Curated OER
Geometry Shapes Playground Safety
Students create a new playground design to present to elementary students during Playground safety week. They review basic geometry to use in observing and recording the equipment on a local playground. They research playground safety...
Achieve3000
Figurative Language
Similes and metaphors make writing more beautiful and detailed, but can be a little harder to decipher during a first reading. Use a passage from The Man Who Loved Words to show young readers how to think through passages that contain...
Library of Congress
Industrial Revolution
Could you live without your phone? What about cars, steel, or clothing? Class groups collaborate to produce presentations that argue that either the telephone, the gramophone, the automobile, the textile industry, or the steel industry...
For the Teachers
Fact vs. Opinion
Many informational texts are written as factual, but can your learners determine when an opinion is presented as fact? Have your kids read several articles on the same topic and record the statements that contain either facts or...
Read Write Think
Poetry Portfolios: Using Poetry to Teach Reading
Over the course of five periods, scholars create a poetry portfolio. They begin with a reading of the poem, Firefly. With a focus on vocabulary, learners reread the poem then look for sight words and other skills.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Quotation Station: Using Quotes in the Classroom
An informative list compiled with quotes, authors, and discussion questions, along with 20 out-of-the-box application ideas, make up the collection of lessons geared to spark dialogue and creative thinking about quotations.
Curated OER
Lets Get the Story Out There
Students design their own service learning project based on a survey given to the community. They examine the data they collect and interview directors of foundations in their area. They write a paper about which foundation they have...
Curated OER
Let's Write a Grant Proposal!
Students write a grant proposal in support of a local youth philanthropy project. In this grant writing lesson plan, students research online youth in philanthropy projects. Students complete a worksheet about their research. Students...
Curated OER
Flavors and Favors
Students conduct a food drive. In this service learning lesson, students put on a school-wide food drive, decorate the bags the food will be delivered in and possibly even help distribute the food.
Curated OER
Contacting Outer Space
Students read a newspaper article about a compilation of information on human life that is to be projected into outer space from a pyramid in Mexico. They define vocabulary, complete comprehension worksheets, analyze the use of 'to' plus...
Curated OER
MONSTERS AND MYTHS: SCRIPTS /SCULPTS
Seventh graders are introduced to myths formed by many cultures as a unique genre of literature. They use critical thinking skills to compare and contrast mythic tales, compare versions of the same story, and respond to literature in...
Curated OER
S.A.I.L. Project
Seventh graders demonstrate basic English skills. They demonstrate multi-tasking skills when working with computers. They respond to the information by asking probing questions about basic technological terminology.
EngageNY
Documenting Research: Sorting and Recording Information About the Wheelwright
Fourth graders practice using a graphic organizer to record their notes and answer text-dependent questions while supplying evidence of how they found their answer. They focus on a machine called the wheelright, which was commonly used...
Curated OER
Designing a Crew Exploration Vehicle
Take your class on an out-of-this-world adventure with this fun engineering design lesson. Working in small groups, young scientists design, build, and test crew exploration vehicles using some creativity, teamwork, and an assortment of...
Curated OER
Modern Minstrelsy: Exploring Racist Stereotypes in Literature and Life
Satires may be designed to expose a bias to ridicule but if misunderstood can they reinforce that bias? Langston Hughes poem, “Minstrel Man” opens a discussion of racist stereotypes, the minstrel tradition, and the musical, “The...
Curated OER
All About Aid
Begin this lesson by estimating the cost of a college education and comparing it to actual data. After reading an article, high school seniors discuss the processes of the college loan corporations. They listen to a lecture about how to...
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
Resource Based Learning Unit Using Mad Cow Disease
Students research the topic of mad cow disease. They use an internal research network to search for newspaper and magazine articles about the disease. They are to evaluate the information they find and determine if it is creditable.
Curated OER
Photo-Based Reading Projects
Students practice using a digital camera and identify the various parts. As a class, they review recent vocabulary and signs used in their community. In groups, they take pictures of various items and write complete sentences describing...
Curated OER
Lighthouse Project
Pupils research for Lighthouse information using the internet sites for research. They access how to identify captions that contain important information based on their research. Students design a page on a presentation program by...
Curated OER
Wahta (Maple) Project
Students increase their knowledge base of the maple syrup process and increase their skills of organization, technology, research, teamwork-cooperation, and oral presentation. Students use a team approach to choose a topic pertaining to...
Curated OER
Massachusetts Oral History Project on the Great Depression
Eleventh graders conduct interviews with a relative or a family friend who lived in Massachusetts during the Depression. They write an essay based on the interview that shows an intimate portrayal of how the lives of the individuals who...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment, Part 1: Research and Response
Stay on target. The class reviews the learning targets for the unit and the end of unit assessment. Scholars then begin working on part one of the assessment answering how Canada's natural resources meet the needs of the people and how...
EngageNY
Final Performance Task: Presenting Graphic Novelettes
Let's get graphic. Serving as the final performance task of the unit, scholars complete their graphic novelettes and design covers based on their sketches. Finally, they present their hard work to classmates.