Curated OER
Langston Hughes Was a Dreamer Too
Encourage your pupils to imagine their own dreams for the future. After studying three poems by Langston Hughes and listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech, young poets craft their own dream stanza.
Curated OER
The News Behind the Story
What a fun way to analyze plot, setting, and character. Learners review story elements, read a short fictional story, then turn the events of that story into a headlining news paper article. Not only does this lesson engage critical...
Curated OER
Mystery Word Wall Game
Practice using words found on the classroom word wall, in vocabulary lists, or on spelling lists with your class. Young readers use clues to find the mystery word in the room. They can tally the points earned from identifying words...
Curated OER
Create a BIG Book
Students explore about big books. They create a big book version of a favorite story or an ABC book about a favorite topic. Students describe the size of a book. Students are explained that big books are books that have large pictures...
Energy for Keeps
The Energy Times
Extra! Extra! Read all about past and present energy use in a classroom-made historical newspaper. Useful as a cross-curricular assignment between science, history, and language arts, the project is sure to get young journalists...
Denver Public Schools
Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! – A Chinese New Year Celebration
Looking for ideas for your Lunar New Year celebration? Check out an interdisciplinary unit of study that includes lessons in counting, calligraphy, culture, geography, literature, art, and music. Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! (May you...
Education World
A Walk Through The 20th Century
Students review the people, places, and events of a particular decade of the 20th Century. They write a report about that decade and create a booth of memorabilia, music, dress, pictures and other artifacts representing the time period.
Curated OER
The Life Cycle of a Butterfly
A well-designed lesson on the life cycle of the butterfly is here for you. In it, young scientists spend 45 minutes a day, for one school week, engaged in their study. They take nature walks, participate in activities in centers, listen...
Curated OER
Interviewing Famous Leaders in History
Students explore historical figures. In this history/research lesson, students use a variety of research materials to learn about the historical figure of their choice. Students write questions and responses as if they were interviewing...
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Six different lessons comprise this unit on marine debris. Science, language arts, social studies, and art projects make this an ideal interdisciplinary unit. The result will be well-informed future citizens who can help make a...
Curated OER
Conservation in Small Places - Composting
A fabulous lesson introduces the art of composting to your gardeners. In it, youngsters learn about the composting process and how it actually works. They discuss the environmental benefits of composting, and use the "lasagna" method...
Curated OER
Basic Linguistics: Fun Trivia Quiz
Meta-cognition can transform learning. If your syllabus includes linguistics to enhance learners' comprehension and expression in English, here is an interactive online quiz to assess what they have learned. Titled "Basic Linguistics,"...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Energy at Play
Get the ball rolling and challenge your class to figure out how to make a ball move. The instruction segment is between two STEM activities devoted to doing just that. The first is simple and involves making a ball move from some...
American Museum of Natural History
Create a Compass
Historically, humans have used many methods of finding due north. Using a hands-on activity, learners create their own compasses. They then test their compasses in their neighborhood or to assist with stargazing.
University of Wisconsin
Don Quixote in Wisconsin
Are you looking for background information on Cervantes and his Don Quixote? How about a study guide and discussion questions or project ideas? Even journal prompts, tests, and quizzes? A 98-page teaching guide simplifies the quest with...
Curated OER
Between Fences
Students explore how tightly the fence is intertwined with American history, politics, industry, and daily life. In this art and history lesson plan, students examine cultures throughout American history that experienced tension as they...
Curated OER
Sustainability and the Recycling of Words
Recycling and green living isn't just for the environment anymore. Studying the use of metaphors and metonymies, especially in reference to environmental sustainability, this presentation provides viewers with plenty of food for thought....
Skyscraper Museum
Designing a Skyscraper
Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second lesson in this series begins by exploring the history of the Empire State...
Perkins School for the Blind
Learning to Identify Sounds Made by the Body
Sneeze, snap, tap, and whistle; Did I do that? Explore the parts and sounds of the human body with your learners with visual impairments. First you'll name the parts of the body, make a sound with each part, and then have the class...
Curated OER
Cave Painting in the Ice Age
Students take notes and sketch during the Internet research. They take notes of the colors found in the cave paintings (black, browns, ochre, sienna). They create an initial full size comprehensive sketch on scrap paper and in their...
Curated OER
Busiest People Ever
Students write a paragraph about what they want to do when they grow up. They include the special skills and education (human capital) they must have to do the job they've chosen.
Curated OER
Actors, Artists, Storytellers, and Poets
Twelfth graders in groups select a human rights issues and create a presentation that examines it through art, storytelling, poetry, or acting. The instructional activity helps students use different modalities of learning. Student...
Curated OER
Experiencing Tiananmen Square
Students investigate the Tiananmen Square demonstration and massacre in China. They watch a video clip, in small groups conduct Internet research, present their findings to the class, simulate a demonstration, and create an art project.
Curated OER
Kirk Medical School
Fifth graders conduct research on the major organ systems of the human body. They create and present 3D models of a body system, and collect basic first-aid supplies for donation to a third-world community.