Curated OER
Cause and Effect with the Treasure of Green Lake
Students, after reading the book, "Holes," answer questions about the story's plot, make decisions about game play that involve cause and effect relationships and utilize problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination to navigate a...
Curated OER
American Dragon: Jake Long
Students, after viewing the film "American Dragon," by Jake Long, explore and analyze the importance of legends and the unique cultures others grow up in. They stress the need for having a good self-esteem and assess how to work together...
Curated OER
Fear and Loathing in Othello
High schoolers research the ideas that people had of African people during Shakespearean times and examine Othello's descriptions of himself as written by Shakespeare.
Curated OER
No Regrets: a Poetry Analysis
Learners read a poem and use the TPCASTT strategy for analysis. In this poetry analysis lesson, students journal about their future goals and read John Updike's "Ex-Basketball Player." Learners discuss the purpose of the poem and...
Curated OER
Comparison and Contrast - Two Short Stories
Middle schoolers investigate writing techniques by analyzing 2 stories written by Edgar Allen Poe. In this language arts lesson, students choose two Edgar Allen Poe short stories to read and take notes on the setting, theme,...
Curated OER
Cultural Representation in "Spellbound" Part 1
Students watch the film "Spellbound". They analyze concepts of how the media represents race. They discuss how the movie depicts race after the film.
Curated OER
The Secret School( Chapters 2 & 3)
Fourth graders read with a partner to practice reading. In this reading instructional activity, 4th graders will analyze the characters in the chapters of the book the Secret School. Students work on a list of important characters,...
Curated OER
Comparative Folktales
Students analyze Mongolian and Native American folktales and compare the two types. They discuss the importance of storytelling in nomadic cultures and read a story in small groups. Following the story, they answer questions and...
Curated OER
The Race Card
Learners use Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying to investigate the reality of legal segregation. In this segregation lesson, students work in groups to study the books characters and how their classification affected the rights they...
Curated OER
Privilege and Power
Seventh graders examine the way privilege and power are broken down in their own community. Using a Venn diagram, they compare and contrast Robert Harris' paintings based on these two concepts. They write their own story based on one...
Curated OER
Coming to California
Fourth graders read excerpts from Juan Bautista de Anza's diaries. They analyze the impact of primary sources. They write journal entries for characters in stories they have read during the year.
Curated OER
THE TRAVELS OF BABAR: An Adventure in Scale : Integrating Visual Art and Social Studies
Students comprehend how the use of color impacts a work of art. They research how a theme can be rendered in a variety of ways (words, music, visuals). Students analyze how an artist's choices affect the aesthetic quality of artwork.
Curated OER
Lesson Overview for Confucian Ideals: "The Analects" and "Miss Li"
Students read and analyze various sayings by Confucius. They view a Powerpoint Presentation, answer discussion questions, complete a translation activity, and write an essay.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust -- Part II
Eighth graders discover that literature can be a great way to gather information about the past. Using various types of text, they research its historical data and determine if it is correct. They write two papers to respond to the...
Curated OER
Fact and Fiction in Little Women
Students read excerpts from the novel "Little Women." Students work in groups to research, analyze, and answer the questions included in the instructional activity. After research, students write a paper and include a bibliography. The...
Curated OER
Wemberly Worried Lesson Plan
Students read a book and explore the feelings of the main character during a book talk. In this lesson about the book Wemberly Worried, students listen as the teacher reads, recall events from the story as teachers lists them on a piece...
Curated OER
Portraits That Capture Character
Students explore the definition of a portrait. For this portrait analysis lesson, students discuss two of Dorothea Lange's portraits and create their own portraits of their classmates.
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...
Curated OER
Matthew Henson: Heroic Explore Who Conquered Racism
Students explore the concept of racism. In this character building instructional activity, students read a biography about a hero Matthew Henson. Students discover the challenges he, and others, faced during a time of...
Curated OER
Beyond Black and White
Students critically examine the portrayal of minorities in video games and other forms of entertainment and assess the role of racial stereotyping. They keep a log of media minority portrayals and respond to their findings.
Shakespeare Uncovered
Women’s Roles in As You Like It
“There is nothing that becommeth a maid better than soberness, silence, shamefastness, and chastity, both of body & mind.” This line, from Thomas Bentley ‘s The Monument of Matrons published in 1582, typifies the way women were...
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
Mummies in the Morning Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphics
Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...
New York City Department of Education
What Did I Do to Be so Black and Blue: How Did Jazz Influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
How did jazz influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man? Class members read some of Ellison's non-fiction writings about blues and jazz, listen to records, watch videos, and engage in student-centered discussions. They then produce podcasts...
Curated OER
Nonfiction Genre Mini-Unit: Persuasive Writing
Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.