Smithsonian Institution
A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
Curated OER
Sensitive Taste Test
Fifth graders investigate concentrated and diluted solutions by conducting a taste test. In this dilution lesson, 5th graders examine the concentration of different juices samples by tasting them and recording their observations....
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Shoeless Math
First graders sort and classify, and complete a T-chart using Students' shoes.
Curriculum Corner
Back to School Math and Literacy Centers
From filling in the missing number to filling in the missing letter; to writing fluency sentences to skip counting and matching, a complete set of back to school math a literacy centers will not disappoint. Use these activities during...
Curated OER
Sand Travels
Students examine how sand is formed by erosion and that it can be moved by streams, rivers, and ocean currents in this unit of lessons. They study waves and currents, and structures that change how sand moves by creating story charts,...
Curated OER
Electricity
Each of these slides presents the basic scientific details and situations where charge, or static may appear. Handouts of the empty PowerPoint slides could be provided so that students could work through these examples and correctly...
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Tikkun Olam: Charting Your Course
Students explore the concept of Tikkun Olam in relation to Hurricane Katrina and efforts to help others. They read documents related to the Jewish response to Hurricane Katrina and discuss ways they can help rebuild. Working in small...
Curated OER
Under the Sea - KWL Chart
Students create a KWL chart to start the discussion on ocean animals. They practice sorting the animals into their different classifications. They use indexes, table of contents and glossary to find information.
Curated OER
What's My Pattern?
Students recognize, describe and extend patterns in three activities. They organize data, find patterns and describe the rule for the pattern as well as use the graphing calculator to graph the data to make and test predictions. In the...
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What's in Soil?
Students examine soil samples and make observations. In this soil lesson plan, students participate in experiments to determine the components (mineral matter, organic matter, water air) in the soil. Students analyze a pie graph on the...
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Essential Words- Second 100 Essential Worksheet
In this language arts worksheet, students fill in the missing letter in each word in a table of 100 essential words. They write the correct word in the box directly to the right of the word with the missing letter. They complete these...
Curated OER
Balloon Rocket Race Track
Students discuss "How can we measure (or make it easier to record) the speed, distance or acceleration of the balloon?" They told that they are going to make a balloon racetrack. Pupils use meter sticks to accurately measure length and...
Curated OER
The Human Organism
In this digestion and nutrition lesson, 3rd graders test foods to find their vitamin content. Students test for starch and fats then compare their findings on charts and oral reports. The lesson concludes with a teacher directed class...
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Decoding Strategies
Young readers apply decoding strategies to identify unknown words. In this reading lesson, they read the Preamble and practice using decoding strategies. Small groups rotate to five charts that have questions regarding the Constitution...
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Fly Away Into Reading
Students complete repeated readings of the same passage in order to increase their reading fluency and comprehension. They listen as the teacher reads both with and without fluency to hear the difference. Working in small groups, they...
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Lesson 3: What Happens When a Bank Makes a Loan?
Students role-play to show how bank loans made to people can have an impact on others in the community. In small groups, they analyze hypothetical loans, using flow charts or other diagrams to describe the probable impact of each.
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The Great Kapok Tree Debate
Students participate in a read aloud of the story, "The Great Kapok Tree" in which a logger decides not to cut down a tree. In small groups, they discuss and write about their opinion on the logger's decision. Each group then presents...
Curated OER
Go, Speed Reader, Go
Students increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing chunking, decoding, and rereading, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working in small groups, they read complete a timed...
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Slumber Party
In this food worksheet, students pretend they are going to a slumber party and have to calculate food according to PKU. Students complete 7 questions and 2 charts.
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Graphing a Healthy Lifestyle
Fifth graders, over a week, record the amount of time they spend sleeping, attending school, watching T.V., exercising and doing homework. At the end of the week the students graph all of their information and discuss how sleep impacts...
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Graphing a Healthy Lifestyle
Fifth graders record the amount of time they spend sleeping, attending school, watching T.V., exercising and doing homework. At the end of the week they graph all of their information and discuss how sleep impacts their learning....
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 2 - Grades 4-6
Class members will dig this activity that has them trying their hand at recovering artifacts. Groups are assigned a section of a sandbox, carefully uncover the artifacts in their section, and then develop theories about who might have...
Channel Islands Film
Restoration Channel Islands Debate
Introduce learners to the debate format with an activity that uses the National Park Service's controversial Channel Islands restoration program as a topic. Class members learn how to generate provocative debate questions, how to prepare...
Curated OER
Connotation in Propaganda
High schoolers assess persuasive techniques in propaganda. They identify and critique rhetorical devices in primary source documents (sources are not specified, but links to sites that contain various documents are included). Groups make...