and high schoolers read teacher-selected articles and write an explanation of the...
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Plot the Oysters' Peril!
Use comic strips to teach sequencing in narrative poetry. As homework, each class member selects a comic strip with 4-8 frames, cuts the frames apart, places the pieces in an envelope, and brings the envelope to class. Class members swap...