ARKive
Adaptations to Arid Habitats
How do plants and animals survive in habitats with very little water? Explore arid ecosystems and the way their inhabitants have adapted with a lesson and science experiment. After kids listen to a presentation about adaptation, they...
Louisiana Department of Education
Hatchet
Accompany a novel study of Hatchet by Gary Paulson with a unit consisting of 16 lessons focused on physical and emotional survival. Reading the story along with a variety of informational texts, scholars compare and contrast reading...
Curated OER
An Eye for an Eye
High schoolers watch a view introducing them to modern Indian History. During the film, they answer discussion quesitons and discover the concept of non-violent civil disobedience. They share their responses with the class and write an...
Curated OER
"The Merchants of Cool"
Why are so many advertisements geared towards the teenage population? Watch a video with your class (link included), and have them fill out the attached listening guide. Then discuss persuasion, presenting biased information, and where...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Propaganda - 9/11 and the War on Terrorism
Propaganda is an important topic that most high school social studies teachers address. Here, students compare and contrast methods of public persuasion during WWII with those used in the contemporary War on Terror. Research, discussion,...
Curated OER
Disney's Pocahontas: Fact or Fiction?
Did you know that Pocahontas was 12 when Jamestown was established? Did you know that she later married John Rolfe? Did you know that she lived in London for two years? Did you know that she died of small pox? Class members study the...
Curated OER
Active Viewing: Eyes on the Prize "Awakenings"
Dive deeper into the Montgomery Bus Boycott with this multi-stage lesson, centered on the essential question: Why did the boycott last so long? Historians investigate the Jim Crow south through a video clip (not included), then analyze...
Teach Engineering
Basically Acids
Base your lesson plan on acids and bases on an informative resource. The first installment of a five-part module on the science behind Harry Potter has individuals investigate acid/base chemistry with the use of invisible inks. They also...
BBC
Community Action
Upper graders and middle schoolers engage in a lesson on community. A class discussion kicks off the lesson. Pupils share things that they do as community service after school or on weekends. They imagine an ideal community they would...
Curated OER
Bullying and Homophobia
Having difficulty in class broaching controversial issues? This lesson offers several linked online tools to get students engaged in discussion about bullying and homophobia. Coastkid.org offers an interactive scenario activity, which...
Curated OER
Keith Haring Lesson Series
Second graders study Keith Haring by creating tee-shirts and a mural. In this art instructional activity, 2nd graders study the life and works of Keith Haring through his symbols. Students then make drawings reflective of Haring's style...
Curated OER
Contributions- Grade 10
Tenth graders investigate the contributions of Aboriginal peoples. In this native studies lesson, 10th graders watch "More Than Bows and Arrows." Students complete a handout that requires them to list the contributions they note in the...
Curated OER
Glasgow - A Case Study 1
Young scholars comprehend the reasons for poor housing in Glasgow in the 1940's. They discuss the conditions experienced by tenement residents and analyze the re-development proposals put forward by the city corporation. Students view...
PBS
Standing Up Against Injustice
“Sometimes things are lawful yet are actually wrong.” Researchers examine primary and secondary source materials as they study five legal cases involving civil rights attorney William Kunstler in which he attempted to use the legal...
Curated OER
Into the Wilderness: Habitat vs. Development
By studying the once-assumed extinction, then rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, learners look at the physical changes that have occured in habitats throughout Arkansas. This outstanding lesson is chock full of terrific...
Curated OER
Teach About the Holocaust To Prevent Acts of Hate
Invest the time to study personal histories, poetry, and movies about the Holocaust so learners can grasp the plight of the individual.
Dream of a Nation
Creating Awareness through Action Oriented Writing and Research
Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth...
Shakespeare Uncovered
War and Leadership in Shakespeare’s Henry V
“Compared to war all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance.” “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” These two views of war, embodied in George Patton’s statement and Lorraine Schneider‘s famous 1966...
Curated OER
Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems
The Green Education Foundation found that this lesson plan, written by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, is right up their alley when it comes to teaching sustainability. It is ideal as a first lesson plan on photovoltaic...
Curated OER
The Russian Years: Back in the USSR
Students examine communist Russia. In this lesson on changes in politics, students work in small groups to compare and contrast soviet communist era citizen rights to those of the US. They participate in discussion of a film and create a...
Curated OER
The Children's March
Learners watch the film, The Children's March. In this civil rights lesson, students view a video on the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery Alabama. Learners then complete a worksheet that will prompt a classroom discussion about the...
Curated OER
The Japanese Military Build-up
Young scholars evaluate the state of Japan's military and their defense strategy under the current Shinzo Abe administration. They watch the film, 'The Raping of Nanking' and read "The Return of Japanese Militarism: Rising Sun" by Joshua...
Curated OER
Changes in the New Nation
Students explore how technology has slowly changed the world, starting in the 18th Century. In this United States History lesson, students work in teams to complete numerous activities that compare and contrast life before and...
Curated OER
Cole Porter: You're the Top
Students watch selected film clips about Cole Porter and discover his uniqueness. In groups, they research associates of the Porter's and present reports on them. Then, they write position papers on prominent people of the Jazz Age. ...