US Institute of Peace
Maintaining Trusting Relationships
What role does trust play in diffusing a tense situation? Young social scientists explore trust on a personal and global level during a instructional activity on peace and conflict. After participating in a trust sit, participants work...
University of North Carolina
Writing Anxiety
Oh, the dreaded writer's block! As part of a larger paper-writing series, an invaluable resource discusses obstacles and stresses writers face. Individuals learn to identify feelings associated with anxiety, as well as strategies for...
Reed Novel Studies
The Great Gatsby: Novel Study
Some people believe that no matter how hard a man works, the American dream will always remain out of reach. A study guide for The Great Gatsby explores the themes, such as the illusory American dream, and elements of F. Scott...
San Diego County District Attorney
Emotions/Feelings
Three lessons delve deep into the topic of feelings and the importance of expressing one's emotions. Through grand conversation, hands-on learning experiences, and reflective writing, scholars interpret the ups and downs of everyday...
American Museum of Natural History
What's the Big Deal About Water?
It may seem simple, but water is one of the most unique substances on Earth. An interactive online lesson describes its properties and importance in so many different situations. Learners interact with the lesson to learn the role water...
Curated OER
Seasons: Summer
In this summer words learning exercise, students analyze 36 words in a word bank and circle the "summer words". Students then read 10 sentences and from 4 choices, circle the correct word to describe summer.
Curated OER
The Places Where We Live
For this places people live worksheet, students complete a word search, choose the correct word to describe different houses, and more. Students complete 3 activities.
Curated OER
Describing Your Ideas Clearly
In this writing clearly worksheet, students complete three activities that help them write a how-to report clearly and precisely. Students place modifiers close to the words they describe, so they don't confuse the readers.
Curated OER
Taxi: A Book Of City Words
First graders engage in a literature study that helps them to focus on the concepts of goods and services. They describe the various skills people may need at home, school, and work. Students create a map of businesses found in the city.
Curated OER
Poetry--Homeless People
Eighth graders create a poem about homeless people using images they saw on websites. After reading the book "The Outsiders", 8th graders make connections of real life homeless people with characters in the book. Students search the web...
Bright Hub Education
Use Pictures or Artwork to Spark Creative Writing
Art in one form can inspire art in another. Use images to inspire writing in your English class. The lesson described here is not detailed; however, the idea is strong. An engaging way to get class members interested in writing, the...
Curated OER
Express Yourself
First graders identify details that make reading and writing more interesting. They classify events, people, places, and things and attach specific characteristics to each one. Everyone generates describing words on a worksheet that's...
Curated OER
Does It Move On It's Own?
Young scientists look at drawings of six animals, then match up a word that describes how they move. The words are: hop, crawl, swim, fly, run, and jump. They also answer two additional questions about the animals and how they move. A...
Curated OER
"Uncle Sam's Got Himself in a Terrible Jam": Protest Music and the Vietnam War
"And it's one, two, three...what are we fighting for?" Use music to assess the climate of protest during the Vietnam War, listening to and analyzing Country Joe MacDonald's "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" (lyrics included)....
Curated OER
Sparrow Hawk Red - Attribute Web
A useful scaffold to help your class with character analysis and text interpretation. Questions about characters from Sparrow Hawk Red by Ben Mikaelsen guide your young readers to describe a character literally, along with interpreting...
Curated OER
Insects and Bugs
Students recognize the difference between insects and bugs while making connections to personal experiences. In this insect and bug lesson, students complete a pre-assessment to demonstrate prior knowledge, then gather information...
Curated OER
Could Have, Should Have, Would Have
Could have, should have, would have learned your auxiliary verbs! Use this resource to describe the meaning of each set of words, and then let your kids try to complete the given sentences. Since most people don't actually take the time...
Curated OER
A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution
Sit back, relax, and transport to 1787! This lesson on the Constitution begins with guided imagery of the Constitutional Convention. The class reads A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution in an interactive read-aloud...
Curated OER
Vague Pronouns
It, this, and which are commonly used to describe...who knows what? Sometimes it's difficult to understand what each of these words refers to. Highlight this problem for your class by showing them the example sentences shown here. After...
Curated OER
Delaware Vocabulary
In this Delaware learning exercise, students match vocabulary words to sentences describing them having to do with famous people, places, and history of Delaware. Students match 11 vocabulary words.
Read Works
Figurative Language
Here's a richly detailed unit, designed for second graders, that focuses on decoding figurative language, including similes, metaphors, personification and idioms.
Common Sense Media
Sending Email
Youngsters are introduced to the idea of communicating through e-mail, and gain important foundational knowledge for how to interact safely online.
Facing History and Ourselves
The Power of Images
One picture but a thousand stories. As a part of a case study of how the death of Michael Brown was reported by professional news sources and on social media class members examine the reactions of various groups to a photograph taken by...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Courage “In the Time of the Butterflies”: A Common Core Exemplar
The courage of Las Mariposas, the Mirabal sisters, is the focus of a series of activities designed to accompany a reading of In the Time of the Butterflies that ask readers to consider what it means to be courageous. Beautifully crafted...