Curated OER
Stories That Grow on Trees
Students write their own choose-a-plot book. They develop skills in creating plot structure and think through a logical line of story action. They invent characters with striking physical and psychological attributes.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: The Language of Discovery
Students replicate some of the trailblazing methods of Lewis and Clark on a fifteen-minute "writing journey" through the school or neighborhood.
Curated OER
Spy on a Spider
Students view slides or live specimens to name and describe the distinguishing features of groups of arthropods, especially spiders and insects. They complete worksheets, observe webs and then search for and record where spiders can be...
Curated OER
Consumerism and the Consumer Society
Students read an article titled "How Much Is Enough?" by Alan Durning. They work in small groups to summarize the author's main point for each paragraph and then identify and discuss further questions they may have in response to the...
Curated OER
Challenging Yourself
Students design a one-day challenge, try to do it, and then write about it. It could be giving up sweets, going for a three-mile run or being nicer to a sibling. They compose a writing piece describing their experience from taking on...
National First Ladies' Library
Science: The Purloined Letter
Students examine Edgar Allan Poe's "the Purloined Letter" from the perspective of a profiler. To sharpen search procedures, they examine the text and make lists of items and places in the house that were searched. Then students discuss...
Curated OER
British Imperialism in India
Tenth graders learn how the differences between Indian and British cultural perspectives, as seen in works of art. Students participate in discussion of the differences in how individuals are viewes by others.
Global Oneness Project
Our Shared Humanity
Ann Shin's award-winning documentary, My Enemy, My Brother introduces viewers to Zahed Haftlang and Najah Aboud, two child soldiers on opposite sides during the Iran-Iraq war. After viewing the film, class members are asked to reflect on...
Smithsonian Institution
POWs
Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars? To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the voice of...
Curated OER
Empowered Barbie
Students access prior knowledge of vocabulary on feminism and psychoanalytic theory, and gender schema. In this Empowered Barbie lesson, students recreate a Barbie doll. Students write a reflection on how they changed Barbie's body and...
Global Oneness Project
Freedom to Change
Here's something unusual and thoughtful: have your scholars do some pensive reflection themselves before tackling how such meditative techniques are used in prison rehabilitation programs. They watch the "Path of Freedom" video found...
Indiana University
World Literature: "One Evening in the Rainy Season" Shi Zhecun
Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...
Curated OER
Lesson: Urs Fischer: Controlling our Logic, Metaphors, and Semantics
Kids use poetry and contemporary art to start thinking about logic and personal expression. They read Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphor," and critically examine the art of Urs Fischer. After working though a few logic problems they write...
Curated OER
Synonyms and Antonyms
Mix up your writing lessons by having kids look at recent newspaper articles instead of their own work. They work in pairs and rewrite sports news articles using synonyms and antonyms for a set number of words. Then they share their work...
Curated OER
12 Days of Christmas
Learners utilize different problem-solving strategies and creative writing when dealing with the words from the song, "12 Days of Christmas." They try to problem solve how may presents were given and then explain their sequence in the...
Curated OER
Are You Listening?
To underscore the importance of practicing good listening skills class members engage in a series of activities that model poor listening skills. In pairs and then as a whole group, class members enact different, more positive techniques...
Curated OER
Lesson: Double Album: Pick up the Right Things
Kids consider contemporary art as a forum for modern culture. They engage in a discussion about poetry and art that expresses feelings of surrealism and schizophrenia. They then create a collection of material objects and compose a paper...
Curated OER
Nicotine addiction and youths
Students read CNNfyi article: "Nicotine addiction can begin in days, study says," and have class discussion about the effects of nicotine on the human body.
Curated OER
The Juvenile Death Penalty
Sensitive material is discussed in this lesson. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. The topic is the Eighth Amendment and how the U.S. Supreme Court makes determinations about what constitutes cruel and...
Curated OER
Lesson Design Protocol: Add and Subtract
Addition and subtraction are studied in this math instructional activity. Upper graders add and subtract whole numbers up to 1,000 with and without regrouping.
Curated OER
Do You Have a Blog?
Ask learners about their personal writing habits, such as whether they keep a journal or a blog, or if they'd ever want to. Though this is not a fully developed instructional activity, you can use this article and question to provoke...
Curated OER
Human Needs Analysis : An Introductory Activity to the Holocaust
Students discuss what an individual needs in order to exist and in order to exist happily, and they analyze the different types of human needs - physical, emotional, intellectual, etc.. They discuss the possible impact of having these...
Curated OER
Holiday Writing Prompts
Students experience and practice their writing skills during the holiday season. They express themselves in a variety of ways including writing about a favorite part about the holiday break, what's the best gift you've ever gotten and...