Museum of Tolerance
Influence of Media
We are bombarded with media images expressly designed to influence viewers. Learning how to analyze the intended effects of these images is essential and the focus of an activity that asks viewers to use the provided questions to guide...
ELA Common Core Lesson Plans
American Romanticism
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" provides the text for an activity that asks readers to select specific passages from the story, identify the aspect of American Romanticism the passage exemplifies, and then provide an...
Center for History Education
Should the Colonists Have Revolted Against Great Britain?
Should the Americans have taken the plunge and revolted against Great Britain? Using documents, including the famed Common Sense and a Loyalist response, pupils conduct a lengthy investigation of the question. The interesting resource...
Curated OER
"Julie of the Wolves"
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. They...
Curated OER
Comparing Characters Across Two Short Stories
Ninth graders listen to a read aloud of two short stories focusing on literary devices. The write about the settings and realism of the stories, and decide each main character handles the conflict he faces with nature.
Curated OER
Which Way To Go?
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package of lessons includes nine lessons from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection about a man making a key life decision. Pre-reading...
Curated OER
Enrichment Activities - "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
Fifth graders read the novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." They discuss the various characters in the book, and the different types of conflict that take place within the book. They also research owls and rats to make comparisons...
Curated OER
Religious Dissent
Students perform a readers theater about Anne Hutchinson and her religious dissent. In this religious dissent lesson plan, students re-enact her trial through the reader's theater.
Curated OER
Cause and Effect SDAIE Lesson
Fifth graders read two Mexican folktales and discuss cause and effect. They draw a cause and effect relationship from one of the stories.
Curated OER
Creating Context: The Printing Press as Impetus
Tenth graders examine the invention of the Gutenberg printing press and its effect on society. In groups, they research how much the press enabled various revolutions around the globe. They also identify the causes and effects of each...
Curated OER
Biographical Scene Investigators
Sixth graders become members of the BSI in this research simulation. They apply for Biographical Scene Investigator membership, investigate an individual, keep an evidence notebook and write an investigator's report.
Curated OER
The Poet's Message-"The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes
Students analyze the poem, "The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes to gain a greater experience of how poets use language to create meaning, influence thinking and thus become pioneers of change in American society. They work on the...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and a Boy Called Slow
Fifth graders identify the character trait of integrity in the main character, Slow, in "A Boy Called Slow." They participate in a discussion to determine what steps the main character took to earn his new name. Students write an essay...
Orange County Department of Education
Katie's Trunk
Fifth graders read the story of "Katie's Trunk". They identify the traits of integrity and fairness in the characters John Warren and Katie. Students explore how people can experience the same event but interpret it differently. They...
Curated OER
Anti-Vietnam War Movement Lesson
Students examine reasons why many Americans opposed the Vietnam War. In this world history lesson, students view a Powerpoint of anti-war images and a timeline of events that led to the war. Students examine speeches made by John Kerry...
Curated OER
Crime Scene Investigation: Hair Analysis Lab
Students participate in a hair analysis lab. Using a digital microscope, students compare and contrast hair samples. They determine if the hair samples are human or animal. After completing lab results sheets, students share their...
Curated OER
America 2000: Federal Round Table Discussion
Eighth graders examine the United States Constitution and identify the beliefs and values Americans follow today. In groups, they compare and contrast state's rights and federal rights and the issues affecting them. They debate the...
Curated OER
Rain Forest Birds
Fifth graders look at the levels of the rain forest. In this rain forest lesson, 5th graders choose a rain forest animal and explain which of the four levels of the rain forest they think that animal lives in. They also complete a word...
Curated OER
Reflections on Poetry Readings
Eighth graders design and compile a booklet of published and original poems reflective of a specific theme.
Curated OER
Characters in the Chocolate Factory
Pupils dress and act as selected characters from Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". They identify each other and make predictions about the upcoming chapters based on their observations about the characters.
Curated OER
Classified Cues
Middle schoolers analyze classified advertisements to make inferences about who wrote the ad and who may find the ad appealing. They write their own classified ads based on what they have learned.
Curated OER
Teaching Imagery with Gary Paulsen
Students read excerpts from memoirs written by Gary Paulsen as examples of how to write a narrative piece. They identify figurative language used and then they write a memoir of their own that contains imagery and figurative language.
Curated OER
Adapting a Fairy Tale
Students read and prepare a new oral version of a selected fairy tale. They read and compare/contrast two fairy tales and identify the main story elements. In small groups they create a new oral version of one they fairy tales and...
Curated OER
One Big Happy Family
Students will explore the role and structure of the family in the target culture and the relationships among family members. The skills help learners make connections to language because the information of the instructional activity uses...