Curated OER
Haiku: Observation and Writing in the Japanese Garden
Students observe a Botanical Gardens. Upon returning to the classroom, students write their own Haiku based on their observations.
Curated OER
Exploring the Elements of a Japanese Garden Through the Book Arts
Students create book arts based on a visit to the Botanical Garden. They choose their own images to put into their book and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
The Literature of Upheaval
In groups, 8th graders read different documents and answer questions on the Civil War period. Students read documents by Thoreau, Stowe and Frederick Douglas.
Curated OER
A Literature of Democracy
Eleventh graders analyze how American literature shows a lot of different genres. In groups, 11th graders create a short report about the passage they have chosen.
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
Fifth graders explore how important print media is to everyone's daily life. Students use present daily newspapers and they are to reproduce weather forecasts.
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Air
Students conduct an experiment to determine whether plants need air in order to survive and grow. They discuss natural resources, analyze slides, and observe and record data from the experiment.
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Light
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need light to survive and grow. They observe and gather data about plant responses to different growth regimes, analyze the data, and make conclusions about basic plant needs.
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Soil
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need soil to survive and grow. They plant two seeds, one with soil and one without, make predictions, and record and analyze the seed germination results on a worksheet.
Curated OER
Slavery: A Crisis in the Making
Young scholars acquire background information and act out a play about slavery. In this play lesson plan, students become the characters in history to gather information about slavery.
Curated OER
Causes of the American Revolution: the Stamp Act Crisis
Fifth graders view primary documents to become familiar with the causes of the American Revolutionary War. In this Causes of the American Revolution instructional activity, 5th graders answer questions based on the documents. Students...
Curated OER
"All We Want Is an Equal Chance, an Open Field, and a Fair Fight"
Young scholars investigate the California Gold Rush. In this California history lesson, students analyze images, letters, and documents from the era to discover information about the events and social conditions spurred by the Gold Rush....
Curated OER
Creating Genetic Counselor Pamphlets
The information included here will guide your students to research a particular genetic disorder and then work in groups to create a pamphlet about the disorder from a genetic counselor's point of view.
Curated OER
Packing a Sea Chest
Students make a model sea chest, then fill it with provisions for a voyage. They supply a list of the contents of their sea chest, explaining the purpose of each item. The sea chests can be displayed for the school or community.
Curated OER
Letters from Emily Dickinson: Letters and Poems
Students analyze how Emily Dickinson perceived herself as a poet. Students read correspondence between Dickinson and her preceptor, Mr. Higginson to determine the depths of their relationship. Students interpret several of her poems.
Curated OER
Oliver Twist Goes to Hollywood
How does Oliver Twist, the novel written by Charles Dickens, compare with its screenplay adaptation? Although the activity doesn't require learners to have read the novel, the similarities and differences of the highlighted passages...
Curated OER
Day One Dance Workshop
Fifth graders complete a unit of lessons on the definition of dance. They view videos of various dances, compare/contrast the dances viewed, categorize a list of words about dance on a handout, write journal responses, and perform dance...
Curated OER
Picturing History: John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture
Students observe and compare 18th century British portraits with those made by John Singleton Copley. By conducting research they explore the cultural climate of the portraits in order to write a historically accurate story.
Curated OER
Through Our Eyes
After reading Sandra Cisneros’ novel The House on Mango Street, class members design a canned food drive, create advertisements for the drive, and use digital cameras to document the entire process. In addition, pupils journal their...
Curated OER
"I Believe..." Podcast Style
Use this communication skills lesson to emphasize evaluating a speaker's main point and argument. After reading Martin Luther King's, "I Have a Dream Speech" and John F. Kennedy's speech, "I Believe in an America Where the Separation of...
Curated OER
Solving Crosses
Genetics hopefuls solve Punnett Squares for monohybrid and dihybrid crosses. An example of each is provided to teach the process. Other heredity patterns are mentioned and genetic disorders are listed in the second half of the...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Mendelian Laws Apply to Human Beings
Why are so many inherited diseases more prevalent in populations of specified races? Scholars learn about pedigrees and genetics using a reading, an animation, primary sourced letters, a short video, a biography, a guided practice...
Curated OER
Zen Gardens
Young scholars study the design elements and symbolism of Japanese gardens through a hands-on lesson in Zen Garden design.
Curated OER
Relief Sculpture in Two Parts
Students discuss relief sculptures and examine many examples of Roman urns with relief sculptures. They consider the information these urns give us about Roman culture and then use drywall to design and create their own relief sculpture...
Curated OER
Mini-Ecosystems
Students use plastic bottles to create terrariums and plant Venus Flytraps. They observe the plants and the terrariums for illustrations of the water cycle and species' adaptations to a specific environment.