Curated OER
Working Together to Improve Our Community
Students from the fourth grade research a solution to a community problem and converse with eighth graders via email. Eighth graders study the political process and work with the fourth graders to present information to the public to...
Curated OER
Pardon Me
Young scholars examine the pardon process and the controversy surrounding the Clinton pardons through reading and discussing "Lobbying for Forgiveness." They write a forgiveness letter and create pardon guidelines for President Bush.
Curated OER
A Moment in Time
Fifth graders research a year in history. In this research lesson, 5th graders choose a year between 1801 and 1999 and write three research questions to answer about their year. Students must include three major events and investigate...
Curated OER
Justices for All
Students examine role of Supreme Court justices in the American political process, research the qualities of the current Supreme Court justices, and write opinion papers evaluating the current justices and recommending future nominations.
Curated OER
Outside interview
Students refine their fieldwork skill by conducting interviews. From the position of an outsider, they conduct research and interviews. Student interviews are maintained as a part of a portfolio. Interview kits and assessment...
Curated OER
Olympics (Grade 4)
Learners research information about the current Olympic research. In this Olympic research lesson, students take a pre-test to determine their knowledge about the current Summer Olympics. They choose one of three areas to research and...
Curated OER
What's the Difference?
Students investigate volcanic processes at convergent and divergent
tectonic plate boundaries. They read and analyze diagrams, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.
Curated OER
An Explorative Journey Through the Solar System
Students explore space science by creating a planetary model in class. In this solar system instructional activity, students identify the many planets and moons that make up the solar system and decide on one entity in which to research....
Curated OER
Past School Practices
Students research the history of a school system. For this school system lesson, students list the grade levels and subjects taught in their school and interview their teachers and administrators. Students collect past photographs of...
Curated OER
Honing in on Hummingbirds
Students explore ruby-throated hummingbirds. In this cross-curricular hummingbirds lesson, students listen to the book The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds and choose related topics to research with a partner. Students draw or...
Curated OER
Art to Zoo: India-Where Remarkable Differences Are Ordinary
Students "visit" India to learn about its culture and the lives of children in India. In this India lesson, students conduct research and report on the lives of Indian children in the form of a mock interview between a journalist and an...
Curated OER
Biology Project: Gone Fishing
Students write a scientific article using data and prediction skills. In this scientific writing lesson, students access data about fishing off the coast of New Jersey. They look at satellite data, fluorometry and CTD data over a 3 -4...
Curated OER
Research/Technical Writing: Paraphrasing
Pupils work in groups to paraphrase an article. In this paraphrasing lesson, each group is assigned a paragraph to paraphrase in one sentence. Other groups critique the sentences to make sure each is effective. ...
Curated OER
Organizing Writing/Composing a First Draft
Seventh graders access an organizer from an earlier lesson and transition sentences to begin a new essay. For this organization and composing lesson, 7th graders work in small groups to create a draft of an article about...
Curated OER
Biography: Telling Someone's Life Story
There are many different ways to help your students get excited about writing biographies.
Curated OER
Dr. Fix-It Subjects: Health, Government
Help your students undertand the critical problems around healthcare. By focusing on the political and private process of healthcare, students will watch a video, analyze issues, and write an essay on their findings. Additionally, they...
Annenberg Foundation
Service Learning in the Social Studies
Active Citizenship Today (ACT) is a "unique social studies service learning program" that requires students to learn about the public policy associated with community issues they identify in their local community. This web site...
Odell Education
Reading Closely for Textual Details: Grade 6
Close reading doesn't mean to literally read text close to your face, but rather to pay attention to particular details in order to develop a deep and purposeful understanding of text. The first part of a five-part resource provides an...
Curated OER
Dragonwings: Evaluate Chapters 10-12
As your class finishes the novel Dragonwings, use these culminating projects. A vocabulary list is given for chapters eleven and twelve and either an epitaph or letter activity concludes the book. The final project consists of creating a...
Curated OER
Mission System of Texas
Students create a storybook about Texas missions including the history of why they were built. They research and create pictures depicting how and why the missions were built. They write and illustrate the primary groups of people found...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Classroom: R & D
Redecorate a classroom on a budget. Middle schoolers rebuild a classroom after a disaster. They conduct Internet research to determine construction supplies needed and the most cost effective way to reach the predetermined results. They...
Curated OER
Dive into the Common Core with Opinion Pieces
Build your confidence in implementing Common Core State Standards with this CC-based approach to an important writing standard.
Curated OER
Save an Endangered Species
Have your young learners work in pairs to find and research an endangered species. They use research to develop ideas about saving their animal from extinction. Pairs develop a three-dimensional model of the animal's habitat. Then,...
Curated OER
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Who would you love to see at your table? Groups research a decade, ranging from the 1840s to the 1960s, read a short story associated with that decade, and plan a dinner party, complete with table set-up and menu. After researching...