National Endowment for the Humanities
La Familia
Young scholars identify at least one country where the Spanish language is spoken, describe similarities and differences between Spanish, Mexican, and Puerto Rican families, and practice speaking the Spanish words for several family...
Curated OER
French and Family
Where is France? Interest young learners in exploring France, French language, and French culture. They identify similarities and differences between French and American families, speak the French words for family members, analyze maps,...
Curated OER
Patriotic Symbols of the United States
Young historians take a close look at the most famous patriotic symbols of the United States and determine what they actually stand for. Symbols such as Uncle Sam, The Statue of Liberty, The Bald Eagle, and The Liberty Bell are studied....
Curated OER
Spelling Activity
Sometimes you can add an s to a word to form its plural. Sometimes you can't. Help your class learn how to pluralize irregular words like calf, woman, and half. After, have them study the prefixes un, de, pre, dis, and re in the colorful...
Curated OER
Using HyperStudio
Second through eighth graders use the software "HyperStudio" to create a presentation of their choice on Native American lifestyles. One thing I like a lot about this lesson, is that the students are the ones who get to choose and...
Denver Art Museum
Alien Beauty
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," is a popular phrase in our society. The lesson here puts the phrase to the test as pupils explore what truly is beautiful through a study of some Japanese folk art. A careful examination of the...
Curated OER
Matching Times
Study digital and analog times on a clock with learners. They will use the Kidspiration template to create a digital and analog time display on the computer. They also display the correct times on both analog and digital clocks when the...
Curated OER
River Animals
Here is a wordsearch that has learners find words like river otter, mink, striped bass, and dogfish. Accurate and colorful pictures of the words appear on the page. This would be ideal for early-elementary youngsters who are studying any...
Curated OER
Habitats: Cactus Hotel
A reading of Brenda Z. Guiberson’s, Cactus Hotel, launches a study of animal habitats. Working with parent volunteers or teacher aides, groups travel outside the classroom to select a habitat, take digital pictures, and incorporate the...
Curated OER
Multiplication Snack Activity
Youngsters study multiplication facts by manipulating food in order to problem solve. They will use healthy snack items as manipulatives to solve various multiplication equations. Charts, tables, physical models, and so much more are...
Curated OER
Human Parts
Very young learners who are studying the human body will use this instructional activity to identify certain body parts. A cartoon drawing of a boy is shown, and learners must draw lines matching up words such as arm, tummy, foot, and...
Curated OER
Building a House
Study the different materials needed to build a house. Kindergartners and first graders read five sentence frames, and match the phrases that describe wood planks, glass, and clay. An experiment prompts kids to test different types of...
Curated OER
Hold On to Your Hats
Elementary schoolers study the symbolism and influences found in advertising. First, they learn about the history and cultural significance of the Summer Official's Hat that was a symbol of status in ancient China. Then, they access...
Curated OER
Lesson 1: The Importance of Rules in Our Country and in Our Classroom
Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...
Curated OER
Prepositions
Elementary schoolers view and study ten pictures of the location of a ball adjacent to a box. They decide where the ball is and match it to its appropriate preposition on the right. A good language arts lesson!
Curated OER
Solar Sweet Tea
Students study the sun. In this heat energy lesson, students use the sun's warmth to make tea. They place a few jars with tea bags and water in the sun and discuss what the sun is doing to the water while they wait for the tea to brew....
Curated OER
Dolch Homophones
In this effective language arts lesson, students study homophones and practice using the correct words as they fill in the blanks to sentences. Sentence ideas are provided in the lesson, as is a very nice 35-page booklet of language...
Curated OER
Affects of Prejudicial Attitudes
Second graders explore the concept of cultural assimilation. They study the affects of prejudice on the authors of Curious George (Margret & H. A. Rey). They communicate ideas and opinions of the rights and responsibilities of...
Curated OER
Runny Babbit
Students are introduced to elements of poetry through the book Runny Babbit. In this poetry lesson plan, students learn about the newest Shel Silverstein book, then examine the poem's form, rhythm, and rhyme. Students look for other Shel...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Welcome to the Ice House
Students study tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary activity, students explore new vocabulary words found while reading Welcome to the Ice House. Students assess the meaning of their new vocabulary words and record their...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Red Riding Hood
Students study tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students read Red Riding Hood and investigate tier two vocabulary words found in the story. Students analyze the meaning of vocabulary words and record their...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving
Students study tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students explore new vocabulary words while reading The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving. Students record their new vocabulary words using a word journal or discovery chart.
Curated OER
Introduce: The Prefixes un- and dis-
Students study language. In this word-making lesson, students discover the meanings of the prefixes un- and dis-. They work in small groups to create a list of words using these prefixes. This lesson includes modifications for ELL...
Curated OER
My Country 'Tis of Thee with American Symbols
Young scholars study the various patriotic symbols which represent America. They choose one, research its history, and write a report about it. They make a drawing of the symbol and use the drawing in a PowerPoint presentation for the...