Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Counting by 7s
Everyone takes a different journey through grief. A series of lesson plans for the novel Counting by 7s introduces readers to the main character who loses her parents in a car crash. Discussion questions and writing prompts combine...
Anti-Defamation League
Gossip, Rumors and Identity
A thoughtful discussion prompts middle schoolers to reflect on gossip and rumors, what they are, their experience with them, and how some groups experience it more than others. Scenarios challenge participants to consider the impact of...
Curated OER
Tower O'Power
Students work together to design a tower from a computer program. They manufacture the pieces with a laser cutter and compete in a competition to determine the best design for stress relief on towers. They discover the work engineers...
Curated OER
The 400-acre wood
In this forest planning lesson plan, students visit the 400-acre wood website and work in groups to learn about the specific aspects of forest development. Students create, label and color a forest planning map and present their map to...
Curated OER
Fish Farm: an open ended, student centered laboratory activity
Students are contacted by a fictitious company which raises tropical fish to do basic research for them so that they might keep their production costs down. They need to know the optimum salinity in which to hatch the brine shrimp that...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan
Learners play several activities that allow them to know the terminology used. In this project management lesson plan students create a storyboard.
Visa
The Tools to Build Your Financial Dream
When it comes to all the ways money management and financial responsibility weave into our daily lives as adults, make sure students are prepared to locate resources for managing their finances, such as a financial advisor.
Food Project
Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
A series of hands-on, outdoor activities increase understanding of agricultural terms, soil management, pest control, and more. Plan ahead for this one as it requires a number of supplies and could be messy. Activities include...
Virginia Department of Education
Developing a Research Strategy - Define Your Topic
Your budding scholars spent the day in the library looking for a topic for their research essay, and now they are all in tears because there is too much information available on their topics. Wipe those tears away with the ideas and...
US Institute of Peace
Observing Conflict
Can your class manage conflict? Give them the tools they need to succeed at conflict resolution with the third lesson in a 15-part series of peacebuilding activities. Learners draw from personal conflict experience as they analyze...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Seventh Grade
Having a hard time defining bullying with your seventh graders? Discuss the different types of behavior one would see in a bullying situation with a series of lessons, worksheets, and group activities.
NASA
Newton Car
If a car gets heavier, it goes farther? By running an activity several times, teams experience Newton's Second Law of Motion. The teams vary the amount of weight they catapult off a wooden block car and record the distance the car...
Curated OER
Communication Delay
Construct a maze in your classroom and have a blindfolded scientist act as a space rover, maneuvering unfamiliar terrain while another scientist plays commander. Classmates record the number of occurrences of the commander having to...
Nemours KidsHealth
Feelings: Grades K-2
Students explore how to appropriately deal with their feelings. In this personal health activity on feelings, students participate in a group discussion about feelings, and complete two activities writing about their feelings and...
Curated OER
Positive Guidance Techniques
While this lesson focuses on appropriate behavior management techniques used in the home, it could apply to the classroom as well. Included are several PowerPoint presentations, Notes, and Stories, on positive behavior management...
Curated OER
"Who am I?"
Pupils of all ages work in pairs to find information about themselves and record a digital "Who am I?" They observe and measure each other, write clues, and illustrate before having others guess who is described.
Curated OER
Put Your Truss in Building Bridges
Students apply abstract concepts, such as stress, fulcrums, the law of gravity, and the strength of different geometric shapes. Groups of student contractors operate simulated architectural firms to create strong, economical bridges.
Curated OER
Fats Waller, Handful of Keys
Playing piano is great fun and playing jazz is even better. Kids watch a video of Fats Waller playing the song, "Handful of Keys," they then use either a piano key print out or Orff instruments to practice his signature stride piano...
Curated OER
Wellness and the Benefits of Exercise
Second graders discuss benefits of keeping physically fit, predict effects of exercise on their bodies, perform various exercises correctly, including push-up, curl-up, and jumping jack, discuss and follow safety practices while...
Library of Congress
The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads: The Hetch Hetchy Controversy
Should wilderness areas be preserved or managed? Class members examine primary source documents, including lecture notes, articles, essays and congressional records to better understand the Hetch Hetchy controversy that created a split...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Shopping List 2
I've done this exercise with my special needs learners more times than I can count. They practice getting ready to shop at the grocery store by identifying items on their shopping list. They match grocery items to the proper department...
Curated OER
The Scoop on Local Business
How do local businesses support their state or regional economy? The New York Times has prepared another great lesson for your class. They begin by listing products grown or manufactured in their state or region then write interview...
Curated OER
Indispensable Listening Skills
It's true: listening skills have to be taught and developed. Read this story about a tiger to your high school class. Then, without giving them a copy of the story, divide them into teams and have them attempt to answer a series of...
Curated OER
Bowling - Lesson 2
Lesson 2, which is about bowling footwork, is part of a unit on bowling. There is a link at the bottom of this page that will go to the unit page. The unit plan is pretty comprehensive and the lessons should be taught in order. The unit...