Curated OER
Colossal Squid Caught in Antarctic
Students define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and...
Curated OER
Trailers Become Schools After Hurricane Katrina
Students share their thoughts about natural disasters, then read a news article about how life at an elementary school was changed after Hurricane Katrina. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...
Curated OER
U.S. Mint Releases New Jefferson Nickel
Students share their knowledge of Lewis and Clark, then read a news article about the redesign on the U.S. nickel to commemorate Lewis and Clark's expedition. Introduce the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students...
Curated OER
Winter Olympic Torch Traveling Across Italy
Students react to statements about the 2006 Winter Olympics, then read a news article about the Olympic torch's journey through Italy. In this current events lesson (written prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics), the teacher introduces the...
Curated OER
Traveling Cat Flown Home to Family
Students locate Wisconsin and Belgium on a world map, then read a news article about a cat that stowed away on ship from the U.S. to Europe. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with map and vocabulary...
Curated OER
British Royalty Tours the U.S.
Students share their knowledge of England, then read a news article about Prince Charles's anticipated visit to the U.S. In this current events lesson (written prior to Prince Charles's visit), the teacher introduces the article with a...
Curated OER
Chicago White Sox Win World Series
Students react to a series of statements about the World Series, then read a news article about the Chicago White Sox winning the 2005 World Series. In this current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion...
Curated OER
Return to the Moon
Students react to statements about space exploration, then read a news article about plans to resume manned flights to the moon. In this space science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Curated OER
New Supreme Court Justice Sworn In
Students react to a series of statements about the Supreme Court, then read a news article about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
EngageNY
Researching and Note-Taking: Becoming an Expert on a Colonial Trade
Fourth graders work in small groups to become experts on different colonial trades in the eighth instructional activity of this unit. Working toward the long-term goal of writing a piece of historical fiction, young scholars read...
National Endowment for the Humanities
James Madison: Madison Was There
Madison was there! Scholars go on a journey to discover the person behind the founding father label as they explore James Madison's role in the formation of the United States government. The culmination is a writing assignment and...
University of Minnesota
Ethics of Dissection
There's an elephant in your classroom. That's right — a big, awkward elephant named Dissection. Sure, you'd like to talk about him ... but how? Whether you're a seasoned teacher or fresh out of student teaching, the topic of dissection...
Curated OER
Writing Poetry Like Pros
Students name classic and contemporary American poets. They explain one poetry idea in classic or contemporary poem. They explain poetry idea at work in their own poems.
Curated OER
World Hunger - Causes And Solutions
An online Sim City type game from the BBC website guides students to complete a World Food Programme mission. They investigate the causes and of hunger in different parts of the world and then research a particular region's hunger...
Curated OER
Giant Smelly Plant Attracts Thousands
Read and discuss a news article about a rare corpse plant that bloomed in Washington D.C. Because this native Indonesian plant blooms so rarely, people flock to see it. After reading the article, your class answers comprehension...
Curated OER
Real Ice Ages Longer Than Movie Ice Ages
If your class's knowledge of the Ice Age is limited to animated movies, use this lesson plan to strengthen their knowledge. After sharing what they know about the Ice Age, young readers explore a news article seeking to dispel...
Curated OER
The Summer of the Swans
The Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars, is a 160-page chapter book about a family going through a difficult time. Complement your reading of Byars' book with this detailed outline of each chapter. Every section includes comprehension...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“House by the Railroad”: A Painting and a Poem for the Common Core
Introduce your class to ekphrastic poetry with an exercise that asks them to examine Edward Hooper's painting House by the Railroad and Edward Hirsch's poem "Edward Hopper and the House By the Railroad." After a close reading...
Curated OER
Hammurabi's Code: What Does It Tell Us About Old Babylonia?
High schoolers examine life in Babylonia during the time of King Hammurabi. They read and discuss excerpts of the Code of Hammurabi, participate in a simulation of advisors to the king, complete an online interactive activity, answer...
Growing Minds
Potato Exploration: Projects All About Potatoes!
How many potatoes tall are you? Unearth this rich resource! A reading of John Coy’s Two Old Potatoes begins a cross-curricular exploration of potatoes. Class members read, write, weigh, measure, and experiment with potatoes. Additional...
John F. Kennedy Center
Jazz music, Dance and Poetry
Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance. In this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance. Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music...
Curated OER
Solar System Adventure
Students study the solar system and our galaxy, then write a science fiction story based on what they discover. They utilize worksheets and access websites imbedded in this plan to gain ideas for their stories.
Curated OER
Investigation--Can You Build This?
Early learners explore shapes using colored blocks. They first get some hands-on time with the blocks and then look at beginning math concepts regarding spatial relationships. They work with a partner to build a 6-8 block tower...
Visa
Smooth Sailing: Exploring Insurance and Estate Planning
While purchasing insurance and estate planning may seem like a rather irrelevant topic for high school learners, introducing this concept now can help your learners develop a solid foundation of financial literacy that will...