Facing History and Ourselves
Laws and the National Community
When it comes to the law, is justice always served? Teach scholars about how law sometimes enables prejudice of entire groups of people with a unit on World War II that includes a warm-up activity, analysis of primary sources,...
Louisiana Department of Education
Gulliver’s Travels
Gulliver's Travels tells the story of a man who goes on voyages and encounters strange people. A unit plan introduces readers to the classic text, as well as excerpts from other examples of sarcasm and satire, such as "A Modest Proposal"...
Bright Hub Education
Use Pictures or Artwork to Spark Creative Writing
Art in one form can inspire art in another. Use images to inspire writing in your English class. The lesson described here is not detailed; however, the idea is strong. An engaging way to get class members interested in writing, the...
Curated OER
Writing about Internal & External Conflicts in Lois Lowry's The Giver
Seventh graders examine the internal and external conflicts that Jonas faces in "The Giver" in an essay. Students use SMART Board and Inspiration to organize their ideas graphically before combining them into their paper.
Curated OER
Ordinary People, Ordinary Places: The Civil Rights Movement
Students investigate the message of Martin Luther King Jr. and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. They explore various websites, conduct Internet research, and develop a presentation that analyzes an event and place of the Civil Rights...
Sargent Art
Kandinsky - Inspired by Music
Who is Wassily Kandinsky? Introduce your young artists to the wonders of abstract nonobjective art through music. They'll listen to music as they cut, paste, and paint emotional works of art. The activity suggests the use of soothing...
Curated OER
The Stuff of Stories: Using Museums to Inspire Student Writing
Middle schoolers write descriptions, narratives, and dialogues based on objects of art and time periods in a museum. They base several writing assignments on art objects and paintings, including a literal description and an emotional...
Curated OER
Using Pop Art Imagery to Inspire Healthy Eating
Create a visual art project about obesity. In this art lesson, 8th graders research and explain the importance of eating healthy and exercise. They document their eating habits in their journal and analyze it.
Curated OER
Lady Gaga: Famous People, ELL Assignment
Lady Gaga is the focus of this lengthy assignment for English learners. More than 10 exercises address reading and listening comprehension, speaking skills, vocabulary acquisition, grammar and more! A thorough worksheet. Answers are...
California Academy of Science
Fresh Solutions: Design Thinking Challenge
How do people transport fresh water long distances to ensure everyone has access to it? The final instructional activity in the 10-part Fresh Solutions unit encourages individuals to design their own solution, or solutions, to that very...
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Taking Action
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights passed in 1948 when the majority of members of the United Nations voted in favor of the resolution. Scholars use their knowledge of human rights to determine ways they personally can help promote...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Significance of the Novel’s Title: Connecting the Universal Refugee Experience to Inside Out and Back Again, Part 2
How does poetry help people better understand societal issues? Pupils participate in a jigsaw activity to analyze poems from the novel Inside Out & Back Again. Next, they connect the poems to real-life refugee experiences from the...
Curated OER
Inspirational Canadian Humanitarians And Activists
Eleventh graders investigate the concept of being a humanitarian or hero. They conduct research about the concept looking for historical figures in which the traits of a hero or humanitarian is displayed. Once people are found then...
Curated OER
In Our Time
Middle schoolers map the ideas, people, and beliefs of a period of history. They analyze influences of historical eras. Students use mapping as a prewriting strategy. They use Inspiration to map the key events, ideas, and...
Curated OER
Turkey Soup for the Soul
Students 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
Legends of the Navajo People
Second graders are read a story in which they begin to examine Native American legends. Using different legends, they discuss how they affected the future people of native peoples. They write a short story on the information they gathered.
Curated OER
Abstract Painting - Inspired By Textiles
Sixth graders compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression. They create an abstract painting.
Curated OER
Self-Portraits Inspired By Saint Helena
Students create their own self-portrait revealing personal information employing two types of aesthetics: imitation and expression. Emphasis is placed on the painting "Saint Helena with True Cross" created by Lucus Cranch the Elder.
Curated OER
People Who Make A Difference: American Heroes
Students think about the characteristics of a hero so they can later evaluate which historical figures on the heroes chart meet the criteria.
Curated OER
Standing Up to Injustice
To help students move beyond the role of bystander, give them real-world examples of young people who fought injustice.
Curated OER
Read-Alouds for the Holidays and Winter
These five titles will inspire creativity, research, and reflection in your classroom.
Curated OER
Oh, Say, Can You See What the Star-Spangled Banner Means?
Students research the historical inspiration for the lyrics of the "The Star Spangled Banner". They explore websites, read articles and analyze poetry in an examination of America's patriotic symbols and history.
Curated OER
Language Arts: Telling a Painting's Story
Use art museum paintings as inspiration for your class's creative writing works. Observing the paintings closely, middle and high schoolers list details and write descriptions. Their completed stories are displayed on bulletin boards...
Curated OER
The Extraverted Thinking Personality Type: An Introduction
Curriculum strategies designed to engage and inspire a predominantly extraverted thinking class.