Curated OER
Working on the Slant
Compare and contrast a major news story from various newspapers. How does the perspective change? Are certain things included in some of the stories and left out of others? Have pupils complete a graphic organizer to compare how...
Curated OER
Colossal Squid Caught in Antarctic
Students define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and...
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British Royalty Tours the U.S.
Students share their knowledge of England, then read a news article about Prince Charles's anticipated visit to the U.S. In this current events lesson (written prior to Prince Charles's visit), the teacher introduces the article with a...
Curated OER
New $1 Coins Honor U.S. Presidents
Elementary schoolers examine money, then read a news article about new coins being produced by the U.S. Mint. The teacher introduces the article with samples of American money and a vocabulary activity, then learners read the news piece...
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Real Ice Ages Longer Than Movie Ice Ages
If your class's knowledge of the Ice Age is limited to animated movies, use this lesson plan to strengthen their knowledge. After sharing what they know about the Ice Age, young readers explore a news article seeking to dispel...
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'Hunger Games' Science: Investigating Genetically Engineered Organisms
In The Hunger Games novel and movie, a futuristic, dystopian society is the setting. In it, a genetically engineered bird escapes control of the government. Using this as a starting point, teenagers examine the realistic possibility of...
The New York Times
Stress Less: Understanding How Your Mind and Body Respond to Anxiety
What could be more relevant to teens and preteens than experiencing stress? Use an article from the New York Times website to practice valuable Common Core skills for informational text reading, and also get a discussion going in your...
Curated OER
Understanding Tibet
Students work in cooperative groups to read one current situation of Tibet. They respond to a set of discussion questions. Pupils write a newspaper article expressing the current information explored. Students write an editorial or...
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Kicking It Around
Students analyze the recent boom in women's sports, focusing on the Women's World Cup Soccer tournament to examine various people's views about women athletes. They write a newspaper article summarizing what they learned in their...
Curated OER
Polar Adventure: Read All About It!
Students investigate reports of an adventure to the North Pole or the South Pole and then chronicle it by writing a newspaper article or making a timeline. The focus is placed on a recent or historic expedition to the region selected.
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Telling Stories in Art: Witness to a Brawl
Middle schoolers examine how a piece of art tells a story. In this visual art instructional activity, students interpret a piece of art work by writing a newspaper article that tells the story of the moment in time that is depicted in a...
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Exhibiting Hope
Students watch a video clip about the effect of Hurricane Katrina. They examine the challenges that New Orleans still faces a year after the hurricane. They work together in small groups to create a museum exhibit on a topic of interest...
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Right on Time!
Learners read portions of biographies about human rights activists before participating in a jigsaw activity in which they report out on what they read. They made a timeline of one of the human rights activist's lives. They write a...
Curated OER
Team Works
Students define "group" and list American social and political movements throughout history. They examine one model of a successful team and positive group mentality by reading and identify the traits of a successful group and those of...
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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Tragedy
Students research the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. In this labor reform instructional activity, students research the fire and write a newspaper article report from the perspective of the time. Students evaluate the perspective of the...
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Riding the Rails Across Texas
Young scholars research the importance of the railroad to Texas cities and American life. They identify the pros and cons of railroads, locate railroads in Texas cities using the Texas bird's-eye view website, and write a newspaper article.
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students explore facets of the Cold War. For this Cold War history lesson, students research a Cold War event in order to write a news story about the events that features direct quotations and images.
Curated OER
Evidence of Climate Change
Sixth graders examine climate change in the state of Colorado. In this climate lesson, 6th graders watch 2 video clips regarding the topic and research the subtopics- snow pack, precipitation, temperature, forest fires, river flow,...
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News View
Students read and analyze three different news sources that describe the same event. They compare/contrast the similarities and differences of the news sources, and write an essay describing the main event.
Curated OER
Words in the News: New Maori King
Students work together in groups to identify new vocabulary words. They read a story about the new Maori King in New Zealand and answer questions. They also examine reported speech in the article.
Curated OER
Words in the News-Human DNA to be Implanted in Rice
Students examine new vocabulary words from a news report about human DNA being implanted in rice and grown in Kansas. Students read the article and discuss the vocabulary terms as well as take a quiz and complete a worksheet to help...
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Mayan Culture
Learners use RAFT prompts to write about Mayan society. In this activity on Mayan culture, students research and then explain the Mayan hierarchy and social structure. As a culminating activity each student will write a newspaper article...
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Document-Based Essay on U.S. Reaction to North Korean Nuclear Policy
Students compose essays on nuclear policies. In this North Korea activity, students examine political cartoons and primary documents regarding nuclear build-up by North Korea. Students write essays about North Korea's military goals and...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Tea Overboard
While less well known than the event in Boston, the Yorktown Tea Party was equally decisive in turning community sentiment against Great Britain. To gain an understanding of why the colonists objected to the Tea Act, young historians...