Curated OER
Defining Success
The class defines what it means to be successful by examining the achievements of Rich Wilson. They create headlines for a mock paper, discuss achieving personal goals, and create a scrapbook of his journey. Tip: Use this resource when...
Curated OER
Pioneering Principles: Why Character Matters
What does it mean to "be of good character"? What are the qualities that define such a person? The 1825 Colonization Law of Coahuila y Texas required that all new immigrants into Mexican Texas present documentation that they were of good...
Curated OER
Definitions by Context
Use this two-page resource either with your English language learners or your upper elementary native speakers. There are eight questions that test your learners' ability to use the context of a sentence to define an unknown word....
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Sarcasm, Irony, and Satire
Satire, sarcasm, or irony? Editorial cartoons have long been the tool artists use to express their opinions about politics and politicians. Kevin "Kai" Kallaugher's four-panel cartoon offers readers an opportunity to examine how he uses...
Prestwick House
Understanding Language: Slant, Spin, and Bias in the News
We live in a time of fake news, alternative realities, and media bias. What could be more timely than an activity that asks class members to research how different sources report the same topic in the news?
Curated OER
Defining success: A debate about success encourages critical thinking skills
Students develop critical thinking skills while exploring new ideas about success, discuss people they consider to be successful, and identify how they measure or define their own personal success.
Curated OER
What is Honesty?
Students explore the concept of honesty. In this character lesson, students work in groups to brainstorm and discuss what it means to be honest. Each group shares their ideas with the class and they keep a list of keywords and descriptions.
Curated OER
Your Politician: Myth vs. Reality
Young scholars adopt a public official, research how they spend their time, and define the actual duties associated with the job. They sort perceptions about the job into myths and realities, and analyze political cartoons involving...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing
Fourth and fifth graders try their hand at persuasive writing. They listen to well-written persuasive articles so they can get a sense of what good persuasive writing is. Then, they brainstorm topics they'd like to write about and are...
Curated OER
Cartoons for The Classroom: Lame Duck Congress
Clear up "lame duck" congressional confusion with this political cartoon analysis instructional activity. Background information on the concept's history and current use is provided, and 2 cartoons give a past and present context. Three...
Curated OER
Conservation at a Crossroads Lesson 1: What Is Conservation and Why Does It Matter?
Students explore the concept of conservation. In this conservation lesson, students read articles and primary documents about the Conservation Movement in the United States and compare the movement to today's environmental movements....
Curated OER
What's Civil About War?
Students study about the Civil War through primary sources used in the PBS production of "Freedom: A History of US" based on Joy Hakim's books, "A History of US", and the companion PBS Web site.
Curated OER
Planning a Government
Demonstrate the complexities of running a government with this group activity. Young politicians are arranged into small groups and become leaders of a hypothetical country (outline of country provided). Groups must outline 6 (listed)...
3C Skills Collaborative
Skill Twenty: Sell Successfully
"Selling is important in all professions because it involves synthesizing information and persuading people." Rather than using this as a lesson on how to sell a product, this resource might best be used as an inquiry into what goes into...
Curated OER
Critical Reading- Air Pollution and Asthma
Students read two different articles which present the scientific issue of asthma, the causes, and the rising rates in our society. Students read for facts and examine whether or not the scientists have a political point of view....
Facing History and Ourselves
Exploring Raphael Lemkin's Actions: The Invention of the Word "Genocide"
Learners examine the contributions of Raphael Lemkin. For this genocide activity, students consider how Lemkin defined the atrocities of the Holocaust as he coined the term "genocide." Learners discuss the definition of genocide as well...
Curated OER
Party Time!
For this discussion prompts worksheet, students, with a partner, discuss seven party phrases, use those phrases in seven sentences, define party in six different scenarios and start a conversation with ten key questions.
National Gallery of Canada
The World Around Me
Have your learners use their surroundings as inspiration for an art project. Class members first examine and discuss art. They then choose an area and spend five days taking down observations in written and sketch form. These...
Curated OER
King Midas Lesson Plan
Students perform Reader's Theater of the story of King Midas as they investigate how greed effects people. They look at a contemporary famous person who gave into greed what the effect was. They chose a creative activity from a list...
Curated OER
"I Banish You": Using Visual and Auditory Imagery to Connect with Speech
High schoolers analyze a monologue by Coriolanus in Shakespeare's play of the same name. In this literature lesson plan, students discuss and define betrayal and the events surrounding Coriolanus' banishment from Rome.
Curated OER
Amnesty International
Students are introduced to the phrase 'human rights. They discuss how they would feel if they were an underage soldier. Students are divided into small groups, they work together to answer questions such as: How would you define...
Curated OER
Lyndon Baines Johnson : Triumph and Tragedy
Students view a documentary on Lyndon Baines Johnson. His presidency was both a success and a failure. After viewing, students discuss what they saw then create a poster for LBJ's 1964 presidential campaign. They discuss Vietnam as well.
Curated OER
Discovering Oral Histories of the Vietnam War Era
Students collect and examine the oral histories of various Vietnam War participants and share the results of their historical research. They investigate the oral histories of one of the defined participants of the Vietnam Era. Students...
Curated OER
The Mythology of Munich
Students listen to a story read by their teacher and identify the pictures inside it to be real or make believe. In this fiction and non fiction lesson plan, students also write a real or make believe story of their own.