Curated OER
Save the Music Concerts: Parts 1 & 2
Music aficionados classify pop music into by musical genres or styles. They evaluate the positive and negatives of collaborative performances, view segments of VH1's "Save the Music" concert, and discuss the difficulties of...
Berkshire Museum
Where’s the Water?: Acting Out Science Cycles
Young scientists transform themselves into rivers, oceans, clouds, and drops of water in order to explore the water cycle. After assigning and explaining to students their different roles in the activity, the teacher reads aloud a...
Curated OER
A Matter of Interpretation
Was the fatal crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 cause by mechanical failure or was it an act of sabotage? The crux of the debate and the subsequent controversy centers on translation of an Arabic phrase uttered by the pilot. The New York...
Curated OER
Teaching Appositives
Explore appositives, phrases that immediately follow the noun they modify, using sentence strips, examples, and collaborative learning. The class works together to identify appositives and use commas to properly punctuate them. Partners...
Science 4 Inquiry
Expanding the Universe
When Einstein first heard the theory of the expanding universe, he dismissed it as bad physics. Now scholars learn about the theory and how scientists prove it has merit. Through a hands-on simulation and videos, class members measure...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels (Part II), The Geology of Oil
More of a mini-unit than a lesson, these activities lead inquisitors through a survey of oil deposits. In the first part, they read about and view diagrams of sedimentary rock layers that trap oil. Next, they test porosity and...
Curated OER
Energy Jeopardy
While science Jeopardy games are a dime-a-dozen, this one has some pretty unique categories that are still relevant to a middle school physical science curriculum. The topics include: leading nations, famous Americans (who invented...
Curated OER
Anticipation Guide for The Crucible
Before reading The Crucible with your ninth graders, give your class this prereading guide. They write agree or disagree for nine statements listed. Example statement: Honesty is always the best policy. What makes this guide even better...
Curated OER
It's Your Opinion
Everyone has a different opinion about the characters they read about in books. Have your class explore forming an opinion and finding evidence to support it as they read and discuss what they think about a particular character. They...
Curated OER
Jim Murphy, The Great Fire - Grade 6
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy provides the text for a study of the Chicago fire of 1871. The plan is designed as a close reading activity so that all learners have the same background information require for writing. Richly detailed, the...
Curated OER
Shipping Rolled Oats
What better way to start your day than with a box of oatmeal? Or what better way to start your geometry class than by calculating its volume? Eighth graders discover just how practical volume computation can be in business and in breakfast!
Disney
Earth Day Guide to Being Green
Have fun completing Earth Day related activities while learning about simple ways to preserve the Earth. Implement some of the ideas for going green as a class, like cleaning up a local park or planting a tree at school.
Curated OER
Lead Stories about Confederation Lesson 5
Young scholars identify what a lead story is and how to write one, for their simulated newspaper, about Confederation. They use primary-source documents from the "EvidenceWeb" portion of the Learning Centre, on the Library and Archives...
Curated OER
Moses and the Ten Commandments
Students watch a video about Moses and the Ten Commandments; participate in discussion; create a replica table of the Ten Commandments, or create a picture illustrating the parting of the Red Sea.
Curated OER
The Climate in Class
Students consider the implications of global warming. In this current events lesson, students visit selected websites to discover information about temperature rises in the world and discuss how to solve some of the issues associated...
Curated OER
Halloween: Arachnids
Students participate in class discussion about the movie Arachnophobia. In this biology instructional activity, students find articles and photos of a species that interest them. They share it with their group.
Curated OER
Writing with Symbols, Arkansas and U.S. Flag
Third graders study symbolism by analyzing the symbols on both the Arkansas state flag and the United States flag in class discussion. They are assessed orally at the end of class. As an extension, 3rd graders can create a flag using...
Curated OER
Nontraditional Occupations
Students participate in a class discussion about stereotypes and nontraditional occupations. Thy fill out a worksheet while they search through a database.
Curated OER
Elders As Resources
Students engage in a lesson that uses discussion groups for communication. The focus of the lesson is upon the respect for authority that should be given to older adults. Students engage in class discussion about the information that can...
Curated OER
What Kind Of Research Should Our Government Support?
Students are assigned to research review groups, which have to decide which of the proposals to fund. The teacher then leads a discussion focusing on the ethical issues raised in the reasons given for each group's decisions.
Curated OER
Earth Surface Socratic Questions
High schoolers explore the ways Earth's surface is shaped by hydrologic, climate and tectonic forces by participating in a whole class discussion. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the relationships between...
National First Ladies' Library
Every Child By Two: Early Childhood Immunizations
High schoolers investigate the childhood immunizations and how they are used to help prevent the spread of disease. They conduct an information search using a variety of resources and focus upon the problem of disease in children. The...
Curated OER
VH1 All Access Spotlight: Josh Groban, Lesson 2: Standing Out Above the Rest
Young scholars, through class discussion, identify the characteristics of musicians and their music that help make them successful. Josh Groban is used as an example. They list positive adjectives to describe themselves and then their...
Curated OER
Court Documents Related to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Memphis Sanitation Workers
Students read about the civil rights movement in their textbooks. They engage in a whole-class discussion of how nonviolent direct action can be a powerful tool for bringing about social, economic, or political change.