Curated OER
Billie Holiday's Song "Strange Fruit"
Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...
The New York Times
Big Brother vs. Little Brother: Updating Orwell's 1984
Government surveillance is an enduring conflict that has become increasingly complex with our nation's use of technology. Add to the understanding of Orwell’s 1984 by using the resources here that display the contemporary actions of Big...
Curated OER
Metaphors Are Like Similes...Right?
Build the basis for critical thinking by increasing mastery of metaphors, similes, and analogies. Clear up the confusion that often marks lessons on figurative langauge. A very insightful article, full of great links.
Brookly Museum
Andy Warhol: The Last Decade
Discuss pop-art, Andy Warhol, and the concept of collaborative painting with your class. Learners won't be analyzing Warhol's work, but they will be engaging in group activities to understand the collaboration in art. They'll make a...
Teach Engineering
Projectile Magic
What do the movies October Key and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone have in common? The fourth installment of a five-part module presents equations regarding projectile motion and how to rearrange them. Scholars view video clips...
Curated OER
Media Literacy Vocabulary Lesson
Students participate in an introductory lesson that focuses on communication. The two types of extrapersonal and interpersonal are covered. The lesson uses questions in order to guide the class discussion and writing responses.
Curated OER
Audio Engineers: Sound Weavers
Learners explore audio engineering. In this career education and "sound" science lesson, students define related vocabulary and make connections between the music they listen to and the job an audio engineer does after listening to...
Curated OER
Branding and Marketing Religion
Young scholars explore religious worship. In this marketing religion instructional activity, students examine their own religious beliefs and practices as they investigate religious outreach practices.
Curated OER
George Lucas and the Power of Myth
Students examine the contributions of George Lucas to society. They analyze the concept of a hero, conduct Internet research on the life of George Lucas, develop a Hero Attribute Chart, and create an artistic rendering representing the...
Curated OER
A Good Story
Learners explore the contributions of philanthropists. In this philanthropy lesson, students watch "The Gift of All: A Community of Givers." Learners then read biographies of philanthropists and create PowerPoint presentations about the...
Curated OER
Bermuda Triangle
Young scholars explore what the Bermuda triangle is and the theories as to why it is so mysterious. In this mystery lesson students read and discuss the history and the mystery behind the Bermuda Triangle.
Curated OER
Time Capsule Essay
Discuss your class' vision of the future. Learners create materials for use in a time capsule. They write letters to explain their contribution and provide photos. Afterwards, they use higher-level thinking skills to reflect on why they...
School Improvement in Maryland
Demographic Investigation
What are the factors that influence voting patterns? How do these factors influence government funding? Is participation the squeaky wheel gets the grease? Class members interpret graphs and analyze trends to determine what demographic...
Curated OER
Using HyperStudio
Second through eighth graders use the software "HyperStudio" to create a presentation of their choice on Native American lifestyles. One thing I like a lot about this lesson, is that the students are the ones who get to choose and...
Curated OER
Making a Pinhole Camera
Students participate in a number of activities in order to study the history of photography and to examine the workings of a pinhole camera.
Global Oneness Project
The Man and the Wolf
Human attitudes toward the big bad wolf come into focus in a photo essay that asks viewers to consider their own feelings about the endangered species.
Curated OER
Treasure Hunt Region
Students are introduced to new geography related vocabulary words. In groups, they focus on a different region of the school and develop a new name for it. They create a treasure map for another group to use in the region of the school...
Curated OER
Personal Artifacts
Ninth graders put their observation skills to work. In this observation skills lesson, 9th graders examine personal artifacts that their instructor has gathered. Students take notes on the artifacts they analyze and write lab reports...
Curated OER
Smiley Face Circle Stories
Students examine different artifacts from the 1970's. For this history lesson, students discover what each artifact is by seeing the artifact and reading a card defining what the artifact represents. On the second day, students create...
Curated OER
Twain: An American Humorist
Students examine American humor and character through analysis of works by Mark Twain. In this cross curricular lesson, students develop a definition of American humor and determine how and why some consider Twain the 'first truly...
Curated OER
Opinion Surveys
Students examine the factors that affect the accuracy of opinion surveys. They calculate probability and chance using data they have collected. They practice reading tables and graphs as well.
Curated OER
Japanese American Internment: Examining Racial Tensions
High schoolers discover how racial tension led to Japanese Internment. For this World War II lesson, students analyze political cartoons and posters related to the movement of Japanese-Americans to internment camps in the wake of the...
Curated OER
Arthur: The Once And Future King
Middle and high schoolers work in groups to research tales of King Arthur, using primary sources. They present the major themes and symbols from these stories, and discuss how they still relevant in today's world. Use this lesson to...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Understanding China: The Prospects for Democracy in China
This document provides useful information for a unit on democracy in China. While it does not include detailed activities, it does have a list of democratic principles, and important facts about China that facilitate understanding of its...