Curated OER
Twain: Tom Sawyer—Mythic Adventurer
Students take a closer look at archetypes. In this characterization lesson, students examine the setting and the characters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as they read and analyze the novel. Students consider how Twain mythically...
Vanderbilt University
Stories from the Panama Canal
The stories of the Silver People, the West Indies immigrants hired to work on the Panama Canal, come to life in a lesson about the building of the Panama Canal. Groups research why the canal was built, how it was build, the working...
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
Hoaxes, Scams, Chain Letters and Urban Legends
Students explore the evacuation of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. Using the internet, they research stories they may have heard and verify a story's authenticity. Students discuss rumors and urban legends. Given a worksheet,...
Curated OER
Russia and Eastern Europe
Students study Russia and Eastern Europe. They select from a menu of option activities to demonstrate their knowledge of both countries including preparing meals, reading Russian works of literature, analyzing political cartoons and...
Curated OER
Abuela's Weave Teacher's Guide
Students read and response to the book, Abuela's Weave. In this African-American literature lesson, students discuss pre-reading questions, that focus on family traditions and make predictions about the text. Students read the text and...
Curated OER
The Underground Railroad in the I and M Canal Area
Students discuss provocative statements about the Underground Railroad and form opinions. They locate and read a selection on the Internet that either supports of discredits their written opinions. They then read a speech by John Hossack.
Curated OER
Review and Assessment on STDs and HIV/AIDS
High schoolers create a one-two page newsletter demonstrating what they have learned related to a unit on STDs and HIV/AIDS. The newsletter consists of various articles, written by Students.
Curated OER
It's a Grand Ol' Government!
Students discuss the three branches of government and the different levels. They talk about the purpose of laws and use the Internet to locate information about governments. They watch the video, "United States Constitution" and look up...
Curated OER
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Students write a first-person narrative from the perspective of a runaway slave, or a historical character of the period, and present their story orally.
Curated OER
Pathways
Students are introduced to how to use a flow diagram. As a class, they brainstorm all of the steps to a specific task and discuss the importance of completing them in the correct sequence. They read books that have an alternate ending...
Curated OER
Real or hoax?
Seventh graders brainstorm a list of criteria that makes a webpage useful for research and not useful for research. They complete the activity, "Real or Hoax," and discuss fiction and non fiction stories and determine which websites are...
Curated OER
Bake, Boil, or Fry
Young scholars write a journal entry about where there food comes from. In this Civil War lesson, students discuss journals, the crops grown within the U.S., the import/export process and what food preparation must have been like on a...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln
Students brainstorm different names of presidents and reflect upon the importance of the role in government. They demonstrate a knowledge of the important events in the life of Abraham Lincoln. Students conduct research into the founding...
Curated OER
What Happened to Slaves When their Owners Died?
Students analyze last and testaments of former slaveowners to identify and explain economic, social and cultural differences between the North and the South leading up to the Civil War.
Curated OER
Reporters at Gettysburg A WebQuest
Students create newsletters about the Battle of Gettysburg. In this Civil War lesson, students create a webquest based on the battle. Students use the information and sources to create a Gettysburg newsletter.
Curated OER
Found Poetry with Primary Sources: The Great Depression
Students read a sample found poem and create one together as a class. In this Great Depression lesson, students select a topic, such as miners, and read primary source documents related to the topic. Students select one narrative as the...
Curated OER
Traverse City Trouble Makers
Students investigate how to become advocates in an authentic environmental issue, in this case the invasion of the zebra mussel invasion of the Great Lakes. They complete graphic organizers during Internet research, while reading...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writers
Use the power of the pen to persuade others to get involved in community issues! Individuals reflect on personal service learning activities and the writing process. They compose essays regarding service to others. While designed for...
Curated OER
Nutrition and Fitness
Sixth graders investigate the food guide pyramid. They conduct Internet research, and plan a three day nutritional menu appropriate for teenagers. Students include three meals per day and a snack for each day on their menu, and...
Curated OER
Racism and the Box
Students examine racism and how it relates to self-deception. They identify the effect of racism on society. They reflect on the lesson by writing a paragraph about discrimination and racism.
Curated OER
Developing Writing Skills Through Japanese Folk Music
Students listen to Japanese folk songs to get inspired to create a writing piece about Japan. In this writing lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to add information about Japan.
Curated OER
Journeys
Students write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...
Curated OER
Quest for Gold
Students identify people involved in the Olympics in the past and explain how their ideas and actions have changed others' lives. they take notes during research and present the information in written or picture format.