Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Collective Poetry: Teaching Tolerance

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Help your class create collective poetry following a simple, engaging model from Teaching Tolerance (tolerance.org). Each young poet writes five things on an index card: sayings from others, favorite sound, favorite place, favorite...
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
Ontario

Reading Informational Text

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Learning to recognize the importance of the features of information text (i.e., titles, subtitles, endnotes, sidebars, etc.) is the focus of a reading activity designed for middle schoolers. Learners examine how these text features...
Lesson Plan
Civil War Trust

The Common Civil War Soldier

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Imagine you are a soldier in the Civil War. What are you wearing? What do you need to carry with you? Examine the life of a person during the Civil War, from drummer boys to powder monkeys to musket-toting soldiers. Elementary...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Goldfish is the Best Pet

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Provide your class with a list of possible topics (three are included here, but they're not exactly gripping), and polish their persuasive writing skills. This plan really emphasizes the prewriting process, and several graphic organizers...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aesop and Ananse: Animal Fables and Trickster Tales

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners complete compare and contrast activities dealing with fables and trickster tales to determine how each uses animals to portray human characteristics, specifically strengths and weaknesses, as well as pass wisdom from one...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing the World in New Ways

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine their own history to expand how they examine the world. They research being a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. They also examine Muslim culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry of The Great War: 'From Darkness to Light'?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine World War I poetry for historical context, poetic devices, and participate in a class discussion. They write an analysis of the poetry's form and its content.
Activity
PBS

Dear Pen Pal

For Teachers 1st - 6th Standards
Explore cultures from around the world with an engaging pen pal resource. Through a series of classroom activities and written correspondence, children learn about the favoritec pastimes, schooling, geography, and weather that is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

LA CENERENTOLA (Cinderella)

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars work in groups to create a map key. The map key represents the diversity of each of the Cinderella stories previously read. They explore the cultural dimensions and contributions of the arts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Perspectives on the Japanese Internment Experience

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the issue of Japanese-American internment. In this World War II lesson plan, students analyze historical biases regarding Japanese-American internment as they analyze literature, research print and Internet...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission Accomplished

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders describe the impact of certain figures in United States history, including Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They describe experiences of early American explorers and compose narratives from the perspectives of others.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Class Quilt

For Teachers 1st
First graders engage in a lesson which promote acceptance of diversity within the classroom through the creation of a class quilt. They evaluate the final product to find commonalities with other students.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Quilting Canada

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students explain the symbols of Canada and their relevance.  In this Canada lesson, students read Oh Canada and exchange pen-pal letters with students in Canada.  Students create a class quilt with Canadian symbols.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln's Legend and Legacy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. In this Civil War activity, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Students take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their own poem or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Painted Dreams

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore the importance of art in Haitian culture by analyzing the cause and effect within the story, "Allie's Basketball Dream." They examine all the aspects of the story and characters including their goals, dreams,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Child Labor in the Carolinas

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore child labor and how children were exploited and used in the work place. In this Industrial Revolution lesson, 5th graders research child labor by reading, looking at photographs and drawing conclusions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding and Stay Interested in Reading

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders make predictions about reading.  In this remedial reading instructional activity, 2nd graders read a favorite author's story, and read about an animal or favorite hobby or how-to.  Students discuss the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Report to Congress on Our Expedition

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners research in small groups to locate information on the outcomes and observations made during the Lewis and Clark expedition. In this westerns expansion lesson, students role play their findings as though they were reporting to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Postcards from Somewhere

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners correspond with e-pals about their community. In this cross curriculum geography, technology, and literacy lesson, students complete a postcard webquest about their home location including local photographs. Learners e-mail...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Framing?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students practice framing issues. For this writing skills lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that requires them to look at specific topical issues by framing them. Students then create collages on current issues and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Hero Learning Circle

For Teachers K - Higher Ed
Students participate in a collaboration activity. In this My Hero Project lesson, students discover what a hero is to someone halfway around the world and themselves. Over the 16-week session, circles, made up of between 6-9 classes from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A River, Dead or Alive: Native Americans and European Colonists' Treatment of a River

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students write an expository paragraph about the uses of the Nashua River for the Native Americans and the European Colonists. In this river uses lesson plan, students determine the causes and effects of both parties using the river.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture This

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Young scholars create a descriptive paragraph conveying ideas utilizing a personal photograph as a prompt for their writing. This concept includes the writers emotions, personal issues, education, art and photography. They share insights...