Curated OER
Purim, Esther, and Bella Abzug: Wearing Costumes and Choosing Roles
Explore the story of Bella Abzug and her role as a 1940s office worker. Collaborative learners work in groups to tell the biblical story of Esther and add details as each member participates. Comparing and contrasting the roles of Esther...
Curated OER
Sorting Lids
Students work in groups to sort lids in various ways so each group has a different sorting pattern. They share ideas and work in groups. Students are given a large pile of lids, which are placed in the center of a table, students are...
Curated OER
Sculpture: Exploring Pop Art: Creating
Learners work in teams to create collaborative sculptures of food. They are required to create the food, dishes, and utensils needed to display their work. Note: This is a team building and design exercise.
Curated OER
Adventure Story
It's always fun to make up something together as a class. This fine instructional activity has children make up and illustrate a collaborative adventure story. The essential elements of a good story (setting, characters, plot, help,...
Curated OER
Too Bright at Night?
Students reflect upon the causes and effects of light pollution in the night skies. First, they read articles provided and then do worksheets that are provided. They work in groups to discuss their conclusions.
Curated OER
Civil War Research Project
Give your WWI study collaborative energy using a group research project. Groups are assigned one of the six main themes (included). Each group has an outline to guide research but will need an assignment guide. Consider supplementing the...
Curated OER
Mathematics & Nutrition
Students apply math to calculate fat and calories in the food they eat. They examine food package information to become aware of the ingredients and to learn about healthy life styles. They work in groups to create crazy meals using the...
Curated OER
Ozone: The Earth's Security Blanket
Learners work in groups to define and research the terms: ozone, troposphere and stratosphere. Students watch videos, conduct Internet research, participate in discussion groups and complete worksheets.
Curated OER
Woody Guthrie: Life and Art
Woody Guthrie will capture the imagination of even your most reluctant learners. Using his work, your class will develop their skills in non-fiction reading comprehension, interpreting primary source material, and use of multiple forms...
Beacon Learning Center
What Goes Up Must Come Down
After your class has completed The Cay by Theodore Taylor, assess understanding of the plot. First, model how to fill out a plot line for your class. Next, have class members fill in the plot of The Cay on the provided story map. Invite...
Curated OER
Rest in Peace, Maniac Magee
Scholars read Maniac Magee and create epitaphs for each of the major characters using precise words reflecting the individual characters personality and nature. They will learn what an epitaph is and practice writing their own. They can...
Curated OER
Lots of Lessons from Aesop
Aesop’s Fables offer young learners an opportunity to study figurative language. After reviewing theme, simile, alliteration, and metaphor, model for your pupils how to identify examples of these devices in the fable. Class members then...
Curated OER
Sketch Book Making: Places for Creative Communication
High schoolers create sketchbooks, explore the uses of journals, write (across the curriculum) from others' points of view, and compare forms of communication from the 1800s to today. A nice blend of individual, whole class, and...
Curated OER
Around the Room Short Story
Collective story writing is a great way to reinforce the concept of story elements and collaborative learning. Young writers discuss story elements such as, setting, character, action, climax, conclusion, foreshadowing, dialogue, and...
Curated OER
State Issues: The Native People of Hawaii
Young scholars research issues about their state and community. They work in groups to create a multi-media presentation highlighting the issues.
Curated OER
Friend, Foe, or . . .
As a result of this lesson, upper elementary ocean explorers will be able to describe several interrelationships: symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. They learn that the biological richness is increased near seamounts and...
Curated OER
Top to Bottom
Marine science classes read about the 2005 North Atlantic Stepping Stones Expedition and review climate change. They use maps to locate the seamount chains. In collaborative groups, they research how climate change may be altering the...
Curated OER
Arthur: The Once And Future King
Middle and high schoolers work in groups to research tales of King Arthur, using primary sources. They present the major themes and symbols from these stories, and discuss how they still relevant in today's world. Use this lesson to...
Curated OER
Hardware Sort
High schoolers work in groups to sort and classify a variety of hardware materials commonly found in the store. Students discuss attributes and explain their reasoning for different classifications.
Curated OER
Volley Tennis
A combination of Tennis and Volleyball, this activity will help with court positioning and the volley shot in tennis. They practice volleying the ball and working together in teams.
Curated OER
What is Life? Demonstrations & Discussion
Display seven items for your biologists to consider. Are they living or non-living? How can you tell? This is a simple outline of what you can display and questions that can be discussed as this topic is explored. One way to use this...
Curated OER
Social Change
Students study a social issue involving gorillas, and work in groups to develop strategies to increase awareness of and problem solve a solution for the issue. They collect data using handheld computers and write a report.
Curated OER
Worth a Thousand Words: Depression-Era Photographs
Students view images of New Deal programs to see its successes. They work in groups to create captions for the images and suggest captions that might indicate different meanings.
Curated OER
Wreck Detectives
Junior archaeologists examine types of artifacts from the Bronze Age on the internet. In collaborative groups, they create a story about a ship from this period and then construct a model of the ocean floor after their ship has sunk....