SForsyth
Name and Describe a Street
Build creative writing skills through a project centered around a street name. Young writers start by creating a unique street name and brainstorming what life might be like on that street before writing a descriptive piece about this...
Curated OER
Word Reference Materials
A class discussion on reference materials opens up a lesson plan on how to use these important resources. They discover that dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses are called word reference resources, and they practice using them. The...
Curated OER
Understanding and Using Root Words to Expand Vocabulary
Middle schoolers engage in a lesson which reminds them that root words indicate the base meaning of a word, and that those roots are found in many different words that have similar meanings. Pairs of pupils use construction paper and...
Curated OER
Man's Search for Meaning: Vocabulary Strategy
Readers of Man's Search for Meaning use context clues, create stories using words from the text, and retype these stories as part of their vocabulary study of Viktor Frankl's book.
Curated OER
Locating Information Quickly in a Variety of Resources
Here is a instructional activity which may be best suited for a library science teacher, or one that can be done by a regular teacher when in the library. In it, learners explore the best ways to use print and electronic resources to...
Curated OER
Blogging To Create A Community of Writers # 5 of 7
Here is instructional activity 5 from a 7 instructional activity unit on using blogging to create a community of writers. The aim of this instructional activity is to get students writing about what Archaeologists do and how they use...
Shodor Education Foundation
Estimating With Fire
Watch the damage from a forest fire in this interactive simulation activity that challenges learners to estimate the burn area using different approaches. Learners are given a worksheet to track the different burn patterns and practice...
Curated OER
Keep Your English Up to Date: Chav
Take a look at linguistics and stereotypes in Great Britian with a word study of "chav." Learners find out what terms are pejoratives and what they are meant to convey. Geared toward British culture, study the ever-changing English...
Curated OER
Understanding and Using Suffixes to Expand Vocabulary
After a review of what suffixes are and how they are used, middle schoolers utilize a worksheet that is embedded in the plan to work in pairs to strengthen their understanding and skills in using these very important parts of our...
Curated OER
Louisiana's Tragic Hero - "Evangeline"
"Ye who believe...List to a Tale of Love in Acadie." Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline," launches a study of tragic heroines, epic poetry, the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada, and their subsequent migration to Louisiana. The...
EngageNY
Vocabulary: Human Rights
Your class continues to explore the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In addition to learning about the background of this text, learners work on the skill of identifying and understanding key academic vocabulary....
Code.org
Text Compression
The second instructional activity in a unit of 15 introduces pupils to text compression. The class begins with discussing how they already use text compression when sending text messages. Pairs learn more about the subject as they work...
EngageNY
Citing Evidence and Building Vocabulary: “The Exterminator”
It is an out-of-body experience. Scholars take a look at the sidebars outside the body of the text in The Exterminator. They discuss the purpose of this type of text feature and work to determine the gist. Learners write unfamiliar...
Curated OER
When is a Noun a Verb? Examining Double Duty Words
Act and act, address and address...there are so many words in our dictionary that can function as nouns or verbs. Start this lesson by having your class list as many as they possibly can. When an adequate list presents itself, have your...
Curated OER
Global Hunger and Malnutrition
Is there a difference between hunger and malnutrtion? Is this a problem only in third world countries? How does hunger and malnutrition affect the community? Why do these problems exist when the world produces enough food to feed...
Curated OER
Anne Frank and Louisiana - There is a Connection!
How is Louisiana connected to the Holocaust? After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, eighth graders complete a research report about a survivor of the Holocaust who currently resides in Louisiana. Though the idea is a good way to connect...
Shodor Education Foundation
Racing Game with One Die
Pupils roll a die to figure out which car advances on a race track. They determine the rules for each car moving forward and, given the statistics of the winner, compare if it matches their predictions.
Shodor Education Foundation
Marbles
Grab some marbles from a bag. The applet simulates drawing marbles from a bag. Pupils determine the number of four colors of marbles in a bag and how many marbles to draw. Using information on whether order matters in the draw and if...
Shodor Education Foundation
Measures
Take a look at data from a statistical lens. An interactive allows pupils to enter data set, labeling the data including the units used. Manipulating the applet, learners select the statistics to calculate that include total, mean,...
Shodor Education Foundation
Scatter Plot
What is the relationship between two variables? Groups work together to gather data on arm spans and height. Using the interactive, learners plot the bivariate data, labeling the axes and the graph. The resource allows scholars to create...
Shodor Education Foundation
Vertical Line Test
Connect the points to create a function. Using points given by the applet, pupils try to connect them to create a line that would pass the vertical line test. The resource keeps track of the number of sets the learner is able to identify...
Shodor Education Foundation
Buffon's Needle
Find the needle on a lined paper. Pupils run a simulation of dropping a needle on a lined paper. The probability of the needle crossing at least one line is pi/2. After each trial, the interactive displays the approximation of pi based...
Shodor Education Foundation
Overlapping Gaussians
Adjust the overlap to compare probabilities. Using sliders, learners adjust the shape of two Gaussian curves. The interactive calculates the area of the left tail for one curve and the right tail for the other. Pupils set the interactive...
Shodor Education Foundation
Rabbits and Wolves
A change in a parameter can end in overpopulation. The resources gives pupils the opportunity to control the parameters of rabbits and wolves in a natural setting. Using the set parameters, the simulation runs and displays the population...