Curated OER
Jamestown
Seventh graders examine life at the Jamestown settlement. In this colonial America lesson plan, 7th graders visit the noted Web site to analyze artifacts from the settlement. Based on their findings, students write descriptive pieces...
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You Are What You Eat
Learners evaluate their eating habits, focusing on the ways in which one assesses whether or not his or her diet is nutritious. They work in small groups to design a menu for a healthy lunch and write a paragraph justifying their choices.
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Looking at Human Struggle Through The Language Arts Curriculum: The Faces of Slavery
Sixth graders examine the use of slavery in the United States. Using a map, they draw the route of the Tecora and Amistad voyages. Individually, they write an essay describing their opinions on whether the Africans on the ships should be...
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Inventors & Trailblazers
Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors.  In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries.  They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...
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Folk Groups
Students study the characteristics of a folk group, themselves and their folk groups, and write about a folk group that is meaningful to them.  They identify various folk groups within the school community and discover that everyone,...
National First Ladies' Library
Workers, Take a Holiday! the Beginning of Labor Day
When your upper elementary class returns in the fall, have them identify and define the beginnings of the labor movement and Labor Day in the United States. They thoughtfully reflect on changes that have occurred in the way we think...
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Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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The Civil War: A Nation Divided
Students examine the clash between the North and the South. In this Civil War lesson plan, students watch segments of the Discovery video "The Civil War: A Nation Divided". Students conduct further research pertaining to the...
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Photographical Ecology
Students study organisms and the roles they play in nature. In this ecology lesson, students photograph several examples of organisms during a nature walk. Students print out their photos and classify the organisms as plants or animals.
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Treatments for Characters' Problems
Students research treatments for problems associated with specific characters.  For this online research lesson, students use kid-friendly search engines to find information that will help a character from Charlie and the Chocolate...
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What Do We Need In Our Environment To Survive?
Learners discuss and write about waste management to save the environment. In this environment instructional activity, students discuss what an alien coming to Earth would notice about the environmental needs of humans for survival. They...
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Types of Branches
Fourth graders study the three branches of government. In this politics lesson, 4th graders list the three branches of government, understanding what each branch does, and compare and contrast how government is run with how the...
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Solutions or Impossibilities? HIV Prevention for African Children
Students analyze maps for clues as to why students and mothers in both urban and rural areas of Africa may not fight HIV the same way as those in wealthier countries. They write an essay outlining solutions to the AIDS epidemic.
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Monkey See, Monkey Do
Students consider the influence of bullies and map the social ecosystem of their schools. They create lifelines that compare baboon and human development and write an essay that considers the relationship between psychosocial development...
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Our City, Our Words
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
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The Shapes of Our World
Students utilize shapes and spatial relationships in a practical context by creating maps and writing a critical essay.