Curated OER
“Pardon This Interruption-Columbus Has Landed!!!”
Students research, design, rehearse, record, and present a 60 second Public Service Announcement, based on Columbus' arrival in the America. The students, working in groups, utilize the design process in creating their PSA. This lesson...
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students learn vocabulary associated with the Swing Era. They also listen to music from the time period.
Curated OER
¡Cha cha en Chihuahua!
Can you name all of the Mexican states? Most Americans can't, even though Mexico is our close neighbor. Encourage your Spanish learners to research a Mexican state and create a comprehensive PowerPoint to share the newly acquired...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Learners examine primary source materials on the Dominican Republic in an exploration of how environment influences lifestyles. They compare and contrast life in the Dominican Republic with life in the United States.
Global Oneness Project
Our Shared Humanity
Ann Shin's award-winning documentary, My Enemy, My Brother introduces viewers to Zahed Haftlang and Najah Aboud, two child soldiers on opposite sides during the Iran-Iraq war. After viewing the film, class members are asked to...
Curated OER
A Postcard from America by Robert Olen Butler
Learners read "A Postcard from America" by Robert Olen Butler and complete comprehension activities for the text. For this close reading lesson, students view postcards and read the example text. Learners complete close reading...
Curated OER
Get Your Mojo Workin': Part 1 Writing Your Very Own Blues Tune!
Upper graders listen to the blues. They discuss blues scale, read a description of the blues, and work together to write an original piece. A lesson like this ties into American history and African-American musical contributions very...
Curated OER
Persuade the Aliens!
Why do we do what we do? Imagine that people on a faraway planet came to visit Earth. Could you convince them to adopt a custom or behavior that we participate in here? Learners of all ages write persuasive essays. If you're using this...
Curated OER
How Can We Do Research on the Internet?
Students demonstrate how to use the Internet to research historical individuals. In this technology lesson, students use the "Internet Coach" CD-ROM to identify how to gather information on the Internet. Students choose an important...
Curated OER
Modern Movements
Students analyze the art of Jacob Lawrence. For this art analysis lesson, students examine a art from Jacob Lawrence. In this art analysis lesson, students complete image based discussion activities and two related activities.
Curated OER
Komm mit! Our Vacation
Young scholars study the German language. They research in small groups and create a Power Point presentation, write an essay with 15 sentences in German, prepare a food or wear a costume, and give an oral presentation.
Wordpress
Greetings - How and Where Might We Greet Someone Using Spanish?
Use the Total Physical Response (TPR) strategy to practice Spanish greetings as well as where and who question prompts. Comprised of five days, this short unit is taught completely in Spanish with call-and-response exercises,...
Curated OER
Fur Trading
Learners take on a role such as a farming community, hunting community or a trading post. They decide which products they focus on and then trade with the other groups.
Curated OER
Entrepreneurship: Creating Products and Systems That Meet the Needs of Your Clients
There is no better way to learn about a subject than with a hands on project. Middle schoolers design and create a product that meets the needs of fictitious clients. They view a PowerPoint, consider how the Western marketing style is...
The New York Times
401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing
Sometimes the hardest thing about an argument essay writing assignment is coming up with a question. A four-page list of prompts includes a range of topics, from social media and smart phones to video games and sports. The list is a...
Curated OER
A Practical Experiment In Colonization
Role-play and simulation exercises are fantastic ways to help learners understand the reality behind many social and historical events. Pretending they are colonists, upper graders choose a location, create a history, establish laws, and...
Balanced Assessment
Cost of Living
Math scholars investigate the cost of living in Hong Kong compared to Chicago but must first convert the different types of currency. They then choose a type of graph to compare different spending categories and finish the activity by...
Curated OER
Exploring China: One Educator's Experience
Visiting new places can inspire a wide range of teaching activities.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Can Be Moved Between Species
Biotechnology changes lives every day, but how did it all start? Learn about Cohen and Boyer's technique for recombinant DNA and the founding of this new scientific study. Then, scholars use the online interactive to discover how Hanahan...
Curated OER
Can You Build a Better Mousetrap?
Students use a variety of linked sites to research information about student inventions and contests that are available for them. They research an invention they would like to see become available. They communicate their results to their...
Curated OER
A Dollar Goes A Long Way
Investigate life along the Old Spanish Trail! They visit websites and identify the history and environment. They create journals, dramatic enactments, and maps to discover the role individuals played in society. They also explore the...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: The Net Neutrality Debate
Should Internet users who send data-heavy content pay higher fees than those who are involved in activities, like sending an email, that have less content? This question is at the heart of the Net Neutrality debate. After watching a PBS...
Curated OER
National Marine Sanctuaries Shipwrecks
Junior oceanographers access the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Database and plot the locations of several shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are always an enthralling subject and this activity allows your learners to act as...
Curated OER
Digital Curation: Life and Times of Mark Twain
By digitally organizing research, your class leaves a legacy for future students on the life and times of Mark Twain. Before reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, scholars conduct group research projects on one of six (listed)...