PBS
Presidential Leadership and the Goal to Unify | America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump
Traditionally, a United States President's Inaugural Address establishes the tone and vision for his presidency. It has stressed the goal to unify the country and bring the political parties together after what are often divisive...
Digital Public Library of America
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
A set of 14 primary sources provides background for a study of Lorraine Hansberry's drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Featured are images from stage productions of the play, white supremacy protests, a clip from a television interview, and...
PBS
Discuss 22-year-old Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb”
Two poems by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman are spotlighted in a PBS lesson. Young scholars conduct a close reading and watch videos of Gorman reading her inaugural poem "The Hill We Climb" and "The Miracle of Morning." They...
Simon & Schuster
Classroom Activities for The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is the featured text in three classroom activities. The first activity asks readers to analyze the description of Edmond Dantes in Chapter XVII, paying particular attention to Dumas' word...
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Where I'm From: Symbolism in Paint and Poetry
After a review of symbolism, class members use the provided worksheet to first list the objects they observe in Arnold Mesches' painting "Coney Island" and then suggest possible symbolic meanings for each of the objects. A second...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Emily Bronté's Wuthering Heights
Sibling rivalry! Revenge! Ill-fated love! Wuthering Heights has it all! Lead readers through a study of this massive, poignant tale with the help of a 22-page teacher's guide. The guide includes a list of characters and their family...
Overcoming Obstacles
Identifying Emotions in Conflicts
The takeaway from the second lesson in the Resolving Conflicts module is that "conflict is like an iceberg" in that we only see a small portion of what's involved in conflicts. Participants learn to identify the many unseen feelings that...
Anti-Defamation League
Understanding and Analyzing “The U.S. of Us” by Richard Blanco
Current immigration issues and the rhetoric surrounding the controversies come into focus with a lesson that uses Richard Blanco's anthem, "The U.S. of Us," written after the August 2019 attack in El Paso, Texas, to open a discussion of...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 3: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Teacher Guide
The Core Knowledge Foundation offers this teacher guide to Robert Louis Stevenson's gothic novel about the duality of humankind. The 128-page guide includes a unit introduction, unit calendar, nine scripted lesson plans, assessments with...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 2: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Teacher Guide
Massive storms, shipwrecks, survivors stranded on an island ruled by an aging magician, and strange creatures—Shakespeare's The Tempest appeals to today's middle schoolers. For this unit, seventh graders read selections from an...
Curated OER
ACROSTIC POETRY
Students use newspapers or magazines to create an acrostic poem where words are divided into parts of speech.
Curated OER
Can You Hear a Story?
Students listen to, analyze, and describe music. They explain relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
Curated OER
MTV's Poetry
Young scholars use several strategies in poetry to convey tone and speaker. For this language arts lesson, students read and build vocabulary as they gain a larger understanding of how to write poetry. Young scholars then work in...
Curated OER
The Power of Images
Students explore emotions represented in artwork. In this cross curriculum social studies and art lesson, students explain examples of political and social issues expressed in artwork by Dorthea Lang, Diego Rivera, Dan Eldon, as...
Curated OER
Three Chicago Painters: Self-Portraits
Young scholars examine self-portraits on a Website. They create self-portraits which reveal something about themselves. They include objects which give clues to Students' personalities. The portraits are displayed in the school.
Curated OER
Depression Era Art
Students choose Depression era art to print out from the Internet. They write paragraphs about how the artists interpreted facts about the Depression in their art. The paragraphs and prints can become a student art critic book.
PE Central
Fitness Advertisements
Exercise is good for your heart, your bones, your lungs, and your mood! Middle schoolers read more about the effects of regular exercise before creating their own posters that advertise the benefits of physical fitness.
Curated OER
Immigration and Photography: The Case of Lewis Hine
Middle schoolers are introduced to the characteristics of documentary photography. Individually, they cut out a paper frame and view their classroom through the "lens" and at different angles. After veiwing photographs, they practice...
Curated OER
Excited, Sad, Happy, Mad: Growing Independence and Fluency
Students observe and demonstrate a variety of strategies for reading with expression. They listen to the teacher read parts of the book "Owen" by Kevin Henke with and without expression and discuss the differences. In pairs, students...
Curated OER
Getting Ready to Write
Students watch an online slideshow that shows Cornelia Funke's transition from an illustrator to a writer. They discuss her writing process from the way she gathers ideas to how and where she writes. Next, they work in groups to choose a...
Curated OER
"Mambo" from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
Students encounter and study "Mambo" from "West Side Story," by Leonard Bernstein. They practice utilizing musical elements (instrumentation, tempo, and dynamics) to create a certain mood for a scene with music. Each student interprets...
Curated OER
How a Writer Conveys Descriptions With a Wallop
Students identify strategies the author used to vividly convey qualitative and quantitative aspects of life in China, then use those strategies in writing of their own. They examine the author's writing style and techniques to learn some...
Curated OER
Moonshadow
Students listen to the Cat Stevens song, "Moonshadow." They empty an envelope of slips and place the slips in the correct order. Students, in small groups, discuss the mood of the song, how it makes them feel, and the unpleasant...
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains, Rising Out of Circumstances
Students develop an understanding of art and history. In this instructional activity about sculpture and creating a mood, students will gain an understanding of a moment in history by observing art. Students observe busts, and paintings...