Curated OER
Japanese Family Crests
Students create an artistic crest that represents either themselves, their group of friends, or their their family.
Curated OER
Savvy in Sacramento
Young scholars take a field trip to the state capital, Sacramento. Using the Internet, they explain the physical and human geographic features of the area and discuss interactions between the people of California between the time of...
Curated OER
Comparing Time Periods in U.S. History: The Ashford Project
Fifth graders use a "fact book" comparing periods in American history then students create a picture to illustrate their assigned periods. # # students use their pictures and concept maps to write expository paragraphs about their...
Curated OER
A Proper Role for Government - Seeking Perfection in an Imperfect World
Students discuss the proper role of government in the economy. Reviewing the foundations for a market economy to work properly, they decide how to best direct resources to get the most out of them. They distinguish between private and...
Curated OER
Time Zone
Eighth graders are given a year in history to research and identify the social and cultural situations at the time. In groups, they examine and describe various styles and periods of art and present them to the class. They relate the...
Curated OER
Studies of the Eastern Worlds: Cultural Maps
Seventh graders look for similarities and differences in the culture of Eastern World countries by looking at the art from each country. They test their hypothesis and assumptions through further research in the media center. Finally...
Curated OER
A Timeline of Aboriginal Treaties in Canada
Using guiding questions, students analyze various treaties signed in Canada over the years between aborigines people and the Canadian government. Students later present their findings to the whole class in a creative fashion.
Curated OER
Comparing Notes: a Mathematical Exploration of the Piano
Young scholars examine the history of equal temperament, the modern standard of tuning a piano. Proportion calculations of octaves and perfect fifths are utilized to calculate the frequency of each note in a major scale.
Curated OER
Apple, Apples Everywhere!
Students listen to the story of Johnny Appleseed. They create a chart of students favorite apples. They access the Internet and research nutritional information and facts about apples.
Curated OER
Performance Standards/Competencies
Students research how children dressed during Colonial times. Students design and create life-sized likenesses of themselves, dressing the paper dolls in colonial dress.
Curated OER
"Encounter with a Skull"
Students read a story twice. The first time they read it is without contextual information. They read it with the contextual information.
Curated OER
Encounter with a Skull (Tae dokuro, 1890)
Students read and analyze a short story by Koda Rohan. They conduct research, read and discuss a biography of the author, identify examples of Japanese and Buddhist symbolism in the story, and write an original story.
Curated OER
The Perfect Man: Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography
Eleventh graders study the characteristics of an autobiography. They read from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and discuss and write an essay regarding some of his quotes.
Curated OER
Develop Global Perspectives of Nations and Peoples of the World
Students analyze examples of the world socio-economic trends. Using those examples, they develop their own global persective of the different nations and peoples of the world. They determine the value of cultural diversity and describe...
Curated OER
Eye of the Icon
Students examine various examples of artwork and identify icons. In groups, they discuss the role of special interest groups and media in promoting icons in society. They create a bust of an icon in the Victorian style and share them...
University of Iowa
Bringing History Home: My History at School
This unit introduces children to the concept of history as a story. By focusing on their experiences at school, students connect history concepts with personal experience and learn history using primary sources from their own lives. This...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Retro Report Collection
Retro Report is a nonprofit news organization that connects the past to our present. Their short videos provide both historical context and new perspectives. You can use the videos and lesson plans to inspire critical thinking and...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: Le Guin: A Wizard of Earthsea
Guide to A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin with information on historical context, discussion questions, and additional resources on the book. A teachers guide includes ten lessons designed to lead classes through the book with...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Welcome Home Balto Lesson Plan: Molly of Denali
This lesson, based on the animated story "Welcome Home Balto" from the PBS KIDS series MOLLY OF DENALI, helps children use visual imagery to enhance comprehension while listening to and reading informational texts. After Molly hears the...
PBS
Pbs: Culture Shock: Huck Finn in Context
This site features information on themes from Huck Finn. You will find activities and discussion questions to accompany the different sections.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Review Redux: Literary Criticism Through Reception Moments
Literature takes on a life of its own as students take a hands-on approach to exploring A Raisin in the Sun for cultural and historical context.
Penguin Publishing
Penguin Random House: A Guide to "Othello" [Pdf]
Cross-curricular ideas, historical context, focus on language and other features make this 17 page .pdf document a help for anyone planning to teach Shakespeare's "Othello."
Other
A Midsummer Night's Dream Guide
This guide to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream began as the From Stage to Screen: Shakespeare and the World Wide Web project with the Moscow Alternative School Center in Idaho. This guide will walk you through the steps we took at...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: Ozick: The Shawl
Readers guide to Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl, including historical context, author biography and discussion questions. Included teachers guide contains a ten-lesson unit with discussion activities, homework assignments, essay topics, and...