Curated OER
Not So Sweet
Students explore farming, slavery and cacoa farming. In this agricultural science lesson, students fill out KWL charts, create PowerPoints and do internet research. Students write letters to chocolate companies requesting them not to buy...
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The Lorax Explorations
Students read and debate the purpose of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, analyze its story elements, and write their own The Lorax II.
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Wonder Wheels
Students discover ways that they all are alkie as well as different from each other. They write down three ways that students who cannot walk might be able to move around. Students complete a graphic organizer to analyze the immediate...
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American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students explore daily life and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies- Delaware and Massachusetts by becoming historical detectives. After gathering information from artifacts to make inferences about...
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Dia de la Raza - What is El Dia de la Raza?
Students research and write about Christopher Columbus, his voyages, and his impact on the Native Americans. In this Christopher Columbus lesson, students work at stations where they learn vocabulary, perform Reader's Theatre, work with...
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I Can Preserve My Planet
Students explore renewable and nonrenewable resources. In this ocean preservation lesson, students use KWL charts to understand ways the ocean is important to our daily lives. Students create a poster or wirte a letter to someone...
PBS
Baker's Gold
Young scholars examine art of the California Gold Rush. In this visual arts lesson, students analyze the photography and art of Isaac Wallace Baker. Young scholars also conduct further research about the miners of the era in order to...
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An Appointment to Remember
Young scholars examine the arguments for and against President Bush's recess appointment of John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations and debate the appointment. They write letters to Mr. Bush expressing their...
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"Hard Luck" La Salle
Fourth graders examine life of French explorer, La Salle, and how he impacted settlement of Texas and the establishment of Catholic missions in Texas; students write letters from the perspective of an explorer.
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Johnny Tremain for the 21st Century
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the American Revolution based on the novel, 'Johnny Tremain.' They define key vocabulary terms, develop a timeline, write a report on a colonial craft, make a colonial flag, and create a...
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The Musher's Trail
Second graders follow the Iditarod race that begins in March. They research data and select a musher to trail in the race. Then they write daily in a journal about events that happen on the trail, including pictures from the Website.
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Harvesting a Forest: How Would I Do It?
Third graders design a machine for clear-cutting an area of forest. In this agricultural technology instructional activity, 3rd graders are read selections from American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osbourn, discuss how trees are harvested...
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Students read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding events of the story. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.
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Water and Land Ecosystems
Pupils investigate the differences between a land and aquatic ecosystem. They use the information in order to present it in an assessment. There are target questions that can be used to guide research, lead a classroom discussion, or...
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Language Arts: Take Me to the Hall of Fame
Learners write persuasive letters supporting a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Once they have written the letter, they respond to it from the coach's point of view. In addition, students compose various conclusions to their letters.
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Social Studies: Ramadan Observance
Students discuss Ramadan and the practice of fasting. Working in groups, they visit Websites and complete worksheets about the Muslim holiday. Students write letters role-playing as someone unfamiliar with a celebration and then write...
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Looking At French Decorative Arts: Makers of Nothing, Sellers of Everything
Students compare/contrast the role of merchant to that of his modern-day business counterpart. They role-play that they are 18th-century merchants, and write persuasive letters to sell French beds for clients.
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Out of the City and Into the Soup
Students examine the issue of air pollution. They read and analyze an article, evaluate the responses of state and federal officials to the problem, conduct Internet research, and write a letter to their senator and congressman.
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Travel Club Unit
Seventh graders participate in a classroom travel club while they research Latin American cities. They research the city finding the pertinent information provided in the directions. They write a letter to other travel club members that...
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Citizenship Program
Students explore teamwork, decision-making, and ways to communicate. They discuss their favorite activities, places they would like to travel and set ground rules for their groups. After identifying their feelings toward the program,...
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A Penny for Your Thoughts
Students collect pennies to donate to Kiwanis International for their international effort to buy salt for children's bone development. They calculate the amount of money donated, calculate how many children will receive salt, and write...
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Rainforest Problem
Third graders use a hypothetical story in order to create a context for the lesson. The story presents a problem that needs to be solved. They write a letter to a government official as part of the lesson.
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Oceanography-Related Careers: To Be or Not to Be. . .
Students investigate various careers in the field of oceanography. They conduct Internet research, record data on a spreadsheet, write a justification to explain why someone should accept a position found online, and write a letter to a...
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Exploring Explorers
Students research a selected explorer and teach their small group about their explorer during a jigsaw activity. Independently they write a letter as if they were on a voyage with their explorer, and create a world map that includes the...