Curated OER
Silhouette Outlines
Students create a silhouette by directing light at a person. They change the light, distance from the person and angle to make the shadows different. They are to describe the relationship between the light source and the object.
Curated OER
Create an Illuminated Alphabet Word Book
Students create a class alphabet book. In this letter recognition activity, students use line and color to draw an object whose name begins with a specific letter. Students use adjectives to create a sentence describing the object or...
Health Smart Virginia
Mental and Emotional Health
Middle schoolers learn about stressors, effective stress management techniques, and the role of resilience and tolerance in handling stress. Individuals then create a personal mind map that includes their own mental/emotional management...
Curated OER
The Outline
In this interesting outlining instructional activity, 5th graders create a house using materials in a shoe box based on an outline they are given. First, students discuss how one can find a main idea, supporting paragraphs,
and facts...
Curated OER
Creating a Talk Show
Students practice interviewing and answering questions by creating a mock talk show. In this communications activity, students view a classic clip of an older T.V. talk show and plan an outline of material for their own talk show....
Dick Blick Art Materials
No-Fire Nouveau Tiles
Kiln-glazed ceramics not an option? Kids can create their own art nouveau tiles using ceramic bisque tiles. The packet includes a video to prepare and inspire your artists, as well as detailed directions for various age groups, a...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...
Project Maths
Correlation Coefficient
Of course, there might be a correlation! Young mathematicians investigate several different data sets, create scatter plots, and determine any correlation. They consider whether a causation exists between any of the variables in question.
Childnet International
Responding to Cyberbullying
After watching a short video about cyberbullying, individuals play an online cyberbullying game and then create their own Digizen that expresses their values and presents their vision for themselves, their friends, and the world at large.
Curated OER
Scrambled Stories II
Review story elements with your class. They will use examples from a story to develop critical-thinking questions. Then they use a graphic organizer to describe the setting, character, and plot of the story, focusing on how they...
EngageNY
Close Reading: Brown v. Board of Education
What's the connection? Scholars complete a close reading of Brown v. Board of Education and identify connections to Carlotta in A Mighty Long Way. Classmates learn new vocabulary, answer text-dependent questions, and complete a...
Outdoor Learning Center
Outdoor Survival
Which of the following can you survive without for the longest time: water, food, or a positive mental attitude? The answer may surprise you. Guide learners of all ages through games, activities, and discussions about surviving in the...
Trash For Teaching
The Light-House Project
Groups work together to design a lighthouse, from designing and drawing the wiring diagram, to creating prototypes of the switch and circuit, to envisioning and building a scale model along with a blueprint. By including different...
Akron Art Museum
Storytelling Resist
The illustrations of Ezra Jack Keats in The Snowy Day inspire young artists to examine shapes in illustrations and to use these shapes to create their own watercolor resist painting.
Rainforest Alliance
Growing a Rainforest in Our Classroom
Give your classroom decor a boost with a rainforest themed mural highlighting what class members learned through their five senses—taste, touch, see, smell, and hear. Scholars create a rainforest filled with trees and animals using their...
Discovery Education
Our Brain and Body on Opioids
Use a presentation that explores the world of prescription opioids. Learners look at the way the brain responds to the drugs and the long terms effects opioids have on the brain and body. At the end of the lesson plan, groups create a...
PBS
Civil War: Before the War
Free the slaves! Scholars research primary documents and videos while working together to create abolitionist posters. They examine the John Brown raid as a template to creating their own demonstration.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Articles of Confederation
Have you ever started a project only to realize you need to scrap it and start over? Scholars analyze the issues leading to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. A group investigation into Articles II, III, and VIII unveil the...
National Gallery of Canada
Social Realism
Examine social strife in art. Class members first observe some pieces, and then find an image to inspire their own art. They outline the picture, analyze the composition, make alterations, and color their work.
Sociology Central
Society Is Like...
To introduce the idea of different theoretical views about the nature of society, class members engage in a sociology activity that asks them to create an analogy between society and another concept, and then to explain the parallels.
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
Introductions: Formulating Problem Statements
Describing a problem efficiently doesn't solve it, but a well-crafted argument can move readers to action. High schoolers focus on structuring problem statements by reading examples of strong essays and working in groups to create their...
Cornell University
What Is Rust?
Why do metals rust differently? Scholars experiment with metal combinations in a hands-on activity. They create unique environments with different metals and compare the rate and amount of rust for each.
California Department of Education
My Dream Career
Is your job a dream come true? Career seekers research to discover what their ideal jobs might be in the second of five career and college readiness lessons for sixth graders. After determining their occupational clusters, individuals...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Finding the Positive
To instill the importance of a positive classroom community small groups create a collage out of magazine clippings that highlight three characteristics of self-awareness. Written examples accompany the finished product. Groups turn in...