Curated OER
Like Comparing Bison and Fish
Fourth graders examine the cultures of early American Indians in North America and how geographic characteristics impacted the development of American Indian cultures. Students discuss Lewis and Clark, their journey, the Plains Indians,...
Curated OER
Treasure of the Silk Roads
Students generate world maps that act as creative writing prompts. The prompts reflect on the cultures and history of the past through their own experiences. Students create an original writing sample.
Curated OER
Early Native Americans
Young scholars create a scrapbook illustrating the culture of Native Americans that settled in the Kickapoo Valley. Working in groups, students choose a topic related to the Kickapoo Valley Indians. Using traditional and technological...
Curated OER
Incorporating Japanese Music into the Music Classroom
Fourth graders experience the music and arts of Japan as they explore the language and culture of the country in this instructional activity. A variety of musical elements from the culture are demonstrated.
Curated OER
Los Angeles Throughout the Years
Fourth graders study the history of the city of Los Angeles, investigating its variety of cultural traditions. They develop expertise on one specific decade in LA history.
Curated OER
Sayings and Phrases
Fourth graders respond to six sayings that are introduced in this lesson. They brainstorm, justify, explain, describe, create and relate as they respond.
Curated OER
Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits: Grades 3-5
Students explore the contributions of African Americans of the 20th century. In this African American history lesson, students examine portraits of Muhammad Ali, Romare Bearden, Lorraine Hansberry, Judith Jamison, and Leontyne Price in...
Curated OER
Shapes and Introduction to Geometry
Students make a quilt. In this geometry instructional activity, students discuss patchwork quilts and learn some different geometric shapes and patterns that are commonly used. Students explore designs with triangles and squares and then...
Curated OER
100 Patch Geometric Quilts
Learners identify geometric patterns in quilts. For this geometry lesson, students view various types of quilts and identify the geometric shapes. Learners construct one hundred patch paper quilts using geometric shapes.
Curated OER
Traveler's in Time
Students analyze artifacts to become familiar with the Great Migration. In this migration activity, students read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students role play a migration scenario using an artifact to help...
Curated OER
Creative Voices of Harlem
Students explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history instructional activity, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Students research and report on a famous...
Curated OER
The Westward Movement
Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...
Curated OER
Making a Colorado Brochure
Students create brochures reflecting the state of Colorado. In groups, they write about tourist attractions, important people, major cities, and statistical information. After writing, they create their brochure importing clip art and...
Curated OER
Under the Spell of Spiders
Students examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Students will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...
Curated OER
Fossils Footprints Across Time
Young scholars examine fossils to understand how they are formed and how they give information about geological history. In this fossil lesson plan, students research and write about fossils and make models of different fossil types.The...
Curated OER
Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination
Learners participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...
Curated OER
Social Studies: A Ticket to Japan
Fourth graders create Venn diagrams to compare and contrast life in the United States and Japan. While the teacher holds up word cards, they decide where to categorize them under Japan, the U.S., or both. As students assemble their...
Curated OER
Chinese Shadow Puppets
Students explore the art of Chinese shadow puppetry. They create puppets, develop and rehearse scripts and perform a show in front of the class.
Curated OER
Simple Gifts
Students examine the concepts of half notes, quarter notes, whole notes, and musical phrases by performing the Shaker song "Simple Gifts". Emphasis is placed on movement with music and meeting national standards for the arts.
Curated OER
Discover the History of Melody
Students connect to music resources. In this music lesson, students visit the websites of the Handel House Museum, the Horniman Museum, Reid Concert Hall, and the National Center for Early Music. Students...
Curated OER
Romare Bearden
Students examine and discuss a collage by the artist Romare Bearden. They analyze the impact of jazz on art, listen to jazz, and create an original collage.
Curated OER
Get to Know: Plants
Learners complete a research activity in a schoolyard or park to learn about plants. In this plant lesson, students learn the name of the one of more plants. Learners describe or draw the plant, pointing our features that distinguish the...
Art Institute of Chicago
African Myths and Stories
Young historians discover African stories associated with a royal altar tusk from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria, read myths illustrated on the tusk, and write a story about the life of an oba using figures depicted on the tusk.
Advocates for Human Rights
Voices of Iraqi Refugees
The stated goal of this resource is to provide learners with basic facts about and build empathy for Iraqi refugees. To do so elementary classes develop a plan for how to welcome refugees to their classroom. Middle schoolers read...