Teaching Tolerance
Picture Books
Aspiring artists and budding writers combine their skills in an interactive lesson. Young scholars become authors when they create their own picture books focused on social justice. The resource guides learners through the writing and...
Curated OER
Pieces of Me
Eighth graders explore themselves and their community. In this writing lesson, 8th graders brainstorm ideas about their childhood, middle years, family, and future goals. Students write an autobiographical sketch about...
Curated OER
A Contract on Bullying
If you want to stop bullying, you need to understand it. A four-part instructional activity guides learners through defining characteristics of a bully, identifying instances of bullying in the media and in their lives, and signing a...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Young scholars familiarize themselves with the geography and culture of the Dominican Republic. They use primary source materials on the Dominican Republic to explore the question: How does where you live influence how you live? They...
Curated OER
Create a Community that Promotes Academic Language
Set your elementary, middle, and high schoolers up for success by implementing a variety of strategies to build academic language.
Curated OER
Fall in Love with the Library of Congress
Introduce your class to this special library while simultaneously addressing the Common Core State Standards.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Myth or Fact
Are opioids the most abused drug after marijuana? How hard is it for young people to obtain painkillers without a prescription? Middle and high schoolers explore the growing epidemic of opioid addiction with a lesson that prompts them to...
Curated OER
Community Locations - Police Station, Fire Station, Library, Post Office
Learners get excited about their community which can be extended through visits from members of the community or field trips. In this community helpers lesson, students demonstrate knowledge of the interaction of location, family,...
Curated OER
Living in a Community
Students practice their reading comprehension skills by reading articles about living in a community. They answer questions related to the material to test for comprehension.
Curated OER
Sharing Beauty Through Song
Students perform a song for their school community. In this music lesson, students sing the philanthropic song See Me Beautiful by Red Grammar and reflect upon the lyrics. Students perform the song for their school community.
Curated OER
Real-Life History: Looking at Our Community
Spend several days with your class exploring local history. Learners brainstorm and categorize sources of historical information as primary or secondary; collect and present artifacts from family/community; construct a definition of...
Curated OER
Finding Your Spot in The World; Geography, Maps, Multi-Culturalism
Students use a variety of maps to locate their home, their school and the origin of their ancestors.
Curated OER
Community Celebrations
Sixth graders are introduced to cultural history and diversity that is present in the community in which they live by examining secular and sacred celebrations. Students create scrapbooks to chronicle their family's celebrations.
Curated OER
The Kindness Company
Learners organize themselves into a simulated company complete with applications, interviews and training. They identify a community need they can fulfill related to cooking or sewing and work to make and deliver the designated product.
Curated OER
Speaking in Tongues
Students examine their own family history of languages and investigate local and regional resources available to immerse themselves in a foreign language and culture. They write applications seeking an imaginary grant to fund their...
Curated OER
Community Brochures
Third graders discuss what a community means to them. For this community lesson, 3rd graders make a brochure about their community or what they feel a community is. Students illustrate their community.
Curated OER
My Family
Students examine artwork that surrounds the topic of "family." They compare and contrast the families in the artwork with their own families. Finally, each student creates a HyperStudio slide of their own artwork that represents their...
Curated OER
Family Pictures
Students discuss family composition and traditions. After reading Family Pictures, students identify key vocabulary and cognates. Working in pairs, students discuss the people who compose their family and some traditions that are unique...
Curated OER
Educating Myself Benefits Others
Most upper graders don't realize that when they choose to attend college, they're benefiting the whole community. Invite them to explore how they, as educated individuals, can contribute to their family, community, and global society....
Critical Thinking Cooperative
Doing Our Share
Whether at home or in the classroom, each member of a community has certain responsibilities they must tend to. With the help of the children's story Piggybook by Anthony Browne, kids learn how to assign jobs in a fair and safe...
Civil War Trust
Genealogy
The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether...
Curated OER
Arkansas Photographs as Research Tools
Middle and high schoolers look at historical photos and written materials, and they develop questions which they use to interview an elder in their community. Learners are divided into groups and given sets of historical family photos...
Curated OER
Wildflower Beautification Project
Students, in cooperative groups, design and create a wildflower garden for the community. They write letters to property owners requesting use of their land and then write invitations to their parents and to local, state, and federal...
Character Kids
The Fourth and Fifth Rs - Respect and Responsibility
Set the tone for a successful school year with a list of strategies to instill respect and responsibility. With tips for classroom management and ways to get parents involved, the resource is valuable for new and veteran teachers alike.