Curated OER
Official Statements
Students research the viewpoints of famous Americans, and then write commencement speeches reflecting these viewpoints to be delivered to high school graduates of today.
Curated OER
Count it, Glue it, Read it!
Students identify numbers 1-10 and count objects to match corresponding numbers. In the number sense lesson, students create a counting book, matching numbers they've written on index cards with the correct number of items (beans,...
Curated OER
Urban Ecosystems 4: Metabolism of Urban Ecosystems
Middle schoolers discover that material and energy uses by a city come from outside the city boundaries. They realize that the pathway of these material is linear instead of cyclical as they are in natural ecosystems.
Curated OER
Public Arts Programs
Students choose a project from one of the public art programs and work on it as a collaborative project. The goal is to encourage students to research art programs in their city, and communicate with students from another city.
Curated OER
Alphabet Photo Book
Students use iPhoto to create a class alphabet book. After the teacher reads several alphabet books to the class, students brainstorm the names of objects that start with each letter of the alphabet.
Curated OER
Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali -Teacher Version
Students investigate the geography of Mali. They locate Mali on a satellite map, explore various websites, describe the landscape and climate, label a map, and write an essay about the Niger Riger.
Curated OER
Sexually Transmissible Diseases (STDs) - Day 1: Overview
Pages and pages of information on sexually transmissible diseases (STD). Vocabulary, worksheets, reference sheets, questions for discussion, and more. Transmission and reducing the risk of transmission of a STD. Signs, symptoms, and...
Curated OER
Help the Duck Find Her Babies
Learners are introduced to a basic characteristic and need of living things-the ability and need to reproduce. They investigate how birds (and people) attract mates. Students discover how to build a nest. They discuss the needs and...
Curated OER
Evaluating the Strength of Scientific Evidence: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
A happy discovery occurred in Arkansas in 2004: a woodpecker, believed to be extinct since the 1940s, reappeared! Or did it? Middle to high school ecologists examine scientific evidence and use critical-thinking skills to determine...
Curated OER
Treasure Tales
Create an artifact kit to engage your young learners. Then, assign small groups a section of chapter three. They will identify the main idea and three supporting details for their section. Then, they select one artifact from the kit that...
Curated OER
The Economics of Risk
Students consider the plight of immigrant food industry workers in the United States. In this social justice lesson, students identify the pros and cons of being an undocumented worker in the U.S. and discuss labor laws.
Curated OER
Vital Work
Students consider the role of women in the food industry. In this gender exploitation lesson, students work in groups to examine unfair labor practices. Students watch a video and write a fictional letter from a female laborer. This...
Curated OER
Hurricane Research
High schoolers examine the factors that influence hurricanes to develop. In this hurricane activity students research atmospheric trends that affect hurricanes and create a summary.
Curated OER
Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One...
Explore language arts by reading two similar stories in order to compare and contrast them in class. Young readers read two Aunt Isabel books, by Kate Duke, and discuss the main characters, plot, and setting. They complete a graphic...
Smithsonian Institution
A Life in Beads: The Stories a Plains Dress Can Tell
Young learners discover how the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes preserved native culture through the making of traditional dresses, identifying the resources used to make the dresses and discussing behind the meaning behind some...
Curated OER
Video Game Violence: Explore Possible Impacts
Introduce middle schoolers to the issue of video game violence with a multifaceted approach. Learners complete a gaming survey, as well as read and discuss a news feature about violent video game sales and a handout on stimulus...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Homestead Act
To understand how the Homestead Act of 1862 changed the US and the lives of the people during that time, class members examine primary source materials including letters, broadsides, and images. They then assume the voice of a...
State Bar of Texas
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Who decides someone is not a real person? Scholars investigate the Dred Scott v. Sandford court case which deals directly with slavery and citizenship. After viewing a short video clip, classmates work in pairs to assess and discuss the...
State Bar of Texas
Gibbons v. Ogden
Have you ever played the game Monopoly? Do you know what it takes to win the game correctly? Scholars research the nature of outlawing monopolies in the United States while controlling trade. They investigate the court case Gibbons v....
Curated OER
An Investigation of Primary and Secondary Sources Using The Records on Mary McLeod Bethune
Students listen to a summary of the life of Mary Bethune. They read or listen to an excerpt from an interview with Mary Bethune. They discuss the differences between the transcript and the draft of the biography.
Curated OER
How To Think Like An Archaeologist
Students take a field trip to historical Jamestown. Using artifacts given to them, they must identify them and discover who would have used them and for what purpose. They create a database to organize the information and share it with...
Curated OER
Getting the Word Out: From Gutenberg's Press to Zines
Students examine the effects of Gutenberg's printing press on the world. Using this information, they create their own Zines or internet magazines about a social issue of their choice. They share their magazine with the class for...