Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patricia Polacco, Author and Illustrator

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars conduct Internet research about the studenT author and illustrator Patricia Polacco. They compose letters to Ms. Polacco and, after revising and editing their work, send them in the mail.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pumpkins . . . Not Just Part of Halloween

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars study the pumpkin. For this pumpkin lesson, students participate in different activities that explain the history of pumpkins and how pumpkins develop and grow, read "The Great Pumpkin Story" and answer comprehensive...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals in Art

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Learners look at how animals are shown in literature and art as representing emotions, telling a story, or sending a message in this elementary school Language Arts and Visual Arts lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weaving a Story of Cooperation: The Goat in the Rug

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Weaving is an important part of Navajo culture. Read The Goat in the Rug to your fourth and fifth graders, and give them a glimpse into the process of rug making from the point of view of a goat! They will learn new vocabulary words and...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Oral traditions: Facilitating education through verbal traditions

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Bring oral traditions into the classroom to engage learning and facilitate best practices. From story telling to listening skills, this article provides reasons and rational behind oral traditions as a tool for education. 
Lesson Plan
NET Foundation for Television

1850-1874 Beef Moves to Nebraska

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Just how long was the Long Drive? Learners investigate the movement of cattle in the Great Plains during the mid-1800s. They incorporate photographic, newspaper, video, and primary source evidence into their posters, artwork, and written...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Giving Thanks to Mother Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students create an art project to be made into a laminated placemat to use during a classroom Thanksgiving feast. The lesson involves choosing at least three cutouts of elements of nature to glue onto a background page, drawing one...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dealing with Growth and Change

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students discuss the right and wrong actions of a young Navajo boy. Using that information, they compare and contrast his culture to their own. In groups, they create a newspaper or poster showing the cultural contributions of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Animals: Partners in Pollination

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students describe the complementary relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, identify adaptations that flowers have developed to "encourage" pollination, and create and draw their own "designer" flowers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mineral Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete a scavenger hunt worksheet as they find examples in their classroom, at home, etc., of minerals. Excellent worksheet!
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Classroom Exhibit: Rocks and Minerals

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students bring in rocks and minerals from home. They observe them and describe them carefully, completing a worksheet. Finally, a classroom exhibit is created.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination

For Teachers 4th - 7th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Under the Spell of Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils Footprints Across Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Desert is Theirs: Adapting to Our Environment

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students determine how animals and people adapt to the desert environment. In this desert lesson plan, students review vocabulary about the desert and how humans have to make changes to accommodate their environments. They listen to and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chinese Calligraphy

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars explore Chinese calligraphy. In this art and social science lesson, students copy the Chinese character ideograms in order to create words or phrases.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Animals: Partners in Pollination

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students identify the plant parts and bee structures that are involved in pollination. They simulate pollination in a group activity and process the information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minerals, Crystals, and Gems

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that includes all...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japan: Images of a People

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students learn the geography of Japan and its location in reference to the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japan: Images of A People

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study Japan and explore the use of screens.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Learners construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Close to Home: Creating Your Own Special Museum

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students create their own museum exhibit. In this museum creation lesson plan, students research their local history so they can decide on a theme for their exhibit and what objects they will use in order to design a museum exhibit. A...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Playing Historical Detective: Great Grandmother's Dress and Other Clues to the Life and Times of Annie Steel

For Teachers Pre-K - 8th
Students draw conclusions about an mystery person based on documents and artifacts provided. In this drawing conclusions instructional activity, students become detectives by reading and analyzing evidence provided. This instructional...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harding Black: Taking It To Another Level

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students complete a variety of activities related to the pottery of Harding Black and the uses of clay in San Antonio, Texas. They watch a video about the life of Harding Black, conduct a clay percolation experiment, compare and...