Curated OER
Hurricane Katrina: You Be the Reporter
Young scholars work in a small group to create news stories, feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor and organize them in a podcast, video-based program, or newspaper/magazine focused on Hurricane Katrina.
Curated OER
Serving Memory
Students read an article about a woman who lost her fiance in Iraq. Reading a letter he left his son, they discuss how his words will affect his son once he is old enough to understand. They research the number of casualties in the war...
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...
Curated OER
Putting Writing Skills To Work
Tenth graders reinforce their knowledge of the format and elements of business letters by writing a request letter. A review of effective letter writing is provided prior to an independent assignment. This helps with scaffolding the...
Curated OER
To Go Solar or Not to Go Solar!
Middle schoolers imagine that they are on a panel to consider if a solar energy system would be advantageous to a new school as it is being built. They read the included handout and then each play a role as a participant in a community...
Curated OER
Women in Texas Politics: Winning the Vote, Three Pioneers, and Serving the People
Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues by generating a...
Curated OER
Hammurabi's Code of Laws
Learners explore why the need arose for laws to govern society, comparing and contrasting hunter/gatherer societies vs. agrarian societies. They write letters to the editor of the Babylonian Times, discussing their opinion of Hammurabi's...
Curated OER
A New Spin on Letter Writing Lessons
Letter writing lessons can provide a way to introduce students to this important mode of communication.
Curated OER
The 8th Amendment: The Death Penalty
High schoolers take a closer look at the death penalty. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch a Discovery video about capital punishment in the United States and then compose letters to the editors of newspapers about their...
Curated OER
Match the Umbrellas
In this uppercase and lowercase letter matching worksheet, students cut out the umbrella cards and match the uppercase letters to the correct lowercase letters. This worksheet covers all of the letters in the alphabet and there are some...
Curated OER
Learning To Get Along With Classmates: A Discussion of Bullying And Intimidation At School
Students discuss cliques, intimidators, support systems and how it feels to be victimized, and discuss ways to deal with hurtful people.
Curated OER
Debating the Over-the-Counter Sale of the "Morning After" Pill
Students examine the controversy at the F.D.A over Plan B. They read an article, answer discussion questions, conduct research, role-play a panel of experts at a mock conference, and write a letter to the editor their own opinion about...
Curated OER
Creative Writing - I AM A FISH
Ninth graders write a letter to the editor about the impact of people on marine life from the point of view of a fish.
Curated OER
Navajo Code Talkers
An engaging lesson focuses on the contributions of the Navajo people during World War II. Learners read the book Navajo Code Talkers by Andrew Santella, answer a series of comprehension questions about the text, and write a letter as a...
Annenberg Foundation
Slavery and Freedom
How do nineteenth-century texts by African American and Native American writers contribute to the country's ideals of freedom and individuality? Learners explore the topic by watching and discussing a video, reading biographies, writing...
Curated OER
The Rights of Bike Riders
Students write a letter to the editor of a newspaper about the bicycle helmet safety issue. They gather statistics about bicycle helmet use and discuss the statistics as a class and explain how to interpret the numbers accurately. They...
Curated OER
The Campaign: Issues and Strategies. What do you think?
Students research a candidate in an election and discuss how the media portrays that candidate and how the media influences voters. In this candidate lesson plan, students also distinguish fact from opinion, look at political cartoons,...
Curated OER
Government Reform - Term Limits
High schoolers consider the need for term limits. In this U.S. government activity, students read selected articles about the pros and cons of term limits. High schoolers then survey their class regarding their opinion of term limits....
Curated OER
Rotation in Office
Eleventh graders explore the concept of the spoils system. In this presidential history lesson, 11th graders examine Andrew Jackson's Inaugural Address as well as a letter to him from Mary Barney in order to gain an understanding of the...
Curated OER
Impact of the Progressive Era
Eighth graders examine the impact of the Progressive Era on the state of North Carolina. Using primary source documents, they discover the reason for the creation of schools during this time period. After reading news articles, they...
Curated OER
Writing a Query Letter
Young scholars examine how to write a query letter to a publisher. They plan a short story they would like to write, conduct Internet research about possible publishers, and write a sample query letter.
Curated OER
Tricks of the Trade A Collection of Concrete Poems-for writing concrete poems
Learners explore concrete poetry. In this lesson about poetry, students read A Poke in the I, by Paul B. Janeczko, and are introduced to concrete poems. Learners read several different kinds of concrete poems including single-word, and...
Curated OER
What is a Puppy Mill?
Students consider community and legislative efforts to stop puppy mills. For this animal welfare lesson, students discuss the needs of pets and determine how puppy mills do not meet the needs of animals. Students research animal cruelty...
Carolina K-12
The Mini Page: July 14 is Bastille Day
July 14th, 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution and the end of French aristocracy. Read all about Bastille Day with a kids' newspaper that also includes articles on American popular culture, the circulatory system, and...