Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper-Style Article
Help your secondary reader/writers assess texts by studying press releases from Statistics Canada and drafting articles based on them. They then compare the press release, their own articles, and actual news stories they find online. I'd...
Curated OER
Comic Life With Kenzuke's Kingdom
Kenzuke's Kingdom is a wonderful adventure about a boy sailing around the world, it's also the focus of this lesson. Students read the novel as a class then use the Comic Life website to create a two-page comic based on the story. This...
Curated OER
Palace Adventure
Young language arts learners write and illustrate a short fantasy story based on the book Corduroy. First, learners need to develop a character. Then, through their writing and illustrations, they take their characters on adventures...
Curated OER
Happy Birthday!: Internet Research and Historic Events
Talk about intrinsic motivation! Begin where your students' natural interests lie -- with themselves -- and launch a variety of projects with this activity. Class members research important events that took place on their birthdays....
Curated OER
How Long is Too Long?
Learners examine the legal term statute of limitations and how it varies based on the type of criminal or civil activity under discussion. They discern the applicable statute of limitations given an hypothetical or actual situation and...
Curated OER
The Search for Shangri-La
What is your idea of paradise? Middle and high schoolers share their visions of paradise on earth in this lesson, in which they view a video segment about Shangri-La. Your high schoolers can discuss and then write about their ideas in a...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Diversity in World Literature Lesson 3: Igbo Culture
What cultural concepts must readers understand in order to connect to Things Fall Apart? As part of their study of Chinua Achebe’s novel, class members research Nigeria and the Igbo culture to create a collaborative, web-based, annotated...
Curated OER
"Blackbeard's Ghost" Differentiated Lesson Plan
Develop a better understanding of "Blackbeard's Ghost" with this differentiated lesson. Working in groups on a creative project, middle schoolers can reinforce their reading comprehension and literary analysis skills. Use this lesson to...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Characters from a Box
Character analysis is a skill we use when we read literary works or want to write a good story. Learners will use drama to practice character analysis while focusing on the details that make characters act the way they do. They'll each...
Curated OER
Once Upon a Time...
Model for emergent readers how to write a story by interpreting picture clues. For guided practice a second book is used, and then pupils work independently or with an adult to write their own stories based on illustrations.
Curated OER
Persuasive Practice: A Mt. Rushmore Addition
Budding authors research a US President and persuade the National Park Service to add him to Mt. Rushmore. In addition to the persuasive essay, individuals are required to develop a visual presentation using a web-based software that...
Curated OER
Character in a Box
Partners choose, research, and analyze fictional or historical characters and design character life boxes to represent them. They also compose a rhyme royal, which they understand inductively by deconstructing examples. Based largely on...
Curated OER
Bill Pickett, Bulldoggin' Cowboy
Who was Bill Picket? Interested readers work through an informational passage to find out about a famous "bulldogger" from the old West. They answer several reading comprehension questions and use a seven step process to decode new...
Curated OER
Argument of Policy
After investigating different policies within the school district, young reformers select a policy they would like to change. They then investigate the policy, and craft a letter in which they advocate a change to the policy. For guided...
August House
The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday
Turn your classroom into a pig sty with a instructional activity based on the Appalachian folktale The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday. Similar to the story of The Three Little Pigs, the folktale tells a story of four pigs who leave home—and...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Puppet Scenes
Explore character, plot, and setting through dramatic puppet play. Second graders discuss basic story elements and then practice making a character with their sock puppets. After they've crafted a dynamic puppet, they pair up to create a...
Curated OER
Living in an "Olympic" Country
Learners research countries participating in the Olympic Games. They create a database which includes graphs for comparing population density, the number of athletes, per capita income, etc. for each country. This project is completed...
Curated OER
Service Learning Project
Students plan a service project to contribute to their community and then reflect on their experience. In this service project lesson, students help in a food pantry or donation center in their community. Students then write statements...
Curated OER
Following in Their Footsteps
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students reflect upon the lesson of tikkun olam as they read "First They Came for the Jews." Students plan and execute a tikkun olam project of their choosing...
Curated OER
Electronic Poetry Project
Learners explore poetry. In this cross curriculum poetry and technology activity, students choose a favorite poem and analyze its meaning. Learners select several images and music to represent the poem, then create a corresponding...
Curated OER
Center Stage—Focus on Poverty
Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students examine stereotypes and discrimination based on socio-economic status. Middle schoolers prepare to work with people of diverse backgrounds in...
Curated OER
Successful Resource-based Learning Strategies for the Geography of Canada Course
Students conduct a statistical research project on population changes. They evaluate demographic issues, such as the size and location of native people. immigrant groups, and the age and gender of the population.
EngageNY
Getting the Gist and Paraphrasing: “Rachel Carson: Environmentalist and Writer”
Don't copy me. Scholars prepare to dig in with an introduction to their research folder and a discussion about plagiarism. They then review the meanings of harmful and beneficial and how the words apply to the use of DDT. They finish the...
Federal Reserve Bank
Glo Goes Shopping
Making decisions can be very difficult. Show your class one way to evaluate choices with this instructional activity, which is inspired by the book Glo Goes Shopping. Learners practicing using a decision-making grid with the content of...