Scholastic
Ruby Bridges: A Simple Act of Courage, Grades K-2
A civil rights movement lesson designed specifically with the Common Core State Standards in mind, young learners are introduced to the story of Ruby Bridges as the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary...
News For Kids
News For Kids.net
Media lovers read articles on a variety of current events with a website made especially for kids. The website is easy to navigate and includes sections about everything from science to sports.
IPDAE
Themes in Short Stories
"What is the theme of this story?" The very question can spark fear in the minds of readers and incinerate confidence. Here you will discover an exercise that shows how writers use the tools of setting, plot, conflict, and...
Thoughtful Learning
Seeing Emotions in Body Language
Scholars test their skills of reading body language with a collaborative learning experience that focuses on showing and identifying emotions. Pairs take turns acting out an emotion, one uses body language while the other guesses what...
Curated OER
U.S. Population Hits 300 Million
Students read a story about the population in the United States reaching 300 million, and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this population lesson plan, student respond to literature by answering questions,...
Curated OER
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
In this Screwtape Letters worksheet, students define six vocabulary words from Letter 15 and answer eleven comprehension questions about the reading. Students can also answer sixteen extra credit vocabulary words.
Curated OER
Apply Scientific Inquiry and Scientific Habits of Mind
Learners review the components of the scientific inquiry method. In groups, they develop hypothesis on the issue given to them by their teacher and inquiry questions. They state the data in terms of qualitative and quantitative data. ...
Curated OER
Soldier Emily
Students explore the role of women as soldiers during the Civil War period.
They read about a young Brooklyn woman who concealed her identity to
join the army and imagine how her family or fellow soldiers responded. They role play a...
Curated OER
Nevada, A to Z
Fourth graders explore U.S. Geography by reading a timeline. For this Nevada history lesson, 4th graders identify the geographic location of Nevada and discuss the history. Students read the book S is for Silver: A Nevada Alphabet and...
Curated OER
War Aims Worksheet
In this World War II activity, students read excerpts of 2 American diplomatic memos written in the 1930's to Germany and Japan. Then students respond to 2 short answer questions.
Curated OER
President Jefferson's Cipher: Cracking the Code
Students examine the journey out west by Lewis and Clark. Using a cipher from President Jefferson, they solve a code he gave to the explorers before setting out on their exploration. They share his message with the class and state...
Curated OER
Social Effects of WWII
Fifth graders study the social effects of World War II on America. In this WWII effects instructional activity, 5th graders read paragraphs about the history of World War II. Students watch a video about the period and formulate...
Bright Hub Education
Don Quixote
The ideas present for analyzing Don Q are tried and true, and the beginner to the novel will find the information helpful. The most productive activity on this resource would be the mind map (link available) that gives readers and...
Curated OER
Writing a Summary
Skim, reread, and then take notes. The step-by-step procedure outlined in this resource can be used to help pupils write a summary of a reading passage. Using their notes, class members then draft a summary focusing on the main idea and...
Curated OER
Getting In Is Half the Battle
Students read and discuss "Defending Affirmative Action With Social Science," examining the admissions policies in public universities and colleges. They write persuasive essays either for or against the admissions policies in their state.
Curated OER
Picture America's Sweetheart
High schoolers examine Seventeen Magazine's America's Sweetheart contest and one of their finalists by reading about Sunia Arif and what made Seventeen choose her. Students then write a 300-word essay about what would make them or...
Curated OER
Take a Stand!
Here is a four-corner debate-style activity specifically geared to election year issues. Learners group themselves according to whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with statements that relate to elections...
Curated OER
USA Today: Global Awareness Edition
Bring global awareness into the classroom. Young politically minded learners read an article about the ban on arms sales to China and discuss political concerns about this issue. They research other embargos on foreign trade and use a...
Curated OER
Perceptions of German Unification Over Time
Through a series of readings and handouts, learners will study the shifts in perception that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. The history lesson plan focuses on periods of change in post WWII German history that led to a changed...
Curated OER
Drama-Dialogue
Use drama to study and practice dialogue. Creative minds discuss what dialogue tells about a character, and how it can be used to advance the plot. They read a play, think about what they gleaned from dialogue, and record their...
Curated OER
The Formation of Public Opinion: Ch 8
After reading about the formation of public opinion, the class can complete this quiz. They answer 5 true/false statements regarding public policy, political attitudes, and public opinion. Then they answer 5 multiple-choice questions...
Curated OER
QAR for The Color Purple
Have you heard of the QAR strategy? If your class is reading The Color Purple, provide them with this two-page activity to get them thinking. With the strategy, readers are introduced to four types of questions (right there, think and...
Curated OER
Opinions, Please!
Young scholars discuss the meaning and purposes of polls and surveys. After reading an article, they analyze the results of a poll given to residents of New York City. They create a survey of their own and analyze the data to write a...
Curated OER
Poetry In the World Around Us
Students engage in a lesson which is designed as a literacy connection to science lessons on the effects of water on plants. This lesson uses an excellent Reading Rainbow episode on the effect of drought, and then rainfall, have on the...