Curated OER
Music Theories
Explore the inception and evolution of hip-hop music as a springboard for writing music reviews and researching other genres of music. Learners will read and discuss the Times' article, From Underground Music to Fashion Statement to then...
Curated OER
Anonymous Sources in the Media
When do people ask for anonymity? Why? After reading the New York Times article "For a Reporter and a Source, Echoes of Broken Promise," young readers participate in a roundtable discussion focusing on freedom of the press and the use of...
Curated OER
Short But Sweet
After analyzing and evaluating news summaries found in the New York Times "Week in Review" section, middle schoolers study the steps for summarizing a news article briefly and accurately. They write two news summaries: one on a newspaper...
Foreign Policy Association
U.S. and Europe Online Lesson Plan
Class groups investigate the economic and political implications of a country's policies on genetically modified foods, craft a position paper detailing that policy, and share their findings with the class. Armed with this information,...
Curated OER
Soda to be Absent from Schools
Should schools serve soda to students? Learners read an artlcle that argues against the sale of soda in schools and engage in a class discussion. They then complete a short assessment to check for comprehension and reflect on the...
Curated OER
Short Journal Topics
In this journal writing worksheet, students write a journal entry by choosing one of the 23 journal writing prompts. The students are required to write one paragraph.
Curated OER
Math Journal: Functions and Coordinate Geometry
Fifth graders examine the many uses of coordinate grids. In this graphing lesson, 5th graders write data driven equations, discuss the x and y-axis, and determine if using 2 or 3 ordered pairs is better. Students complete several...
Therapist Aid
Gratitude Journal
If you asked a fifth grader what went wrong in their day, you may get a more thorough answer than if you asked what went well. Help young learners find moments of gratitude throughout the week with a journal template that focuses on...
Curated OER
An Immigrant's Journey
Students collect photos of immigrants coming to the United States. They write fictional journal entries for one of the photographs.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
Middle schoolers complete a unit of lessons that explore the poetic voice of Langston Hughes. They define voice, read and analyze various poems by Langston Hughes, and complete journal entries for each instructional activity.
American Immigration Law Foundation
An Immigrant’s Experience
After interviewing an immigrant about their voyage to the United States and first impressions of the country, young learners create a fictional series of journal entries and design an iMovie depicting their interviewee's story.
Curated OER
An Immigrant's Journey
Pupils use books, resource CDs, and the Internet to research and collect images of the experiences of immigrants in 1907. They are divided into groups of four to write journal entries for a fictional, yet historically accurate, immigrant.
Facing History and Ourselves
Decision-Making: Introduction to the Unit
Make your classroom a supportive and communicative place to be before beginning a unit on the Holocaust. Working together as a class, learners reflect on their previous experiences of classroom discussions before establishing a...
Curated OER
Manners Matter
Students demonstrate proper behavior in the classroom and in other social situations. They write journal entries, create posters, invitations, and or multimedia presentations depiciting good manners. Pupils pair up with another students...
Curated OER
The African Slave Trade
Students share their feelings about the enslavement of Africans as they write journal entries discussing their role play activity.
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains, Rising Out of Circumstances
Discuss the history of slavery by analyzing historic photography depicting slavery. Learners write fictional stories based on these photographs. This is a creative and motivating way to launch a discussion of these topics.
Curated OER
Current Connections
Many of us read our history books and take each word as truth. Show learners that history can easily be altered depending on who writes it. Your class will watch a series of videos, read a first person testimony, and discuss the...
K12 Reader
Self Reflection
Instill the positive study habit of reflecting on learning by reading this passage with your class. The passage describes how reflection can be a powerful learning tool, and how learners can start reflecting. After reading, class members...
Curated OER
Maniac Magee: A 5th Grade Literature Guide
There's no need to run around trying to plan a unit for the book Maniac Magee, the work has already been done for you. Through a series of whole class, small group, and independent lessons and activities, students practice synthesizing...
Curated OER
To Go West or Not to Go West, That is the Question
Students answer the question,"To go West or not to go West?". In this nonfiction lesson students read a piece of nonfiction about going West during the 18th century. Students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the pros and...
Curated OER
School Autobiography
Young scholars brainstorm for fifteen minutes independently, sketching out what they remember or how they want to organize their data. they write a journal along the lines of "what do you remember about kindergarten? Write to a...
Curated OER
Christopher Columbus WebQuest
Fourth graders are introduced to the voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New World. In groups, they use the Internet to complete a WebQuest on what conditions were like on the ships. They write journal entries and complete a worksheet...
Curated OER
Ancient Civilizations
Pupils examine the institutions and values of various ancient civilizations. They define civilization, read and discuss text, write journal entries, list the characteristics of a powerful society, and write a description of an event.
Curated OER
Capturing the Moment
Learners create photography timelines of the Civil Rights movement and write journal entries reflecting on the capacity of photographs to evoke personal and collective historical memory.