Curated OER
Effects of Oil Spills on Environment and Marine Life
Students explore oceanography by conducting an environmental experiment in class. For this oil spill lesson, students discuss the human need for oil and what is at stake when we drill for oil in our oceans. Students read a book in class...
Curated OER
Personal Experience Narratives
Help your middle schoolers identify personal experience narratives in their own lives through telling stories themselves and from family members or other adults. They study personal experience narratives in Swapping Stories and compare...
Smithsonian Institution
Art to Zoo: Life in the Promised Land: African-American Migrants in Northern Cities, 1916-1940
This is a fantastic resource designed for learners to envision what it was like for the three million African-Americans who migrated to urban industrial centers of the northern United States between 1910 and 1940. After reading a...
Curated OER
The Life Cycle of the Mealworm
Fourth graders provide a habitat for live mealworms and observe their life cycle. In this animal life cycle and scientific inquiry lesson, 4th graders create a habitat for a live mealworm and observe and record related data as it grows....
Curated OER
Using Prior Knowledge from Personal Experiences-Understanding Duke Ellington
Students research the life of Duke Ellington. For this music history lesson, students draw comparisons between the early life experiences of Duke Ellington and themselves. Students work in small groups to compare Ellington's resistance...
Curated OER
A Pixie Biography Report
Students practice biographical writing after completing research on the subject. For this journalism lesson, students read a story of an important person's life and discuss the important moments along the way. Students utilize their...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a Homeless Person
Learners examine the day in the life of a homeless person. In this humanitarian lesson, students examine the life of a homeless person while discovering the importance of social justice in our society.
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Scholars of all ages can use the various tools of technology to construct and illustrate a story. Utilizing this resource, learners work with a partner to brainstorm and draft a story based on personal experience. They use computer...
Curated OER
Pennies of My Life Part II
Youngsters write and construct their own autobiographies based on The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis. They engage in pre-writing steps, narrative writing, and peer editing. This is the second part of a two-part project...
Curated OER
Biography
Transform a written biography into a video biography! Introduce your learners to the biography format by reading them a few examples (some suggestions are included). Then discuss the factors that make a good biography. What information...
Curated OER
Build a Connection
Learners discuss their personal connections with stories they've read in the past and identify techniques to connect with more stories. They create illustrations, construct task cards, and complete sentence stems based on books they read...
Curated OER
Applying Ahimsa to Traditional Stories
Investigate the life of Mahatma Gandhi by researching non-violent lifestyles. Learners define the word ahimsa and discuss the personal characteristics that made Gandhi a peaceful warrior. They also create a poster about the story "The...
Curated OER
Can You Haiku?
Everyone loves haikus! They're short, quick, and fun to write! Analyze the rules and conventions of haiku. Readers interpret examples of haiku and develop a vocabulary for writing haiku. Then they compose a haiku based on a personal...
Curated OER
Calligraphy, Handwriting And The Alphabet
Students produce calligraphy projects using writing skills and unique tools in this six-day Art activity. Emphasis is placed upon the work of Portland, Oregon calligraphy artist Inga Dubay and her experiences with "Italic" writing...
Learning Station
Researching and Writing a Biography
In this literature and writing graphic organizer activity, students choose a famous person to research. They fill in important facts that are described in the graphic organizer which start with the birth and childhood to the adulthood of...
Curated OER
Figuring Out Frost
Fourth graders read "The Runaway" by Robert Frost and analyze it for its literal and symbolic meanings. They compare their personal experiences with the poet's suggestions about youthful attitudes and behaviors. Some nice worksheets are...
Curated OER
Field Trips Can Inspire Students to Write Creatively
Fieldtrips can lead to a variety of writing experiences for students.
Curated OER
Explore Writing with Louis Sachar
Young scholars identify and interpret the author's writing process and how he came up with his idea for Holes. They experience a moderated chat with the author by participating or reading the transcript. Students also reflect on their...
Curated OER
A Visit to the Vet
Students discover the important role veterinarians play in the lives of animals. In this animal safety lesson, students identify parts of veterinarian's job by completing a KWL chart and an online tutorial. Students write a story of a...
Curated OER
Nudging Questions
Students choose one topic to write about. They brainstorm ideas about their topic or incident. They use sensory details to visualize their topic. They answer a variety of teacher directored nudging question to help them describe their...
Curated OER
Out and About: The Science of Sport
Students take a closer look at sports science. In this hands-on learning lesson, students may visit the Science Museum, the Life Science Centre, or the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum online or in-person to discover details related to the...
Curated OER
Origami
Students investigate Japanese culture by creating origami. In this Asian heritage lesson, students utilize the Internet to view origami tutorials which they use to create birds and other animals. Students discuss what "heritage" means...
Curated OER
Gender Roles
Students explore psychology by answering gender study questions. In this sexuality lesson, students discuss the stereotypes often referred to men and woman and what the truth is about their characteristics and abilities. Students...
Curated OER
Narrative Writing
Are you the oldest in your family? The youngest? The middlest? How do you feel about your place in your family? After reading such stories as My Rotten, Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by...