Baylor College
People and Climate
Model how the sun's energy strikes the planet and help your class relate it to a climate map. Assign small groups an individual climate zone to discuss. They reflect on and research how humans survive in the assigned climate and write a...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Whether new to teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or an experienced pro, you’ll find useful resources in this teacher’s guide. The 40-page packet includes background information, historical context, an annotated list of...
PBS
Democracy in Action: Freedom Riders
This is a must-have resource for every social studies teacher covering the civil rights movement. Through an engaging video and detailed viewing guide, young historians learn about the Freedom Riders, and discover how everyday...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
It’s Greek to Me: Greek Mythology
It's no myth: this packet on Greek mythology is an excellent addition to your social studies curriculum. With writing activities, such as short answer responses and biopoems, and reading activities, which include creation stories and...
Free Printable Behavior Charts
Pet Care Charts
Involve kids in the care of pets at home or in the classroom by assigning tasks using these pet care charts The list of tasks are recorded on a matrix in the left-hand column and the days of the week are indicated in the first row...
Facing History and Ourselves
BPS Civil Rights
Include moments of heroism in a social studies module that includes three units. Focusing on the murder of Emmett Till, the movement of nonviolent resistance, and segregating schools in Boston, the units explore key events of the...
Facing History and Ourselves
Civil Rights Historical Investigations
The murder of Emmett Till, the Selma to Montgomery march, and the desegregation of Boston schools are the focus of three units that ask class members to investigate why these events were so key in the struggle for civil rights....
Scholastic
Recovery From Drug Addiction
Are there factors that put some individuals at a higher risk for drug addiction than others? Learn more about the risk factors that may make some people more susceptible to addiction, as well as protective factors that help prevent...
Curated OER
A Test Case for Individual Rights
Students examine the different points of view regarding testing students for drug use. They then work in pairs to create and perform dialogues that flesh out two sides of the argument around this controversial issue.
Virginia Department of Education
Grade 8 Writing Prompts
Imagine four pages of writing prompts. Although designed specifically for eighth graders, the topics could be used for upper-elementary and high school writers as well.
Alberta Learning
Creating Authentic Diaries
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "What is history but a fable agreed upon?" A series of lessons encourages learners to look beyond the basic fable agreed upon related to events in history and consider multiple accounts of the event....
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War
Students research information on the causes of the Civil War. They rank their top three reasons and individuals responsible for the war and then use that information to write a position paper.
Project Maths
Introduction to Trigonometry
The topic of trigonometric ratios is often covered with loads of rote memorization baked into the activity. This activity set, however, leans more on using similar triangles and discovery learning to help young geometers develop a deeper...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Parental Liability
How many teenagers have wanted their parents to let them make their own decisions? The answer is ... all of them! Scholars investigate where parental liability begins and ends in the eyes of the law. Using case studies and legal...
Curated OER
Reporting Back
Learners review what it means of being an informed voter. They present their cartoons or quotes work to the class. Youth Summit delegates share impressions of the Summit. They include new information that they obtained and individual...
School Improvement in Maryland
Regulatory Agency
Five governmental regulatory agencies are tasked to respond to market failure. Groups investigate the roles of each of these agencies as well as the social, economic, and political impact of their actions.
Overcoming Obstacles
Developing Personal Power
Money? Beauty? Education? The final lesson in the Confidence Building module encourages middle schoolers to consider the power they have to determine the course of their lives. After investigating different forms of power, participants...
Anti-Defamation League
Gossip, Rumors and Identity
A thoughtful discussion prompts middle schoolers to reflect on gossip and rumors, what they are, their experience with them, and how some groups experience it more than others. Scenarios challenge participants to consider the impact of...
Curated OER
The Old Man and the Sea: Problematic Situations
Bring the drama of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea to class with a fun role-playing activity. Given a list of survival items, readers decide which items would be the most necessary for an adventure like...
EngageNY
Calculating Probabilities of Compound Events
Use tree diagrams with multiple branches to calculate the probabilities of compound events. Pupils use tree diagrams to find the sample space for probability problems and use them to determine the probability of compound events in the...
PBS
Racial Equality: How Far Have We Come and How Far Do We Have To Go?
Is everyone treated fairly in America? The culminating fifth instructional activity from a series of five has pupils explore racial inequalities from the 1960s and decide whether or not society has changed over time. The instructional...
Stanford University
Ruby Bridges
A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...
Workforce Solutions
Discover Your Interests
Career exploration is the focus of a lesson that encourages pupils to choose a profession based on their strengths and interests. Following a thoughtful discussion covering different character traits, class members complete an...
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Sample Teaching Activities to Support Core Competencies of Social and Emotional Learning
What is social and emotional learning (SEL), and why is it important? Using a helpful resource, teachers discover ways to enhance SEL in the classroom. They show pupils how to regulate their emotions and behaviors, set personal and...