Curated OER
Learning From Lyrics
High schoolers analyze a song to determine the composer's point of view regarding the subject addressed in the song. They design and create an original visual aid that illustrates the theme of the song. Students identify any social...
Curated OER
Portfolio Open House Celebration
Seventh graders present their Great Depression portfolio to parents. In this social studies instructional activity, 7th graders evaluate their own work using the self-evaluation form. They watch a movie and discuss its relevance to the...
Curated OER
Life and Times, Developing a Chronology
High schoolers review the career and life of Ernie Pyle as an example of a biography in context. They consider how a chronology maps out the events in the life of an individual in the context of other events that were occurring at the...
Curated OER
Watching a Video Without Sound
Students watch a video with no sound and discuss what they thought happened, then they watch the same section of video again with sound and compare what they thought happened with actual events. They explore life as a deaf person.
Curated OER
Three Days at Gettysburg
Eighth graders discuss why the Battle of Gettysburg was important to the Civil War. In groups, they identify the major events of each day of the battle. They analyze how the battle changed the direction of the war and discuss the outcome.
Curated OER
Holes
Students watch the movie Holes. They list 5 key events from Holes and use a pyramid to rank the events in order of importance to the story. They determine cultural differences between the character and themselves.
Curated OER
PowerPoint Probability
Sixth graders investigate film making by creating a video about probability. In this math visualization lesson, 6th graders create a presentation for their class demonstrating the probability of random events taking place in the real...
Curated OER
Making a Brand for Ourselves the "Cowboy" Way
Fourth graders research the history of Utah. Students explore westward expansion and the importance of ranching in Utah's history. Students also investigate cattle drives in Utah.
Curated OER
The 47 Loyal Retainers -- Honor and Murder in Early Modern Japan
Students read articles about the 47 retainer group in Japan. They discuss the importance of honor and law in early modern Japan. They develop their own opinions about how a case should have been handled and share them with the class.
Curated OER
Introduce: Prediction
What will happen next? Leave readers at a cliffhanger as they practice prediction strategies while listening to a story. Pupils start by making guesses based on the book's cover and title, discussing the techniques they use to make these...
PBS
Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.
Curated OER
Determining Author's Point of View: The Sneeches
Determine the author's point of view in a text. Young readers read Dr. Seuss' The Sneeches and identify the author's purpose in the story. They identify persuasive techniques in writing, asking and answering questions to better...
Smithsonian Institution
Mary Henry: Journal/Diary Writing
A great way to connect social studies with language arts, a resource on Mary Henry's historical diary reinforces the concepts of primary and secondary sources. It comes with an easy-to-understand lesson plan, as well as the reference...
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
Virginia Department of Education
Grade 5 Writing Prompts
Looking for something to write about? Try out one of the prompts from three and a half pages of ideas. The list includes a variety of different topics that you can pick and choose from when planning a writing assignment or unit.
Channel Islands Film
First Contact: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 5-6
After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the experiences of...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Survivor Using Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What items would you need to survive if you were stranded in a remote place? Using chapter 10 of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, middle-schoolers work through a Six Trait writing activity to create a story about their own survival in a similar...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4
Study allusions with a research and presentation project. Pupils are assigned a specific allusion, the phoenix for example. They research the origins, compose a summary, explain the concept, and explore this allusion within various...
Curated OER
Computing the Net Force
Adorable little stick figures push and pull a cart of blocks to explain the push and pull of forces. Future physicists then define force and identify it in different situations on the worksheet that follows. Concepts covered include...
Curated OER
Louisiana's Tragic Hero - "Evangeline"
"Ye who believe...List to a Tale of Love in Acadie." Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline," launches a study of tragic heroines, epic poetry, the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada, and their subsequent migration to Louisiana. The...
Curated OER
Around the World in 180 Days
Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...
Curated OER
National Love Our Children Day
Have your class discuss National Love Our Children Day worksheet. Learners complete activities, such as reading a passage, matching phrases, filling in the blanks, choosing the correct word, spelling, sequencing, asking questions,...
Curated OER
To Dorm or Not To Dorm
For some of our students, college is right around the corner. Provide a bit of thoughtful information to help them (and their families) decide if dorm life is right for them. Included here are a list of pros and cons for living both on...
Curriculum Project
Gandhi
Introduce class members to Gandhi's non-violent, non-cooperative ideas with Richard Attenborough's 1982 bio-epic. The film traces the experiences that gave shape to Gandhi's ideas and the actions that eventually lead to the end of...