Curated OER
Origami Ducks: Geometry, Listening, and Following Directions
Make origami ducks with your class to reinforce geometry concepts and vocabulary; develop fine motor and visual translation skills; and enrich study of Japanese culture, the pond habitat, or migration. Create a whole group "worksheet"...
Space Awareness
Navigating with the Kamal
Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...
Curated OER
Word Play
Students explore the work of Xu Bing. In this visual arts lesson plan, students examine the art piece "Monkeys Grasp for the Moon" and compare it to the Buddhist folktale on which it is based. Students create animated flip books based on...
Curated OER
Twain: Icon and Iconoclast
Students examine work by Mark Twain in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America. In this cross curricular lesson, students gather biographical information about Twain, use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast him with...
Curated OER
Australian Aboriginal People: A Fun Introduction
Students read from a book of poems titled, "Ann the Goanna," and discuss the concept of indigenous people with the teacher. Students answer questions about specific poems read, using a final poem titled, "Reconciliation" to discuss the...
Water
Global Water Supply Middle School Curriculum
We take a steady shower stream and clean drinking water for granted, but in many countries around the world, the lack of water or a clean water supply is responsible for higher sickness and death rates. Taking a closer look at the water...
Space Awareness
The Sun Compass of the Vikings
Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...
Curated OER
Muslim Arab/Spanish Connection
Ninth graders watch the video, 'El Cid.' They participate in teacher-led discussion about the beliefs, customs, goals, and heroes of both Spaniards and Moors. They create and present an artifact to the class showing the results of their...
Curated OER
Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan: Sioux Treaty of 1868
Students study the Sioux and their lives in the Black Hills before 1868. They engage in a wide variety of cross-curricular activities which give them a good understanding of the Sioux culture.
Curated OER
Biomimicry, Nature: Architecture of the Future
Students explore the relationship between nature and architecture. In this cross curriculum history, culture, and architecture instructional activity, students observe and discuss structures visible in nature. Students view websites in...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912
Students study a current political cartoon to introduce the ideas of symbolism, humor, exaggeration, and caricature in editorial cartoons. They study cartoons from the past to gain an understanding of the culture of 1912.
Curated OER
Rooster's Night Out
Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton's Rooster's Night Out, a retelling of a classic Cuba folktale, launches a cross-curricular study of Cuban cultural traditions. Class members draw the characters from the book, participate in math and...
Curated OER
Memory Games
Researchers say that we need to hear and see new language 12 times before we remember it! Here's a plan that details a series of games that can be used as memory exercises. Bingo, Noughts and Crosses, Pelmanism, and repetitive speaking...
Curated OER
How To Demystify Mythology for Your Learners
Use visual aids and live performances to help connect ancient myths to human emotions.
British Council
Letters Home
When you're writing historical fiction, the past really can become the present — especially if you're writing in the present continuous tense! Cover World War I, verb tenses, censorship, and letter writing with one informative...
Curated OER
Creating an Autobiographical Amulet Necklace
Students create their own personalized amulet necklaces after viewing images of artifacts from different cultures.
Curated OER
Back in the Day
Learners identify the genre of music called Hip Hop, analyze its elements, and formulate a definition of the Hip Hop culture.
Curated OER
Everyone Eats Bread
Students identify similarties and differences between different countries and what type of bread they eat. They examine the different cultures of countries by emailing people in other countries. They also locate the country on the map.
Curated OER
Word Play
Students examine the Japanese folktale, Monkeys Grasp for the Moon. In this multicultural literature lesson, students discuss the theme of the folktale. Students choose animal folktales from other Asian cultures for comparison.
Curated OER
Using Southeast Asian Folktales to Teach Reading and Writing
Students use maps to locate the countries of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. In groups, they compare and contrast the three countries in regard to their culture, morals and values. They read various examples of folktales and write their...
Curated OER
Themes Frame: A Historian's Tool
High schoolers research the scientific, economic, and cultural themes that connect Paleolithic and Neolithic inhabitants. They complete Paleolithic and Neolithic Theme Frames, comparing/contrasting the two cultures in an essay or Venn...
Curated OER
Music Styles
Students identify many genres of music and connect styles of music with various cultures. They watch "The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A to Z" and list music styles: folk, jazz, rock, etc.
Curated OER
The Affect of Music on Visual Images
Eighth graders consider cross-curricular connections between social studies, singing, and current events. They listen to the song, "I Can't Cry Hard Enough." view scenes from September 11, then create presentations using images, a...
Curated OER
Independence Masks
Students explore how art reflects the economic, political, social, religious and historical concerns of a culture. They research a former colony to determine if there is any history of a mask. Students create a mask representing the...