Smithsonian Institution
African American Music: Let’s Sing and Play Clapping Games
Two lessons focus on making a beat. Using popular African American music of its time, scholars listen and analyze the rhythm then recreate it with hands drums, and cups.
Concordia College Archives
History and Musical Aesthetics
What are the musical elements that characterize a school's fight song or its alma mater? Class members listen to examples of fight songs and alma maters from various schools, play a listening game, and then create a list of the...
Curated OER
Cosmic Mobiles: Recycled Art
If you have a little left over tinsel and aluminum foil, your class can create these fun moon and star mobiles. Poster board or recycled cardboard become your moon and stars; the tinsel gives them sparkle. This would be a great activity...
Curated OER
Hanukkah Fun: The Dreidel Game
Celebrate Hanukkah with an engaging lesson about the history of the dreidel! After reading or listening to a short description of the dreidel's place in the Hanukkah celebration, young learners work on their own dreidels from classroom...
Curated OER
Passover Picture Game
Students discuss the history of the Passover celebration. They comprehend the preparations that go on in Jewish households to get ready for the Passover, including the Passover Sedar table. Students show their comprehension of the...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Sharing Resources: The Nuts Game
The land has always provided its inhabitants with resources that allow them to survive. However, sometimes resources run scarce and sharing becomes an important task. Help little ones understand why and how people have shared resources...
Curated OER
Play Ball: A Major League Review Game
Apply the game of baseball to a fun review activity. Pupils earn a "base" for each subject question that they answer correctly. This activity can be modified and used for any subject area, including math, social studies, and language arts.
Curated OER
Great Online Art Sites
Students complete an online study of art websites. In this art and technology lesson, students explore the links and try the activities to learn about art online.
Curated OER
Arkansas History Lesson Plan
Students discover the history of their state by working in a group. In this U.S. history lesson, students investigate the state of Arkansas by reading their textbook and participating in art activities. Students discover the geography...
Curated OER
Word War Game
Students play a game with knights and monsters and if they can say the word under the knight, the knight will win, but if not, the monster wins. In this words lesson plan, students try to make all the knights win.
Curated OER
Family Album
Kids of all ages discover their family histories through pictures. First, flip through the PowerPoint provided (or consider making one of your own). It should show pictures of your family and have clear, easy to understand sentences that...
Curated OER
Round-Robin Reading Quiz
Small groups of learners read text round-robin style, and then work individually to answer three questions based on the text. Next, they share their questions and responses and add ideas from the group. The reading strategies detailed...
Curated OER
This Is My Life
Students create a time line of their lives from the perspective of 50 years in the future.
Curated OER
Baga Drum
Students examine a Baga Drum in order to explore the history of the Baga people of West Africa. In this art history lesson, students recognize figures used in Baga Drum design that represent aspects of Baga culture. They also design and...
Curated OER
Next Year's Seeds
Reading, a math game, and a simulation activity provide the engagement on a instructional activity about seeds and crops. Learners in grades two through four read an informational passage about crops, seeds, and farming. They highlight...
Curated OER
Making a Rainstick
Young scholars construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Young scholars express their feelings about the...
Curated OER
Confetti Eggs
Students create confetti-filled eggs in this easter, or spring, Art lesson for the elementary school classroom. The lesson includes resource links and a game idea involving the created confetti eggs to celebrate any occasion.
Curated OER
Arkansas: A Natural State
Here is a wonderful lesson on natural resources found in Arkansas which is designed for kindergartners. The lesson could be easily adapted for any state. Some clever in-class activities, games, and a song are included in this...
Curated OER
Olympic Mascot Lesson
Students investigate the 1968 Olympics by identifying their mascots. For this Olympic history lesson, students participate in a group activity where they match countries with their representative mascots. Students analyze the meaning...
Curated OER
Have a Halloween Party
Students create favors and decorations for a Halloween party. They discover the history of the holiday. They practice working together and using their social skills.
Curated OER
Happy Thankgiving: Traditions in Culture
Students relate their own Thanksgiving experiences to those of the past through colonial games, Thanksgiving story books, and personal interviews. They develop a concept of how to celebrate Thanksgiving and plan a class time celebration,...
Curated OER
William Tell Overture
Learners explore the musical concepts of rhythm, melody, expression, and tone color in a three-instructional activity unit about the William Tell Overture. They identify dynamics and tempo and play a vocal tone color singing game.
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Dancing With the Indians
Students read Dancing With the Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Native American festivals and traditions. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...
Curated OER
St. Patrick's Day and Leprechauns
Young learners are introduced to the history, and customs surrounding St. Patrick's Day. This colorful and enchanting instructional activity has the students hunt for leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, and that lucky pot 'o gold.