Curated OER
Author Study: Cynthia Rylant
Explore the life's work of one of the great children's authors using this ten-lesson author study unit. After first performing some whole-group research into the life of Cynthia Rylant, the class goes on to read six different...
Building Evidence-Based Arguments: Grade 9
High schoolers investigate the dilemma of a proportional response with a lesson about the history of terrorism and militant extremists in the United States. As they examine memos from the FBI and speeches from President Bush and Obama,...
Scholastic
Owl Moon Teaching Plan
Capture the engagement of young readers with this collection of activities based on Jane Yolen's book, Owl Moon. Following a shared reading of this children's story, the class explores the geography of the American Northeast,...
Curated OER
Italian City-States
Check out this packet of worksheets involving mapping activities, vocabulary logging, reading and comprehending informational texts, etc., which focuses on Italian city-states during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. There are also...
Curated OER
Performance Poppers
Students examine the controversies surrounding the use of performance-enhancing supplements in sports by interviewing athletes and writing feature articles that compare the skills required to compete in different sports.
Curated OER
Catch-22
During or after reading Catch-22, have your high school scholars complete this research project. First they'll brainstorm a list of people they might like to research, then they'll dive into your library's resources! There are...
World Wildlife Fund
Arctic Food Chain
Explore the food chains that support Arctic ecosystems. A class discussion on interdependence and the different roles plants and animals play in ecosystems provides students with the knowledge to complete a worksheet asking them to...
Curated OER
I Just Drank George Washington's Water!
Guide your learners through the water cycle with this lesson plan. Over the course of the lesson plan, they read two Magic School Bus books, discuss the water cycle, come up with water facts, complete a diagram of the water cycle,...
Curated OER
A World of Special Celebrations
Brainstorm lists of celebrations with which your class are familiar. This lesson can be adapted to many different grade levels as they research ethnic and religious occasions/events celebrated by people around the world, and present...
Curated OER
Giving Thanks for Food and Farms
Sarah Stewart’s The Gardener and Food from Farms by Nancy Dickmann display the importance of community farms. After reading these short picture books, class members draw connections between farms and the food we eat each day. As a...
Curated OER
Spanish Literature: Teaching the Course for the First Time
Are you a first year AP Spanish teacher? Will you be teaching literature this year? Read this article for some professional development; what can you do to ensure your Spanish learners build their skills and master Spanish literature?
Curated OER
When Something's Missing: Diagnosing Vitamin Deficiencies
The New York Times "Education" section posts an extensive activity on vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It involves class discussion, examination of food packaging labels, and the reading of a blog post about Vitamin D. The highlight of...
Curated OER
Science and Natural Philosophy Before the Seventeenth Century
Students complete a worksheet about some of the natural philosophers in history. They use graph paper and create a timeline with the dates of birth and names of a list of natural philosophers. They list four questions concerning life and...
Curated OER
Elements of Fables
Students explore the attributes of fables. In this literature lesson, students read several fables and identify the moral lesson, characterization, and figurative language in each. Students then retell their favorite fables in their own...
Curated OER
A Life Without Flight
Learners explore impact of Ohio's aviation pioneers on life in America, discuss what life today would be like without people like the Wright Brothers, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong, and brainstorm and research list of items that space...
Curated OER
Endangered Species Problem
Students list the morphological characters used to identify the cacti in the field, and describe the associated problems in using these characters for identification. They draw the geographical ranges of the varieties of species...
Curated OER
Hidden Children and the Holocaust: A Lesson and Pledge for Action
Students read various personal accounts of children during the Holocaust. Using special identification cards, they relate the Holocaust to historical events in their lifetimes. Examining primary source documents, they describe how they...
Curated OER
Virginia Woolf: A Room of One's Own - Shakespeare's Sister
Pupils, after reading and analyzing, "A Room of One's Own," by Virginia Woolf, analyze how creating and defending one's position as well as how narrative functions as a rhetorical device. They evaluate and focus in on Shakespeare's Sister.
Curated OER
Aztec and Mayan Mythology
Here's a fresh take on a mythology unit. Use the myths of the Mayan and Aztec peoples of Mesoamerica instead of the more traditional Greek and Roman stories. This abstract suggests possible approaches and resources that can be...
Orlando Shakes
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!): Study Guide
What do Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch, and Frosty the Snowman have in common? They're all characters from beloved holiday movies that viewers revisit in the play Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!). Scholars conduct research...
Curated OER
Who Ate it First?
Students complete the Seeds of Change worksheet by conducting research on the Seeds of Change website. They list foods native to the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and compile a list of recipes for a meal common after the era of...
Curated OER
Search for the Shadowman
Students read the novel "Search for the Shadowman" by Joan Lowery Nixon. Using the internet, they research her life and works and write a report on their findings. They also compare and contrast two of her works to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Maniac Magee
Seventh graders read Mania Magee as a shared literature experience. This lesson plan presents some ideas to use after certain chapters in the book as a way of supplementing student learning and involvement in the story.
Curated OER
Thank You, Mr. Edison
Students read a letter to Thomas Edison and search for advertisements of the period. They review primary sources and photographs of items made available in the 1920's. They interact on the American Memory Collection website.