National Portrait Gallery (UK)
Explore Elizabeth I
Keen observation skills are an essential trait for good artists. Discuss the elements of a portrait with your class using terminology such as, full-face, profile, quarter-length, full-length. After that, they can use the included...
Curated OER
Don't Believe the Hype
Are hand sanitizers good for you? What about the environment? Research the science behind commonly used cold medicines. The class reads an article, creates a product poster, and conducts independent research on product claims made by...
Teachers.net
How to Write a Movie Review from a Pet's Perspective
When would two paws up denote a blockbuster film in your classroom? Only when young writers create movie reviews from a pet's perspective in this imaginative expository writing practice. This engaging topic begins with a class discussion...
Curated OER
Past Time
Review important grammatical rules. Focusing on the past tense, learners practice concepts that are used to form sentences in the past tense. This could a good activity at a center.
Illustrative Mathematics
Battery Charging
Your class will be very interested in the results of this activity. How long does it take a MP3 and video game player to charge? Sam only has an hour and the MP3 player only has 40% of its battery life left. Plus, his video player is...
Illustrative Mathematics
Modeling with a Linear Function
Here is a well-designed resource that provides five yes-or-no questions which model different situations with linear functions. It makes a good pre-test for the beginning of the unit. The purpose is to elicit common misconceptions of...
Curated OER
Comprehension: Inference (Level 1)
Looking for a solid worksheet to help you reinforce the concept of inferences? Here's a good one! Learners read sentences, select the most logical inferences, and tell why those inferences make sense. Eight inferences are identified.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: David Copperfield
Good worksheets are hard to find, but you found one! Your class reads an excerpt from the classic, David Copperfield. They answer four comprehension questions and explore context to complete eight fill-in-the-blank vocabulary words. The...
Illustrative Mathematics
Felicia's Drive
Learners consider several factors to determine if Felicia has enough gas to make it to her destination. They must explain the approximations Felicia might make while driving to determine if she needs to stop for gas. They are also asked...
Curated OER
Deep Impact
How can acknowledging opposing viewpoints reinforce one's argument? Use this New York Times lesson to study consumerism and the environmental impact of new products. After reading the article "Whether a Hummer or a Hybrid, the Big...
Curated OER
Showdown in the New Wild West
What is the root of the conflict between ranchers and environmentalists? Middle schoolers write their impressions of what an environmentalist is and does. They read the New York Times article "In New Wild West, It's Cowboys vs. Radical...
Curated OER
Student Tracking
Here is an interesting instructional activity on satellite tracking. Learners use various tracking techniques to find out where they go on a daily basis, what the environmental conditions are, and what they are doing during their...
Curated OER
Fire Fight
While somewhat dated (young scholars write letters to President George W. Bush about the Iraq War), this lesson could be a good way to reinforce rhetorical reading and critical thinking. Students examine information regarding Operation...
Curated OER
Calories in Sports
This 4-page worksheet includes information on caloric intake and output, an activity/calorie chart, and a form for calculating the amount of calories in various foods. A good introduction to calories.
Curated OER
A & An
Challenge your ESL students with this handout on articles. They choose "a" or "an" to complete several common nouns, as such "field," "hospital," and "uncle." This learning exercise would be a good class activity or quiz.
Curated OER
Indefinite Articles
Here is an engaging, interactive grammar learning exercise which has learners complete 70 phrase completion exercises by typing in the correct indefinite article. Good practice!
Curated OER
Human Cloning: Is it Biological Plagiarism?
Is cloning good or harmful? Help your class understand the risks and benefits as they read, research, and discuss human cloning. Individuals form teams, research information, and present to the class before concluding with an in-depth...
Curated OER
Writing a Letter
Here are three well-thought-out tasks intended to build good note taking and letter writing skills. The class reads three short letters, determines who wrote them (based on context) and takes notes as a pre-writing activity. They finish...
Curated OER
Verb Tenses
Why is it so important to have consistent verb tense when writing? Discuss some of the implications with your middle and high school classes. Examples are provided, and both incorrect and corrected sentences are shown. There's a lot of...
Curated OER
How many movies can you see in one day?
For kids who love movies, figuring out a schedule for the maximum number that can be seen in one day is not only a good demonstration of Common Core mathematical practices, but also a highly motivating activity. Robert Kaplinsky...
ARKive
Marvellous Mini-beasts – Design a Species
Here is a creative activity that teaches kids how species evolve different characteristics for survival. The lesson begins as the class discusses and examines the adaptive traits of mini-beasts or insects. Then, in small groups, they...
Curated OER
Lesson 1: The Importance of Rules in Our Country and in Our Classroom
Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...
Carfleo
Substance Use and Abuse
What is substance abuse? What is the difference between a depressant and a stimulant? Here is a comprehensive unit on drug use, including three lessons with such activities as categorizing and defining key terms, identifying issues...
Samaritans
Developing Listening Skills
Being a good listener is key to building and maintaining positive relationships. Use this lesson as a way to help children connect with others by becoming active listeners and improving their listening skills.