Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Farewell to Manzanar

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Examine human resilience across two texts with a detailed unit. Over the course of a week, learners will conduct a close reading of excerpts from Unbroken and Farewell to Manzanar. The resource includes clear procedures for reading and...
Activity
Novelinks

Words by Heart: Question Answer Relationship

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Even though readers investigate matters of the heart, this activity promotes the inner workings of learners' brains. The fifth lesson of six has the teacher first model the strategy to the class before having small groups practice. To...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

9/11 Essay Questions

For Teachers 8th - 10th
After reading about the events of September 11, 2001 learners can think critically with the aid of nine interesting questions. They answer each question in a full sentence and answer as if they were confronted with these questions at the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Ways To Teach Evolutionary Concepts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Research how DNA, the genetic blueprint of living organisms, plays an essential role in the continuity of life. High schoolers will summarize how their influence may very well effect the destiny of the population from one generation to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Human Rights

For Students 11th - 12th
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a political cartoon is like reading an essay. Have your critical thinkers examine three cartoons to read between the lines, gaining insight and information. They analyze how these cartoons...
Activity
Curated OER

Character Development Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Read Dangerous Minds with your language learning disabled pupils to identify characteristics and connect to literature. This is a specific activity intended for use with the suggested book. The class uses a character map  as a way...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Reformers: Martin Luther and César Chávez

For Students 7th
Kids consider the characteristics needed to be reformers like Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. They read a series of quotes focused on both animal and human rights to answer eight critical thinking questions. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Undercover-ed

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Have your class engage in critical-thinking activities using this resource. Learners discuss a variety of topics they think get too much, or too little, attention from the press. They analyze why these topics are over or underrated....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bias and Crime in Media

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Critical thinking and social justice are central themes for this resource on bias and crime in media. The class views and discusses an incisive PSA that highlights assumptions based on race. Small groups read newspaper opinion pieces...
Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Spontaneous Inventions

For Teachers 3rd
Reading out loud can be a real thrill for some, and a real issue for others. Teach your class that reading with inflection and fluency can be as easy as singing a song. They'll first analyze two Bobby McFerrin songs for intonation,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critically Surfing the Web

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The New York Times article “Online Diary,” launches this study of websites and how to assess them. Richly detailed, the instructional activity includes warm-up activities, procedures, journal prompts, discussion questions, and links to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Amendments And Gay Marriage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders critically examine the history and process of amending the U.S. Constitution in light of the current issue facing the courts on legalizing gay marriage. They read a variety of articles, watch news clips, and develop a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

What Does the Government Do Right?

For Students 8th - 12th
Challenge your class to reevaluate preconceived notions about government with this political cartoon analysis. An image presents a clear example of irony, in which a disgruntled American complains about his government, yet fails to see...
Writing
Curated OER

Do Presidential Candidates Need to Be Good Debaters?

For Students 7th - 12th
Blogs can be a good way for learners to engage in writing, critical thinking, and social media in a formal way. The New York Times has provided learners age 13-18 with an article, background information, and several prompts to get them...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Nov. 17, 1973 | Nixon Declares 'I Am Not a Crook'

For Students 9th - 12th
Connect events of the past to events of today. Budding historians read an eight paragraph passage describing the Watergate scandal. They then connect the Nixon scandal to sex scandals of recent times. There are six critical thinking...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The State of "No Child Left Behind"

For Students 6th - 9th
Your class can read about the changes Obama considered making to Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. After reading the article, pupils answer 13 questions that ask, who, what, when, where, and why.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debate: How Should African Americans Achieve Equality?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Each group is assigned a character to play in a mock debate. They read the provided materials, build an argument, and then debate their points of view as their perspective character. The debate focuses on ensuring equality for...
Lesson Plan
Pyro Innovations

Get into Shape

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
Shapes are so fun! Little ones explore, identify, and create shapes using tangrams or pattern blocks. The activity is intended to stimulate critical thinking while engaging learners through play and shape identification. Each child will...
Worksheet
Curated OER

How Were European Nations Capable of Dominating the African Continent?

For Students 7th - 8th
Primary source documents provide a realistic context for pupils to explore. Included are 5 experts relating European ideals and methods for colonizing and controlling the African continent. Middle schoolers answer 4 critical-thinking...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Dems and dat dang debt

For Students 10th - 12th
Warm up the class with this political cartoon analysis. They use the provided guiding questions to analyze a cartoon depicting issues of debate regarding Federal debt. Critical thinking is a must with this worksheet.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Fair Elections?

For Students 9th - 12th
Rigged elections make for both intriguing current events and hilarious political cartoons. In this analysis worksheet, pupils read background information to help them grasp a cartoon about rigged presidential elections in 2007 by Russia,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Favorite Sports and Athletes: an Introduction to Sports Media

For Teachers K - 3rd
Even young children watch sports and like team logos and products. It's never too early to think critically about what's onscreen. This exercise develops awareness that media communicate values (i.e. who participates in sports and who...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Justice for All

For Teachers 4th - 6th
A reading of Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter opens a discussion of justice and fairness. Using a Venn diagram and an Idea Wheel graphic organizer, class members consider the similarities and differences in these two terms. They then...
Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Creating Narrative

For Teachers 5th
Plot, setting, characters, and conflict are common to both drama and narrative stories. Kids create narrated tableaus that show their understanding of the plot, setting, and conflict of a story they've recently read. The lesson...

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