Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Readers Who Struggle Can Learn From Wonderful Teacher/Student Created On-Level Reading Projects

For Teachers K - 1st
Students create their own books. In this book making lesson, students pick a subject and take photographs of it. They use these photographs to write their own story using their sight words. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Labor Unions and Working Conditions:United We Stand

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine primary documents about the establishment of labor unions. In this organized labor instructional activity, students research the working conditions that contributed to the growth of the labor union movement. Young...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The U.S. Constitution:Continuity and Change in the Governing of the United States

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students examine and analyze primary sources regarding the plan for U.S. government.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Character Education Podcasts

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study character traits. In this character education lesson, students create podcasts highlighting a particular character trait. Students broadcast one podcast per week.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paving the Road to the Constitution

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders argue for or against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, 8th graders complete four activities that encourage them to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sunlight and Warm Air

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine the different ways heat can be felt.  In this radiation and conduction lesson plan, students recognize that the sun radiates heat. Students conduct three experiments to find how the sun warms the Earth and how that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Gatsby: Primary Sources from the Roaring Twenties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the Roaring Twenties. In this 1920's America instructional activity, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of lifestyles and values of the era as they read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is All Well in Welfare?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore current welfare reform issues and create plans of action to improve welfare reform laws in the United States. They predict what President Bush's "Working Towards Independence" welfare reform program might entail and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animating a Historic Event

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Research a historic event using textbooks, primary source documents, the Internet, and other library and media resources. Young historians will take the research they have gathered and write an attention-grabbing, historically accurate...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Education of Abigail Adams

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read the biography of Abigail Smith Adams from the First Ladies Library web site. They work in small groups to write a description of her education. Students discuss their findings, and extend this to the education of girls in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Class Book Awards

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners create a class book award. In this book award lesson, students review the book awards already created (Caldecott or Newbery) and look at books that have received these awards. They come up with their own award and nominate new...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Autism – What Is It?

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students create a poster about expected development versus observed behavior of a child with autism. In this health lesson, students describe the signs of ASD. They read and analyze a simulated case study.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fishing for Facts!

For Teachers 1st Standards
First graders visit the library or media center to research sea creatures using encyclopedia. They find two facts and research the Internet to find a picture of the sea creature. They create a class sea creature booklet.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Flopsy, Mopsy, Eleanor, and Beatrix

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars read "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and view the photos of the pets that inspired Beatrix Potter to write. They then select a different book to read from the University of Pennsylvania's website or from the public library that...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Rosie the Riveter

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students identify and interpret the power of symbols. Then they research and identify what type of information that they can locate at the Library of Congress website and list what they learned from it in the time allotted. Students also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land Marked

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore proposed plans for land redistribution in Zimbabwe. They research the history of European colonization in Zimbabwe, focusing on the roles and views of various groups within the country. Based on these perspectives, s
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Twentieth Century Entertainment: When Work is Done

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students determine how Americans enjoy leisure time. In this 20th century America lesson, students research primary sources to study how Americans gained leisure time during the century and what they did with it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Active Citizenship: The Civil Rights Work of Bob Moses

For Teachers All
Students discuss and describe the impact of Bob Moses as an activist, compare and contrast the work of Bob Moses in the 1960's and today and develop an action plan regarding an issue they feel strongly about.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And the Moral of the Story is...

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students retell a story using computer software. In this story elements lesson, students retell the story giving the plot, setting, characters and moral using Pixie software.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Botanical Discoveries

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In this plant discovery activity, 6th graders put in chronological order the plant discoveries of Lewis and Clark. Students understand the characteristics of leaves and find the area...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hall Monitors

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the incidence of different types of violence that occurs in their schools through reading, discussion and interviews. They question local authorities about the best ways to reduce school violence.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Objects of Memory

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners consider the importance of individual artifacts in memorializing important historic events. They read and evaluate an article discussing the removal of the last steel beam from the World Trade Center site.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hurricane Katrina: You Be the Reporter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students work in a small group to create news stories, feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor and organize them in a podcast, video-based program, or newspaper/magazine focused on Hurricane Katrina.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Opening the Olympic Games

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners examine the history of the Olympic Games, including the opening ceremonies. In small groups, they create Olympic flags using symbols that represent their country and communities. In phase two of the instructional activity,...