Curated OER
Opium: Use and abuse
Students investigate the issue of opium smoking amongst Chinese communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They examine how opium use was used to create ill-feeling towards Chinese people.
Curated OER
Early Exploration of North America
Third graders "travel" from Europe to North America as Columbus did. They organize the information into chronoglogical order.
Curated OER
Me, Myself, and I
Students visually express their personalities using writing and PhotoShop. They manipulate imagery to illustrate their written description of themselves. Students display their creations.
Curated OER
Prosperity and Challenges
Students watch a slideshow about the technological advances in agriculture. After viewing, they complete an index card about one aspect of the slideshow. In groups, they create a cause and effect timeline in which they identify specific...
Curated OER
Stories of Freedom and Justice: Learning Resources
Pupils are introduce to the topic of nonviolence and civil rights by watching a video. In this stories of freedom activity, students examine the Supreme Court's role in interpreting the U.S. Constitution. Pupils analyze how conflict and...
Curated OER
Recycling: The Way to Save...Fad or Fact
Pupils write stories about recycling and illustrate them. They examine various containers and determine whether or not they are recyclable. They make a chart about the containers and visit a recycling center.
Curated OER
Wide Awake Dreaming
Learners examine and discuss works of art by Juan Miro and other surrealist artists. They discuss paintings of Juan Miro, create a drawing of a dream-like creature, and write a description of their creature.
Curated OER
The Paths of Literature: The Family Today
Use the internet to research the differences between families in the past and today. In groups, they identify the reponsibilities and roles of each member of the family. As a class, they compare and contrast non-fiction and fiction and...
Curated OER
Rewriting Shakespeare
Have your learners play around with Shakespeare's language. In this plan, small groups examine and rearrange soliloquies from Othello, noting how the language changes and morphs. All groups have a chance to change each soliloquy, making...
Curated OER
Picture America's Sweetheart
High schoolers examine Seventeen Magazine's America's Sweetheart contest and one of their finalists by reading about Sunia Arif and what made Seventeen choose her. Students then write a 300-word essay about what would make them or...
Curated OER
Beauty Queen Heads to Iraq
Middle schoolers study about Jessica Gaulke, a beauty queen from Minnesota. She is then deployed to Iraq with the National Guard unit she is in. They have to role play her and react to what they think they would feel if they were in her...
Curated OER
Outsourcing City Hall
Students examine how some city halls around the country are using private companies to run them. After watching a video, they write a reaction paper to some part of it. They write an article for their school newspaper discussing whether...
Curated OER
Project Playhouse
Students read about Kent State's ongoing support for Hurricane Katrina victims by building and auctioning off playhouses for children. They create an ad for the playhouses, including a headline and some copy (words) plus visuals that...
Michael Hunter and Fiona Kisby
Robert Boyle and Medical Reform in the 17th Century
Introduce pupils to the work of Robert Boyle and his influence on medical practice through a series of informational texts and discussion questions.
Curated OER
Shasta Dam: How High is Too High?
Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...
Curated OER
Education is the Meaning of Life
Students explore the teachings of Confucius. In this Korean culture lesson, students watch segments of the A and E video "Confucius: Words of Wisdom." Students read handouts regarding the Asian education system and discuss their...
Japan Society
Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
Curated OER
The Paper Dress - Circa 1968
You won't believe your eyes when you see these dresses made out of paper. Students create paper dresses by modifying a pattern provided by the teacher, and decorate the dress using 1960's style art. What a fantastic and motivating...
Curated OER
Refugees: International Law and U.S. Policy
Students explore refugee policies. In this international law and U.S. policy lesson, students examine the U.S. policy on refugees between 1950 and 1980 as well as the current policy. Students examine the compliancy of...
Curated OER
Tolerance in Times of Trial
Learners view the treatment of people of Japanese and German descent during World War II. They explore the problems in assigning blame to populations during times of war. They identify modern examples of discrimination and stereotyping.
Curated OER
Whose God?
High schoolers investigate religious freedom in the U.S. They watch and discuss a Bill Moyers NOW video, take a Freedom of Religion quiz, write an essay, and participate in a mock trial and debate.
National First Ladies' Library
Blunders on All Sides: The Battle of Bunker Hill
High schoolers investigate the concepts surrounding the historical battle of Bunker Hill while conducting online research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create a newspaper article telling about the...
Curated OER
"History of My Family"
Learners explore world geography by participating in a family history project. In this U.S.S.R. lesson, students read assigned text regarding the Stalinist era of Russia and the intolerance that thrived there. Learners answer a list of...