Curated OER
Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents
Arranged into small groups, learners read a paragraph of the news story "Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents." As one reads, others mark the text (underlining important information and writing notes in the margin of the story). After...
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 4-5
Should the excavation of what is believed to be the cave of the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island be allowed to continue? As a practice exercise designed to prepare pupils for a timed writing exam, individuals read two Los Angeles Times...
Curated OER
Jewish Heroes Congress
Students explore Jewish heroes throughout history. In this character development and history lesson, students work in groups to research a Jewish hero. A life-size model of the hero is constructed. Students participate in a Jewish Heroes...
Curated OER
Deception in Twelfth Night
Students examine deception in fiction. In this Shakespearean lesson, students discover mistaken identity and misrepresentation in the play Twelfth Night. Students complete worksheets based on the play.
Curated OER
Robinson Crusoe: The Original "Survivor"!
Fourth graders read and analyze Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and participate in problem solving activity similar to television show, Survivor. Eight lessons on one page.
Curated OER
Mini-Unit: Natural Resources
Students explore how their choices affect others. In this character development and ecology lesson, students debate choice-making issues. Students listen to The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and identify choices the characters made about tree...
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CDVs at Home and School
Students identify the rules they have at home and at school. They connect the values to the core democratic values and discuss whether all rules should connect to the core values. They create a mural showing students following the rules...
Curated OER
The Art of Chess
Students discover the history of the most popular board game in the world, chess. In this model building lesson, students create their own chess pieces using a theme they have decided on and clay modeling pieces. Students investigate...
Curated OER
How The Brahman Bull Got Its Hump
Learners examine ancestors of Brahaman cattle. After reading a story, "How The Camel Got His Hump," students discuss the differences between a camel and a Brahman bull. Upon completing a discussion of how the Brahman got its hump,...
Curated OER
Solution-Hero
Students analyze the decision-making skills. In this character education instructional activity, students read a comic book and identify the superhero. Students then analyze the types of decisions the character makes throughout the story...
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Words into Pictures
Students discover the history of writing through images, and the universal themes that are still relevant. In this communications lesson, students analyze a group of symbols on the black board and must translate them into a complete...
Curated OER
My Promise
Learners define their own civic responsibility and create a PowerPoint presentation about their volunteer efforts. For this civic responsibility lesson, students define the word volunteer and read an article about a volunteer in their...
Curated OER
Writing a Grant
Students explore grant writing. In this grant writing lesson, students brainstorm possible community service projects. Students complete a grant proposal form.
Curated OER
The Art of Simple Machines
Students investigate the inventions of simple machines in our past and how they affect us today. In this engineering lesson, students discover who Rube Goldberg was and his ideas about complicated machines performing very simple tasks....
Curated OER
Look at Philanthropy in Children's Literature
Students listen to stories about different philanthropic acts. They work together in groups to create a list of the needs of their community. They chose a service project which could be completed by their class.
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 1 - Grades 3-4
As part of their study of the history of the Channel Islands, class members craft an informational article to post on a bulletin board that features the Chumash ancestral tradition of tomol paddling.
Channel Islands Film
Eminent Domain
After viewing the documentary The Last Roundup, a documentary about the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately own island to a National Park, class members debate the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment that permits the...
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 1
How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...
Channel Islands Film
Santa Cruz Island - Visible Thinking Routines
Visible Thinking Routines are designed to help learners deepen their understanding of what they are learning and enable them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. Individuals adopt one of these routines to use to...
Channel Islands Film
Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 1
Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...
Channel Islands Film
Magic Isle: Lesson Plan 4
After watching West of the West's documentary on Catalina Island, The Magic Isle, class members research how Walt Disney's and William Wrigley's different visions impacted the island.
Channel Islands Film
Sa Hi Pa Ca (Once Upon a Time): Lesson Plan 2
What tools do archaeologists and anthropologist use to learned about what life was like in the past. After watching West of The West's documentary Once Upon a Time that details how scientists use artifacts to establish a history of the...
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
Magic Isle: Lesson Plan 1
What are the factors that limit growth and expansion? As part of their study of Catalina Island, class members view the West of the West's documentary Magic Isle and research William Wrigley and the Santa Catalina Island Company. After...