Curated OER
Marriage of Visual and Thematic Aspects of Herbert's Poetry
Eighth graders describe the relationship between the visual aspects of "Easter Wings" and the poem's subject, and theorize about the poet George Herbert's motivations in constructing the poem this way. They demonstrate their ability to...
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The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education
Learners investigate the history of unequal education in the United States and the impact on African American history. In this unequal history lesson plan, students discuss the purpose of education and describe an ideal school. Learners...
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Allele Frequencies and Sickle Cell Anemia Lab
Students investigate how selective forces like food, predation and diseases affect evolution. In this genetics instructional activity, students use red and white beans to simulate the effect of malaria on allele frequencies. They analyze...
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Marriage of Visual and Thematic Aspects of Herbert's Poetry
Eighth graders study the visual aspects of poetry and write a poem using the white space to form a poem into the shape of a plus sign.
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Style and Voice
Develop the writing skills of your high school class. Writers consider their personal style and voice, read selections by other authors, and then write pieces that challenge them to experiment with their own style.
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Animal Research Pamphlet
Fourth graders perform research on an animal of choice. The reading of a novel is done prior to the research in order to establish context for the lesson. The use of the library for research is a key skill for this lesson.
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Enterprise and Commerce
Using Mark Twain's The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, invite your learners to consider the concept of virtue in a democratic society devoted to gain and self-interest. This stellar resource guides your class members through a close...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Freedom and Individuality
What are the strengths and weaknesses of American individualism and independence? Explore these principles through a close reading of Jack London's To Build a Fire, and engage in high-level discussion with your class by analyzing the...
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Science Concept Maps
A collection of concept maps has some terms filled in and others left blank for young scientists to fill in. This library can provide you with many pop quizzes for all of your middle to high school science curriculum.
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African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions
Students research the role played and contributions made by African American soldiers during World War I. They discuss the evolution of civil rights in America's history, and the progress that has been made in the last 100 years.
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African-American Soldiers After World War I: Had Race Relations Changed?
Students utilize an online database to conduct research and analyze the conditions for African-Americans before and after World War I. They consider the role of the 92nd and 93rd divisions in affecting social change.
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Equality
What if society sought equality by handicapping the gifted and dispelling any traces of diversity? Kurt Vonnegut Jr. offers one possible answer to this question through his incredibly engaging and thought-provoking satirical...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Freedom and Religion
The United States of America was founded on firm ideals of both the pursuit of happiness and a spirit of reverence. Through a close reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," you can examine what some consider was a...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: National Identity and Why It Matters
Combining a close reading of a classic American text with the study of history can be a very powerful strategy, and this is most certainly the case with this resource using Edward Everett Hale's The Man without a Country. Consider themes...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Self-Command
Even for one of the most accomplished men in American history, there was room for improvement. Challenge high schoolers to use Benjamin Franklin's Project for Moral Perfection to analyze text, make inferences, connect to historical...
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General Music: Grades 4 & 5
The story behind the Star Spangled Banner sets off this singing and music lesson. Emergent singers study facts about Francis Scott Key and his famous song, they then discuss and practice singing the first verse paying close attention to...
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writing mini lessons
Students pair up and talk about a story, plot, or incident they are working on in writing workshop. Ask the listener to note when his interest is piqued and to share those moments with the storyteller. Those points of intrigue are all...
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Computer (Keyboarding)
Have your class play a game in which they practice identifying various keys on a keyboard by moving around on a body-sized model keyboard. Kids love this game!
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Fable for Tomorrow and Today -- Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
Students read Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring". They identify their beliefs about the environment while reading the story. They discuss and write about those beliefs and realize how one person can have an impact on the world.
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The Map of Summarization
Students review the concept of silent reading. Through modeling and guided practice, they follow six given steps in summarizing a chapter from "Charlotte's Web." Then they follow the same steps in summarizing the next chapter on their own.
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Comprehension! The Key That Opens our Minds
Students examine the comprehension strategy of story-grammar. They discuss the strategy and read a variety of texts. Students practice using the story-grammar strategy while reading passages from the texts. They answer questions about...
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Predicting and Summarizing Leads to Comprehension
Students practice making predictions in order to aid in the creation of meaning when reading text. Before reading a passage, they make a prediction based on previous actions as to what will happen next in the text. Students compare and...
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Where the Red Fern Grows: A 4th Grade Literary Focus Unit
Fourth graders explore the human and animal connection along with the idea that death is a part of the life cycle. They read "Where the Red Fern Grows." Students examine the feelings and emotions surrounding death and they discover the...
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Insect or Spider?
Students compare and contrast the difference between insects and spiders. After a brief class discussion, students complete an activity matching the body parts of an insect and the body parts of a spider. Worksheet with answer key is...