Curated OER
The Art of Making Paper
Young scholars discover the materials used to make paper in the late Middle Ages and coompare that to papermaking today. In groups, they analyze and compare the effectiveness, cost and value of the various materials available. They...
K5 Learning
The Blind Men and the Elephant
Sometimes it's necessary to view the whole picture before making a judgment about a small part. Read a short story about five blind men who try to identify an elephant by feeling different parts and coming to their own conclusions....
Film Foundation
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: What Is a Movie?
Watching is not the same as seeing. Transform viewers from passive watchers to active students of film with this 34-page packet, filled with lessons and activities that use Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to examine the technology, the...
Curated OER
Art On Trial (A Mock-Court Activity)
Students engage in a mock trial to decide if a work of prospective public art is "art" and accepted for a city park. They broaden their definitions of what "art" is. Students distinguish between opinion and informed judgment of art works.
Curated OER
Paul Revere and Point of View
Students analyze the engraving of Paul Revere to make a judgment about the time period of the Boston Massacre. The objective is that one creates an account of the event from the perspective of a British soldier.
Curated OER
A Midsummer Night's Dream
You might not be able to put a girdle around the earth in forty minutes but you can generate interest in A Midsummer’s Night Dream in that length of time. As an introduction to Shakespeare’s comedy, pairs of students assume the roles of...
Concordia University Chicago
Liberty Enlightening the World by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Here is a lesson that uses the painting Liberty Enlightening the World to start a discussion on the importance of national monuments. The class discusses several monuments around the world, and then invites a veteran to share his/her...
Curated OER
Directed Reading Thinking Activity: "A Raisin in the Sun"
Students predict outcomes of a text. In this comprehension strategy lesson, students read a poem and compare it to the play A Raisin in the Sun. Students discuss their similarities and the power of dreams.
Curated OER
Discrimination Hurts
Fifth graders interpret stereotyping and discrimination as limiting and hurtful behaviors and demonstrate how to address these behaviors in a positive manner. In this discrimination lesson plan, 5th graders use the poem The Woman Who...
Curated OER
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
In this online interactive reading comprehension activity, students respond to 14 multiple choice questions about Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Bags, Baskets, Bundles, Gourds, and Nets: Ancient and Imaginative Ways for Making, Storing, and Carrying Things
Students explore Mayan culture. In this Mayan world cultures lesson, students identify 5 methods by which the Mayan people carried things. Students view several drawings and photographs of these items, then describe how each item was...
Curated OER
The Odyssey and The Morte Darthur: Reading and Making Observations for Writing and Discussion
Students read "The Odyssey" and "The Morte Darthur". In groups, they research the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology and the history of the places mentioned in the stories. Individually, they are to write a paper about a hero they...
Curated OER
Making Use of Fieldwork
Young scholars transcribe, analyze, and archive fieldwork and create a team project drawn from fieldwork. They brainstorm a list of reasons why preservation of collected materials is important and explore the online archives of the...
Newspaper Association of America
Critical Thinking through Core Curriculum: Using Print and Digital Newspapers
What is and what will be the role of newspapers in the future? Keeping this essential question in mind, class members use print, electronic, and/or web editions of newspapers, to investigate topics that include financial literary,...
Curated OER
Changing It Up
How should a cashier stock a cash register with coins? Learners use mathematical modeling and expected value to determine how many rolls of coins of each type they should place in a cash register.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Yellow Journalism
What role did yellow journalism play in bringing the United States into war with Spain? As part of their study of the Spanish-American War, class groups examine newspapers of the times and other texts and then produce their own...
K12 Reader
Proverbs and Adages: What Do They Mean?
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but feel free to find the silver lining in a worksheet about common proverbs and adages. Learners read six popular adages and write their literal definitions on the lines provided.
NASA
Planning Time
Ever feel there's just not enough hours in the day? Young adults explore an important part of personal development using a group of activities. After comparing how they actually spend their time with how they would like to, scholars...
Curated OER
The Emperor and the Kite
Fourth graders develop critical listening skills and answer four questions related to the story, THE EMPEROR AND THE KITE. They identify the main idea and recall a question that involves making a judgment.
Curated OER
Putting Away Your Inner Editor
Personify your Inner Editor. After making a richly detailed paper doll of your Inner Editor, put him or her in your locker, under your bed or buried in a time capsule in your backyard, but not near where you like to write. Refuse to...
Curated OER
Evaluating Your Sources
Students practice making critical judgments about the sources sited when researching a topic on the internet and in real-life situations. They assess how sources vary in reliability and accuracy while reviewing a variety of source...
Curated OER
CTBS Spelling Practice #6
In this spelling practice activity, students correct the misspelled words and define words they are unfamiliar with. Students answer forty two multiple choice questions, and each question has four words.
Curated OER
Protesting through Art
Students experience critiquing, analyzing, and comparing different works of art from different eras. They discuss how these works can or can't be considered a form of protest and assess how to evaluate their own judgments and values on...
Curated OER
TELL THE SEQUENCE IN AN ORAL REPORT
Second graders survey a favorite story he/she has read or heard read aloud. They use the graphic organizer to draw illustrations that show the beginning, middle and end of the story. They tell the title of the story, whether it is...