Curated OER
Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History Lesson Overview
Students complete activities with the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. For this literature lesson, students read this story and view the Dust Bowl history from the eyes of a child. They discover the Great Depression and life in...
Curated OER
Self-Portrait Unit - Lesson #1
Fourth graders create self-portraits using artistic elements found in Hispanic culture and, specifically, the art of Frida Kahlo.  The lesson can be adapted for any culture/country and requires an outside person with cultural knowledge.
Curated OER
Different! Diverse! Dynamic! Lesson 2: Teaching Peace Through Literature And Song
Students investigate bullying and discrimination and draw pictures of a personal response to being bullied. They read Thank You, Mr. Falkner by Patricia Polacco, to determine the philosophic act that the main character performs. They...
Curated OER
Action Verb Lesson
Second graders become familiar with action verbs through the reading of To Root, To Toot, to Parachute: What is a Verb?  In this action word instructional activity, 2nd graders analyze sentences for the action verb. Students watch a...
Curated OER
Planning a Railroad Online Lesson
Students design a train route using a topographical map. In this historical and spatial thinking lesson plan, students must plan a route through the Sierra Nevada mountains that a train could physically travel. Links to printable student...
Curated OER
Find Figurative Language
Meet with the school library specialist and work together to plan a visit and presentation on figurative language. After defining and examining examples of targeted terms, the class travels to the library where the SL has collected...
Curated OER
Endangered Animals Books
Middle schoolers research endangered species and create and publish books to present their findings. Designed to use Inspiration software, this resource could be adapted if you don't have access to the program. Contains handy website...
Curated OER
Flying High in Arkansas: A Study of the State Flag
An outstanding lesson on the Arkansas State Flag is here for you. In it, elementary schoolers learn about the symbolism of the flag, and create a replica of the flag as a final activity. They also memorize the Arkansas State Pledge, and...
Curated OER
Online Public Access Catalog
Fourth graders learn how to find books in the library. In this library lesson, 4th graders observe how to use an online system to search for a book by title, author and subject. Students practice searching for books.
Curated OER
Where is Grand Dewey Daddy?
Third graders find books. In this library instructional activity, 3rd graders use the Dewey Decimal System to find books and determine the shelves they are located on.
Curated OER
Dewey Rap
Fourth graders locate books in the library. In this Dewey Decimal System lesson, 4th graders listen to the Dewey Rap via power point or audio file. Students view a card from the Dewey system in their library and practice finding the book...
Curated OER
Glossary, Index, and Table of Contents
Fourth graders use two separate sources to learn about index, glossary, and table of contents usage. For this library lesson, 4th graders use two books, Learning About Weather with Graphic Organizers, and The World Almanac for Kids, to...
US Institute of Peace
What Does It Take to Be a Peacebuilder?
Is the spirit of peacebuilding already inside you? Scholars take a closer look at the characteristics of peacebuilders, past and present, in lesson 13 of a 15-part series. Individuals identify common traits of peacebuilders, then work...
National Park Service
How Theodore Roosevelt Became a Leader: Childhood of an American President
The beginning of the 20th century began with a shock: the assassination of President McKinley. The man who would take his place—the youngest American to ever become president—led quite a life before stepping foot in the Oval Office. An...
American Documentary
Religion in Culture & Politics: Women’s empowerment in Syria
What defines a woman as empowered, and how does this definition compare to the ideas and actions of a group of Muslim women in Syria? After watching a series of video clips from a documentary film about a school for girls in Damascus,...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to the Works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Middle school years can be tough. An educator's guide for the works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt introduces readers to two texts that discuss the struggles pre-teens face during middle school. Chapter-by-chapter questions and activities for two...
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Physics at the Art Museum: Kinetic Energy, Potential Energy, and Work
Connect science, math, and art for a true interdisciplinary lesson plan! Learners explore simple machines in art. Through analysis with a physics app, they identify positions of kinetic and potential energy and make conclusions about work.
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right to a Clean Environment in the United States
Even if a school has gone digital, chances are there's still plenty of paper being used. The three activities help scholars learn about the environmental impact of paper and another consumer products of their choosing, the issue of...
Jazz Academy
Let Freedom Swing
Three lessons in the Let Freedom Swing concert tour resource guide packed with information, materials, and activities that provide the context for any study of American history.
Virginia Department of Education 
World History and Geography to 1500 A.D.
Here's a great resource for your curriculum library. The 240-page packet, organized into units by topics, includes sample lesson plans, links to primary and secondary source documents, worksheets, activities, and sample assessments.
Scholastic
Reading Symbols
Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass serves as the anchor text for a lesson on symbolism. Readers use the provided worksheets to examine the symbols in the novel as well as in the world around them.
S2tem Centers SC
Seasons
Winter, spring, summer, and fall—take the learning of the seasons beyond the elementary level to the middle school classroom. Curious learners begin by watching videos about the seasons and the rotation of planet Earth. Then,...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 1
Work out your core, Common Core State Standards, through the first workshop in a series of 15 designed for educators. Inquiry-based activities designed for all content areas and grade levels explore the shifts to new standards,...
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Learning area 2: Challenging Stereotypes and Discrimination
Six powerful and eyeopening lessons provide scholars with activities designed to challenge stereotypes and discrimination. The unit provides reading material with which pupils read and discuss. Grand conversations lead to physically...