Curated OER
A Delicate Balance
Students reflect on racial balance in their own schools, debate merits of policies that seek to create and maintain school racial diversity, and write essays on whether their school should promote racial balance.
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Mandela The Man
Ninth graders explore civil rights by reading several biographies. In this Nelson Mandela lesson, 9th graders discuss the trials and tribulations Nelson Mandela had to face in South Africa and how they were similar to the problems Martin...
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Battling Memories
Students examine the wartime killing of civilians in Vietnam through discussion, close reading and research.
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Revisiting Walden Pond in 2003
Learners make lists of things they would take with them if they were about to set off to live for a year in the woods. They read Thoreau's Walden Pond and compare and discuss their lists and the actual list of items Thoreau took with him...
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A New NATO?
Students read and interpret NATO's mission statement. After reading an article, they discover incidents in which NATO has deviated from their original purpose. In groups, they research the opinions of the countries of NATO. They write...
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Pilgrims: The First Americans
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time. In this Thanksgiving activity, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write a two...
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Saudi Arabia -- Future city
Seventh graders summarize an article on Masdar. For this summarizing lesson students clearly explain three of the four points provided in an outline of the article. The students write an essay and identify six physical features of the...
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Masking the Truth
Students explore the artistic and social significance of African masks. They create their own masks that reflect an important aspect of moving in their lives.
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Over-the-Counter Culture
Learners explore the changing consumer habits of Americans of various socioeconomic classes. They examine the exact costs of products, services and interest rates mentioned in the article and reflect on their own spending habits and...
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Exploring Heroism
Students examine the concept of heroism in this lesson, through personal reflection, group activities and a thoughtful analysis of the documentary, HEROES OF GROUND ZERO. They explore their own understanding of what it means to be a hero.
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African-Americans and the Military
Students study the key figures in African-American military history. They discover how African-American military history reflect both discrimination and the often heroic struggle to overcome discrimination. They examine the key periods...
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Exploring the Self
Students examine a variety of songs, poems, and books exploring and analyzing the theme of self reliance and being true to one's self. They write a poem, essay, or letter that captures their true spirit and individuality and then they...
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Tapping into the Experiences of Senior Citizens
Through casual talk and structured interviews, 6th graders tap into the wealth of their senior pals' experiences. They write descriptive essays and narratives based on conversations with relatives or neighbors. They read selected...
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True Admissions
Students examine affirmative action and study the diversity of their own classrooms and communities, then of a particular college or university. They write essays examining how colleges should increase the diversity of their student bodies.
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Guilty to a Fault
Learners consider the moral and legal issues involved in distinguishing a verdict of murder from one of manslaughter (criminally negligent homicide) and write an essay describing the issues involved in the case that was researched.
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PARAMILITARY VIOLENCE AND THE CONFLICT IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Students examine documents to reconstruct the past, employ processes of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct the past, analyze aspects of the Northern Iereland conflict through perspectives of documents, and write a short position...
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The Thrill of Big-Wave Surfing
Students discover how to summarize content knowledge from varied resources in creating a presentation. They learn about the relationships between human beings and their environment as they reflect upon the challenges of big-wave surfing.
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Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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Is There Ice on Mercury?
In this ice on Mercury learning exercise, students read about the data collected from the NASA Messenger and the Arecibo Radio Telescope indicating the possibility of ice on Mercury. Students solve 6 problems including finding the scale...
Facing History and Ourselves
American Responses to the Armenian Genocide
Young scholars examine World War I war crimes. In this world history instructional activity, students use primary and secondary sources to research and understand the action taken by the United States during the Armenian Genocide. Young...
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Readers Theatre: Presenting Historical Events Through Theatre
Students examine historical events. In this lesson on the US Constitution, students engage in a theatrical exploration of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They also engage in an extensive discussion, complete worksheets and draft...
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When Students Don't Clique
Learners explore the roles of cliques in schools and ways in which schools can foster tolerance among diverse groups by reading and discussing "Alma Maters: Two Words Behind the Massacre."
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The Sunflower
Twelfth graders analyze the ethical and moral decisions made by people during the Holocaust. They role play a situation placing them in an ethical delima. They must make a choice and defend it to their peers. Readings and test...
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The Race to Learn
Students explore the history of education and race in the United States. By researching Supreme Court cases dealing with race and education, students examine the ways in which these cases have reflected changing social and cultural norms.