Curated OER
Urbanization
Learners examine the impact of urban change. In this Indiana history activity, students read excerpts of The World Does Move by Booth Tarkington and then research the noted Web sites about the urbanization of Indianapolis. Learners then...
Curated OER
Who Were the Dissidents?
Students discover how Japanese dissidents spoke out against the injustice practiced in Imperial Japan. In this Japanese history lesson, students listen to a lecture about the silent dissidents in the nation prior to World War II and the...
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The Holocaust: Survival Stories
Students use survival stories as the theme for written assignments and a photography presentation.
Curated OER
Great Explorations: To the End of the Earth and Beyond
Learners analyze the factors that affect exploration such as religion, trade, territorial expansion, and science. In this Great Explorations instructional activity, students determine the names of famous explorers as well as their routes...
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Fairy Tales
Fourth graders read numerous examples of fairy tales. Using the text, they identify the organization styles and conventions within them and write their own for a class book. They practice using descriptive language and receive...
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If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...
Fourth graders take three different photographs representing the beginning, middle and end of their story. They use the Tool Factor program Fresco to add elements to enhance their creativity and make their writing come alive. They then...
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Through The Looking Glass
Learners examine the time period of westward expansion. In groups, they use the internet to research the reasons why people moved west during the 1800s. They write their own narratives playing the role of a member of a pioneer family...
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How Manduca See
Third graders investigate how manduca sees and they discuss what they think the manduca might be thinking. They write a story about what an insect sees and does from the insect's perspective.
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I am the Walrus
Students research walruses using the library and the Internet, then write an essay from what they find in their research. In this investigative instructional activity students view a video on walruses then write an essay after...
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Fretful Over Fast Food
Fifth graders research fast food options and write an essay on the topic. In this fast food lesson, 5th graders pretend they are a babysitter and research fast food restaurant options to eat at while they are baby-sitting. Students write...
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Attic Hunting
Sixth graders investigate how journal writing helps preserve past, present and future history. They discover how different groups of people keep different types of journals and what the journals show about the lives of the writers.
Curated OER
The Power of Storytelling
Pupils are creating their own stories to understand life. The use of history is used to help one to create one's own story. The skill of writing is emphasized as a tool to learn history.
Scholastic
Thanksgiving Lessons Grades PreK-2
A quintessential resource for teaching an elementary unit on the first Thanksgiving addresses a variety of skills, including informational reading, critical thinking, comparing and contrasting facts, technology tools, and historical...
Curated OER
North Carolina State Vegetable -- Day 2
Students are introduced to the state vegetable of North Carolina, the sweet potato. In groups, they create their own sweet potato person using the items from a Mr. Potato Head. They write a summary of their person and a narrative about...
Curated OER
Autograph Story
Students write narrative essays about getting a famous person's autograph (a classmate) and then combine their work with pictures to enhance the stories. This technique can be used with any writing project.
Curated OER
Studying the Caribbean Immigration
Students use the site maps and other resources to research one of the influential Caribbean immigrants or descendents of immigrants mentioned in a narrative they have read. They write an essay about an influential immigrant.
Curated OER
Faces of the Bench
Learners use primary source documents to gather information on justices in the Michigan Supreme Court. They write about the thoughts and experiences of the author. They identify and describe each justice briefly.
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Evaluating Informaton Quality
Sixth graders investigate the concept of the quality of information that is used to conduct research. They begin to conceive the differences between information that is fact or fiction. Students write a critique of an information source...
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Journeys
Students write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...
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Dear Wife and Children Everyone
Middle schoolers study the issue of slave vs. free states. They explore the actions and personal commitment of John Brown and write a newspaper article about the Battle of Osawatomie from John Brown's perspective.
Curated OER
Farewell to the Former Library Media Specialist
Young scholars write a letter to their former library media specialist incorporating brainstormed ideas of what they have liked about the library media center. In this way students let the teacher know about what has been done in the...
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Flying High With Hot Air Balloons!
Sixth graders demonstrate an understanding of a narrative story by listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. They create two visual products that reflect the understanding of events, vocabulary, and characters.
Curated OER
Dear Wife & Children Every One
Middle schoolers explore the struggle that Kansans had over the slavery issue. They read a letter from John Brown to his family, and write a newspaper article about the Battle of Osawatomie from John Brown's perspective.
Curated OER
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Middle schoolers discuss their prior knowledge of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Using the internet, they research the personal, political and economic influences that made an impact on the expedition. They also discover how the...