Denver Art Museum
Descriptive Haiku
Even though this is technically an art lesson, haiku poetry is actually the main focus! Learners view photographs of Japanese tea caddies. They list five descriptive words for the caddies, then write haiku poems using the caddies as...
Mr Gym
Street Alleys
Streets and alleys is a cat and mouse game wherein the cat is chasing and trying to capture the mouse. The fun part of this game is that the streets can turn in to alleys and the alleys can turn in to streets. This can be at times...
Denver Art Museum
Writing Communication
After closely examining a Japanese writing box, learners explore writing tools and the importance of written communication. Don't have a Japanese writing box? Not to worry! There are beautiful images of one embedded in the resource. A...
Mr Gym
Clean House
Here is a game that can be played by any age level. Just make some small modifications appropriate for your grade level. The premise of the game is to have the fewest balls on your side when the whistle blows to end the game. So given...
Curated OER
Barnyard Protest: Cows, Chickens & Fundamental Freedoms
Here is an ambitious and engaging lesson that should help elementary schoolers begin to develop a basic understanding of human rights. Pupils are asked to think about their own rights, the rights of others, and how an individual's voice...
Denver Art Museum
Talking in Sculpture
Elementary schoolers take a look at the work of sculptor Roxanne Swentzell. They pay particular attention to her work, Mud Woman Rolls On. Then, the young artists use clay to create a sculpture of their own which has the theme of a...
Denver Art Museum
From Generation to Generation
Kids find out through art analysis and discussion that a plate isn't always just a plate, but the product of pottery skills passed down from generation to generation. After considering the skill and art of pottery, they interview a...
Denver Art Museum
Words as Art
Elementary schoolers look at images of the art installation, Wheel -which is found at the Denver Art Museum. After a class discussion about how the words and symbols on the artwork make it more meaningful, the discussion turns toward how...
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
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...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Relationships to Places
Young historians take a look at how the Indian tribes of California promoted a mindful relationship between people and the land. They begin to understand how the Indians were champions of conservation, and at preserving the natural...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Respect for Land
Youngsters examine how people show respect and care for the land. Specifically, learners see how the Native Americans truly did care for and respect the land, and still do so to this day! They also explore how they themselves can care...
Manchester College
Underhand Toss
A great lesson to teach the fundamentals of the underhand toss. Begin with some warm-ups, review how to do the underhand roll, and then teach the new skill of the underhand toss. The teaching activity is scaffolded and includes good...
SeaWorld
Animal Husbandry
Learners study how changes in the environment can drastically affect the survival of an animal. After a class discussion, pupils are divided up into groups and are given the task of coming up with the best environment to allow brine...
SeaWorld
Sharks
Youngsters explore their sense of smell by working in pairs. One child is blindfolded, while the other holds things for him to smell. They switch after a while. All of this leads up to learning about the amazing ability sharks have to...
PBS
Blue Ribbon Readers: Determining Important Ideas
Brenda Z. Guiberson’s nonfiction book, Cactus Hotel, launches a series of activities that model for readers how to determine the main idea in a passage. Class members engage in an online interactive game to test their...
PBS
Blue Ribbon Readers: Questioning
Model for your class how to become a better reader through questioning. After conducting a picture walk that introduces prediction strategies, learners play an interactive questioning cube game. Complete directions for the game and...
Mr Gym
Tunnel Tag
Tunnel tag requires players to form some kind of tunnel when they are tagged. In order to become unfrozen from being tagged, another player has to go through the tunnel they formed. There are several examples of tunnels that a player can...
Desert Discoveries
Desert Tortoise: Fact or Fiction?
Here is a good game that will determine which team knows the most about the Sonoran Desert tortoise. There are 16 questions posed, and the answers are printed in bold for the benefit of the teacher. Question # 16 reads, "Desert tortoise...
Desert Discoveries
Who Depends on the Saguaro?
Young scientists design a picture of a saguaro cactus that shows the cactus and some of the animals and plants that interact with it. There are many of these special relationships between plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert. Your...
BBC
The Sound Monster - Words That Make Sounds
There are words in the English language that actually make sounds, such as vroom, and, buzz. Here is a clever lesson which introduces young readers to these sound-making words. They play an interactive game on the computer that has...
BBC
The Cream Cake Mystery - Seeing Patterns
A great language arts lesson designed for emerging readers awaits your class. Rhyming words are the focus. Learners play an interactive learning game on the computer that helps them to understand words that rhyme. As with all of these...
BBC
Dragon Land - Questions
The proper use of the question mark, and how to correctly construct a sentence that is a question, are the two focuses in a wonderful language arts lesson. There is a terrific interactive online game that your kids can utilize to help...
BBC
Lug and the Giant Stork - Capital Letters
Capital letters are the star of the show in a wonderful language arts lesson. After a teacher-led demonstration and discussion on capital letters, groups of pupils get together and work on the computer to fix the flashing letters that...