Beauty and Joy of Computing
Search Engines
Which search engine is best? The last lab in a unit of five leads the class to investigate search engines. Working in groups, individuals read and discuss articles related to searching the Internet. Pupils develop suggestions that would...
National Association of Biology Teachers
Using the Discovery of the Structure of DNA to Illustrate Cultural Aspects of Science
Times have changed—and so have science practices. An introductory instructional activity describing the components of DNA begins with a discussion of the discovery of DNA and its perception in different cultures and genders. Scholars...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Political Struggle, 1865-1866
Healing versus justice. The central source of tension following the United States Civil War was between the demands for healing and the demands for justice, the battle between President Andrew Johnson and Congress. A video introduces the...
Facing History and Ourselves
Defining Freedom
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second instructional activity in the Reconstruction Era...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Legacies of Reconstruction
The final lesson in the seven-resource Reconstruction Era collection examines the legacies of Reconstruction. Class members investigate why the period has been called an "unfinished revolution," "a splendid failure," and "the second...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Black Laws" by Roger Reeves
After investigating the Black Lives Matter movement, class members do a close read of Roger Reeves' "Black Laws." They write down words and phrases that rhyme, consider the kinds of rhymes used and their function in the poem. Scholars...
Teach Engineering
Java Programming: Testing the Edges
Tests are no fun, but test cases are extremely helpful. Pupils work in groups to write a Java program that completes a given task. They come up with test cases to give to another group, then trade test cases to determine if their program...
Anti-Defamation League
The Road to Brown
As part of the study of segregation in U.S. schools, scholars research and create a timeline of events that led to the historic Supreme Court case, Brown V. Board of Education. Groups research a topic or event that led to the decision,...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 2: The Middle Ages
Over four weeks, fourth graders read and discuss texts about the Middle Ages. They practice vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Writing opportunities allow learners to boost their note-taking skills...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 7: The United States Constitution
Fourth graders delve into the United States Constitution in a unit designed to boost reading comprehension, grammar, and writing. During each lesson, scholars read through and discuss a new chapter and work with prefixes and verbs....
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 3: King Arthur and the Round Table
Over four weeks, fourth graders study King Arthur and the Round Table, retold by Alice M. Hadfield. Fifteen lessons take pupils through each chapter, complete word work, and the writing process to draft paragraphs, sentences, dialogue,...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 1: Contemporary Fiction - They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles is the focus of a five-week language arts unit unit. Fifth graders listen to various poems and participate in thoughtful discussions, examining vocabulary and learning new words in...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 2: Early American Civilizations
Fifth graders explore early American civilizations in a four-week ELA unit. Every lesson offers an opportunity to read and discuss a selected passage followed by word work that covers vocabulary, grammar, and morphology. Learners write...
Code.org
Personal Innovations
Here's a resource designed to serve as an introduction to a computer science course. Groups brainstorm an innovation that may improve technology or use technology to solve a problem. The plan guides the teacher through the introduction...
Newseum
Photo Ethics: News Independence
Young journalists read a case study about an annual school tradition of a streaker running across the football field after the homecoming game. Small groups then decide whether or not to cover the story and whether or not to include a...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Think-Aloud Annotation
It can be difficult to refer back to a text when analyzing it, so annotation is a great tool for kids to track what they are reading. A thorough and well-organized lesson guides learners through the process of annotating William...
UNICEF
Refugees and IDPs Activities
Class members have an opportunity to consider issues faced by refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by participating in a series of activities that illustrate some of the challenges refugees experience.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Candidate Position History Research
Climate change. Assault weapons ban. Death penalty. And the list goes on. So many issues are part of a US presidential election that it can be hard to determine a candidate's position on a particular topic and whether their position has...
Transforming Education
Social Awareness Toolkit
A 32-slide professional development presentation introduces administrators, counselors, and teachers to the social awareness competency. The presentation includes specific strategies to help learners develop social awareness, identifies...
Newseum
What Would You Do? Media Ethics Scenarios
Young journalists are presented with scenarios that involve media ethics. They must decide in each case whether to cover the story, what they would cover, and if covered, what the angle would be.
Code.org
Making Data Visualizations
Relax ... now visualize the data. Introduce pupils to creating charts from a single data set. Using chart tools included in spreadsheet programs class members create data visualizations that display data. The activity encourages...
EngageNY
Matrix Notation Encompasses New Transformations!
Class members make a real connection to matrices in the 25th part of a series of 32 by looking at the identity matrix and making the connection to the multiplicative identity in the real numbers. Pupils explore different matrices and...
Code.org
The Internet Is for Everyone
What is this thing called the Internet? A KWL activity elicits what the class knows about how the Internet works. Then pupils read a copy of a memo about the need to keep the Internet open and accessible by everyone.
Code.org
The Need for Addressing
You sunk my battleship via the Internet? Groups of three play a modified game of Battleship using the Internet Simulator. Team members determine how to address messages, so each player knows who the message is for, and refine their text...