Curated OER
Nature Inspired Batik T-Shirt
A wonderful product called Batik is the focus of this lesson. High schoolers should love this art lesson, because each shirt will come out differently, and each student puts their original "stamp" on it. One warning: there are a lot of...
Curated OER
So Much Depends Upon...Sixteen-Word Imagery Poems Inspired by Love that Dog by Sharon Creech
After reading Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (and possibly shedding a few tears), middle schoolers work on their own sixteen-word poems with a Six Trait writing activity. They focus on word choice in this activity to capture an...
Sargent Art
Glass Jar Sand Art: Inspired by Navajo Sand Painting
Sand has been used as an artistic medium for centuries and can be found in cultures across the globe. The class examines sand art created by the Navajo people. They mix tempera paint and sand to create their colors, and then fill jars,...
Curated OER
DNA: The Genetic Material
The various experiments and processes that were completed in the 20th century to further our understanding of DNA are summarized here. There are wonderful slides to popularize the scientists who dedicated their professional life to...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Keep it Cool
This cool lesson plan is ideal for elementary engineers or physical scientists, especially when learning about heat transfer and insulation. After reading a page of background information, engineering teams collaborate to design and...
Curated OER
The Water Cycle--Using Inspiration Software
Third graders describe and label the water cycle, and list how water changes from one form to another; students use Inspiration Software to label a blank water cycle diagram.
Dick Blick Art Materials
Chenille Stem Stitchery
The works of Spanish painter Joan Miro are used to inspire young artists to create their own colorful works of art using stitchery canvas and yarn. Kids draw their design on plastic canvas using erasable crayons and then stitch the...
Seussville
It's Time to Play Seuss-Aphone!
Play a game of telephone, Dr. Seuss style! Kids can use the suggested phrases listed on this page or choose any silly sentence that the famous cat wearing a hat says. See the materials for two more activities.
Curated OER
The Present Tense (Part 1)
This resource examines the present tense through several mediums. The information covered includes: regular present tense verbs, stem-changing present tense verbs, irregular present tense verbs, and use of the present tense. Included is...
Curated OER
Elementary Vocabulary Games
How do learners pick up new vocabulary words? This book offers an explanation and 30 vocabulary games to help your language learners master new words. Each game is based on a particular topic and includes three parts (memorizing,...
National Gallery of Canada
My Treehouse
If you could build your own treehouse, what would it look like? Using a piece of contemporary art as inspiration, learners draw their own treehouses and add geometric and organic shapes. The lesson touches on Visual Thinking Strategies...
Health Smart Virginia
Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee
As part of the Health Smart social and emotional learning unit, seventh graders are taught the T.R.A.I.N Method (Talk to others, Resilience, Accept it, Inspiration from others, Need to be prepared) of coping with disappointment and...
Curated OER
Part Two: A Truly Inspirational Book List for Teachers
The second article of my two-part series on terrific books for teachers.
Curated OER
Turkey Soup for the Soul
Learners read an article that tells how a young man turned his life around through the help of a local charity. They create inspirational scrapbooks and posters to help motivate their peers when they are facing adversity.
Curated OER
Haring Inspired CD Covers
Students create CD covers from their music-inspired drawing sessions. They compare what they drew while listening to classical, punk and rap music. They scan their drawings into Adobe Photoshop and design their cover.
Curated OER
Haring Inspired Wall Murals
Students complete a community service project for their school. In this community service instructional activity, students and volunteers help paint murals on the walls of the school. Students learn about Keith Haring and paint their...
Curated OER
Rockin' Round New York State
Students discuss their favorite rock groups and bands. They create rock groups that will be touring New York State. Students research cities in New York, determine dates of concerts, create touring itineraries, and develop Inspiration...
Curated OER
Inspired Innovation
Throughout time, innovators have taken basic ideas and changed them into creative and cutting-edge designs. Kids tackle the topic of innovations in relation to traditional or creative objects. They discuss traditional Navajo pottery then...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Brain Inspiration
"Neuroscientists consider Cajal as important to their discipline as Einstein is to physics." The first of four lessons has scholars view Santiago Ramon y Cajal's drawings of neurons. They reflect and respond to the art through writing...
Curated OER
How Owly And Wormy Became Friends: Using a Silent Comic To Inspire Creative Writing
Students view a wordless comic before using it as a story starter. They access a story that uses the same characters at a website in order to better understand the nature of the characters. They write a story inspired by the comic and...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Using Maps to Inspire Personal Narratives
A solid description of one way to teach narrative writing, this resource outlines the writing process from concept to completion. Class members create concept maps of moments in their lives and follow the writing process to publish their...
Curated OER
Using Ser and Estar
While ser and estar both mean to be, they are each used in different situations. This is often confusing for Spanish language learners. Clarify these verbs for your class with direct instruction. The information included on this page...
Curated OER
Using Poetry As Inspiration for Composition
A reading of Robert Frost’s "The Road Not Taken" launches an interdisciplinary study of the connection between the meters of a poem and a melody. After identifying the number of beats in each line of the poem, young musicians use...
Curated OER
Borrowing Narrative Skills from Mr. Fletcher: Using a "Prompts in Reverse" Technique to Inspire Your Writers
Help your class find their writing voices with this instructional activity which uses the work of Ralph Fletcher to guide a "Prompt in Reverse" activity. Using the chapter "First Pen" from Fletcher's Marshfield Dreams, learners decipher...