Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coins In Space! (Creative Writing)

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Young scholars practice creative writing. They write an imaginative story in which quarters escape from the space shuttle and ends up in the hands of an alien. Students brainstorm ideas, write a draft, revise, and edit their composition.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kindness Just Because

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners analyze an African folktale. In this literature lesson, students read the story "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" by John Steptoe and analyze the acts of kindness in the story. Learners identify the setting of the story and find...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spin and Bias in the Media

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners compare different types of media.  In this media comparison lesson, students will assess the where all types of media gets its information by viewing a video of a news story and critiquing it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Preparing the Soil

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning activity, students read Seedfolks and discuss the characters in the story and consider their actions that led to a community garden. Students journal about their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Signs

For Teachers 1st - 9th
Young scholars discuss the many different types of animal signs that can be used to identify and track animals. They participate in an hands-on activity in which they examine tracks, trails, homes, territory markings, and even "scat"...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is This a House for Hermit Crab?

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify text that uses sequence or other logical order. They identify and interpret how different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them thrive in different...
Lesson Plan
University of Virginia

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students engage in a activity that is concerned with the skill of reading comprehension while reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" as a class. They read the story while identifying the different types of food with the help of food cards.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historic Places in Kansas

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore the significance of historical landmarks. In this lesson, 3rd graders participate in a class discussion on Kansas landmarks, then complete several activities the reinforce the class discussion, such as writing a story.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing and Evaluating Holocaust Literature

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students examine the history of the Holocaust through literature. Using different pieces of literature, they critique the items in terms of being historical accurate and its value in telling the stories of the Holocaust. They create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing the World in New Ways

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students probe their own histories to record how they have had to expand their world views. They determine "Everyone has a culture. It influences how we see the world, ourselves, and others." The explain the concept of cultural...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trouble With Trolls

For Teachers K - 1st
Students listen to The Trouble With Trolls and discuss fables.  In this story elements lesson, students work on reading skills.  Students participate in different reading activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topsy Turvy Kids

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study the artwork of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith before creating their own. In this painting lesson, 6th graders examine two pieces of work by Jaune Quick-to-See from the online collection of the Missoula Art Museum and read a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Love Spiders

For Teachers K
Students read the book, I Love Spiders by John Parker. Then students enjoy different activities creating spiders and making a spider web room. Great for Halloween.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whale in the Sky

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners gain a greater understanding of Native Americans and why they build totem poles. They listen to a story and then create a similar story of their own.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spelling Soup

For Teachers 4th - 6th
In this spelling worksheet, students master their weekly spelling words by choosing activities from this spelling menu. Students examine the list of choices which each have points. By the end of the week, students need to have completed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Total Physical Response Storytelling

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are introduced to the strategy TPRS (Total Physical Response Storytelling) for studying world languages. They utilize this strategy as a vehicle to storytelling and expand their vocabulary by contextualizing it in high...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jewish Assimilation In Contemporary American Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars form groups to help each other read, analyze, and conduct research on important background information about Jews and their assimilation into modern American society. They write their own stories of assimilation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is the Evidence for Evolution?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify one object that would tell the story of their lives. In groups, they determine what can and cannot be told from objects left behind. After watching a video, they compare and contrast chicken bones to human bones. To...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working for the Common Good

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the concept of the common good. Using primary source documents, they read accounts from volunteers in the Dominican Republic and discuss how they work for the common good. They reflect on the topic in their journals to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spring is Here

For Teachers Pre-K - 4th
Students analyze changes between winter and spring. In this seasonal changes lesson, students read the story "Spring is Here." They record changes between winter and spring on a large chart paper. Students compare and contrast the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Improvisational Setting - "Where are You?"

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore setting through improvisations.  In this theatre lesson, 2nd graders perform a variety of improvisations in different settings and chart how they established the setting in the different environments. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

STUDENT'S CHOICE

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students interact, answer questions, and extend the story plot. They write a Haiku or basic poetry with their words, name characters, create a new ending for a story, and write a new story with one of the characters.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Generating Power

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars construct a working model of a turbine and explain how water generates power. By the end of the lesson, they list the effects of Kingsley Dam on people, plans, and animals -- both positive and negative.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparative Adjectives

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students rewrite adjectives to show comparisons by adding -er to the end of the adjective. They create new adjectives to compare two different groups. Worksheet is included.