Poofy Cheeks
Back to School
A new school year means building relationships with a new group of interesting, unique young children. Get the process started with this simple survey that asks for students' basic information as well as their favorite subject,...
Education World
My Favorite Things
Celebrate your learners' individuality with this simple back-to-school learning exercise. Offering six sentence frames asking for students' favorite subject, book, lunch, and more, this activity will help break the ice during the...
Curated OER
Back to School Alphabet Activity
In this back to school instructional activity, students arrange 20 words that pertain to the beginning of the school year in alphabetical order. Note: Although these are common nouns, the words are capitalized.
Federal Reserve Bank
Lesson 4: Back to School
Based on your current level of human capital, how long would it take you to earn $1,000,000? What about your potential human capital? Learners explore the importance of education and experience when entering the workforce, and compare...
PBS
Around the Block
Arthur and his friends help children explore the concepts of family, community, and diversity in a fun series of activities. From performing peer interviews to mapping out the different places students have lived or visited, this...
Curated OER
Back to School, Mathematically Speaking
Reduce "math anxiety" by listening to students' math stories.
Curated OER
Our Classroom Constitution
Develop a system of classroom rules created by the kids, for the kids with this three-part lesson series on the US Constitution. After learning about the structure of the Constitution and the government it established, young...
Facing History and Ourselves
Dual Identities
Many of us have multiple identities. There's who we are at home, school, friends, and strangers. And often these identities come with different names. The third activity in the First Days of School series examines how names reflect...
Smithsonian Institution
A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
Smithsonian Institution
Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews,
Curated OER
Welcome to the First Day of School!
Classmates participate in a variety of getting-to-know-you activities for the first day of school. They make resolutions, become detectives about their fellow classmates, learn about each other by playing switch, and make...
Curated OER
Back to Basics
Students examine the unique and diverse historical artifacts that people have designed to fulfill their everyday needs in extraordinary ways. They identify ways humans have used design throughout history to enhance the ways they meet...
Anti-Defamation League
Job Roles without Gender Boundaries
A lesson examines gender stereotypes and how they relate to career choices. Small groups look closely at job titles, identify gender bias, and brainstorm ways to add inclusivity. Individuals reflect on their interests and future career...
Curated OER
Arabia: Educator's Resource and Activity Guide
MacGillivray Freeman's film Arabia presents viewers with remarkable images and insights into this ancient and mysterious land. An educator's guide is designed to provided teachers with the materials they need to support a...
American Psychological Association
Activities from the Society for the History of Psychology Website
The Society for the History of Psychology provides a list of teaching activities designed to acquaint learners with the various fields of psychology and introduce them to prominent psychologists. Details for several of the activities are...
Curated OER
Back to School Lessons
The beginning of the school year can be a time to delve into some broader issues.
PBS
Constitution Day
Travel back to 1787 as young scholars investigate the creation of the US Constitution. After first working in small groups to create sets of classroom rules, learners go on to read a summary of the Constitution and watch a short video...
Scholastic
Connecting with Ruby Bridges
When Ruby Bridges entered an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960, she also entered history. Scholars consider what the experience must have been like for the young girl using two books that document her experience as well as a double...
Overcoming Obstacles
Completing Applications
Following directions is an important skill for any grade level. High schoolers work follow directions to an activity that focuses on filling out college and job applications.
Curated OER
Setting Goals for the Coming School Year Home Activity
In this setting goals home-school activity, students work with at family partner to set three school goals for the coming school year. They decide what they need to do to achieve those goals. They write about their plan to achieve those...
Teaching Tolerance
Modern-Day Heroes: People Who Are Making a Difference
Not all superheroes wear capes. An engaging lesson delves into the world of modern-day heroes and activists for change. Academics learn there are many different ways to be a hero as well as explore what makes a person a hero. The...
Curated OER
My Timeline
Ready to announce your next timeline assignment? This is the printable for you! The template provides the option for up to 10 events on the timeline, as well as spaces to illustrate each event!
National Gallery of Canada
A Unity Wall Drawing
Build class community with an art project. Learners first examine and discuss works of art. They then contribute to a class mural by tracing their hands and decorating them in relation to their own cultures. The final mural...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School
What if the Gingerbread Man was trying to catch you, rather than the other way around? Pupils can find out what happens by reading the story The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray and enrich their experience with the...