Curated OER
Naked to the Eye
Students understand that microorganisms are too small to see but there are other indications they exist. In this microorganisms lesson, students recognize that some microorganism are helpful and some are not. Students use a microscope to...
Curated OER
Changing Perspectives on the Japanese Internment Experience
High schoolers explore the issue of Japanese-American internment. In this World War II lesson plan, students analyze historical biases regarding Japanese-American internment as they analyze literature, research print and Internet...
Curated OER
More Than Anything Else
Second graders investigate the life of Booker T. Washington by reading a biography. For this biographical lesson, 2nd graders read the story More Than Anything Else, and examine the geographical locations Washington once resided...
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Indian Boarding Schools
Middle schoolers research government-run American Indian boarding schools. For this American Indian history lesson, students analyze primary documents to develop an understanding of the forced acculturation of American Indians through...
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European Explorers in France, England, Portugal, and Spain
Students, in groups, research either France, Spain, Portugal, or England. They create a poster describing various aspects of their country and how their country participated in the exploration of America. They present their project to...
Curated OER
Is the Price Right?
Learners listen to the book, Arthur's Funny Money, then play The Price is Right game to estimate and to chart the price of items to the nearest $1.00 and $10.00. They check their estimates by counting out the actual amount in play money.
Curated OER
Coffee Makes the World Go Round
Young scholars examine the concept of "fair trade coffee," then research facts about coffee and the coffee industry and create original exhibits to be included in a "Global Coffee Awareness Fair."
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Dictionary Work - Entry Words
Second graders examine the use of entry words in the dictionary. In this dictionary use activity, learners look at guide words in a children's dictionary as the teacher/librarian describes the characteristics of each entry. They complete...
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Destressing: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Students interview peers, teachers, counselors, parents and local health providers to see how they identify "good" stress and suggest teens cope, write news feature about stress, complete with extra boxes, such as list of signs to spots,...
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Look for Patterns: Quilts in Two Faith Ringgold Stories
Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. In this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...
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Charting Identity: Building Community in the Classroom
Students define identity as it applies to them and their classmates. Using real-life situations, they discuss how identity plays a role in their school and community. They practice creating identity charts and write journal entries to...
EngageNY
Multi-Step Problems—All Operations
Harness the power of algebra to solve problems. Young mathematicians learn to work out multi-step problems by applying algebraic techniques, such as solving equations and proportions. They use tape diagrams to model the problem to finish...
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Primary and Secondary Sources - 7th
A link to a beautiful Animoto presentation is included, giving examples of primary sources that a student might want to contact when doing research. Using the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah as a sample topic, middle schoolers view a slide...
Curated OER
Learning About Trees
After looking at pictures of trees, discussing tree growth, and identifying the parts of a tree, lead your class on a nature walk and have them collect samples and record their observations. They then work in pairs to polish the...
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Healthy Field Day
Hosting a Healthy Field Day will take a lot of planning and organization, but with a lot of parent participation it can come together very well. The resource describes seven stations of the ten that were presented. Each of these has a...
Media Literacy
Once Upon a Time
Robert Munsch's The Paperbag Princess and Jon Scieszkafrom's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs launch a discussion of the role of stereotypes in stories and movies.
Shakespeare in American Life
Tom Hanks and Caliban: Survivor Superstars
Here’s a clever way to combine language arts and social studies. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is believed to have been inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609. The class views a brief scene from Castaway in which Tom...
Curated OER
Back to School Books for All
Start the year off strong with reading that inspires, engages, and
entertains.
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Smiles Change the World
Students explore ways to notice when others are sad, happy, calm, or angry. They act out feelings and have others try to identify them. The listen to The Brand New Kid, focusing on plot, characterization, and illustrations. They create a...
Curated OER
School Sleuths Treasure Map
Students are explained how a grid and compass work. They are also explained that archaeologists use grids as a record of the exact location of artifacts. Students define the term datum as a point of reference on grids from which all...
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Measuring the Earth (Eratoshenes' method)
Sixth graders engage in problem solving, communicating, reasoning, and connecting to represent and solve problems, using geometric models.
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Tell It to the Judge - Persuasive Essay
Young scholars compare and contrast a classic fairy tale with a fractured one and complete a graphic organizer. Then they write a persuasive essay following the steps of the writing process. Finally, students publish their completed...
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Understand the Push Pull Theory of Immigration
Learners examine the Push Pull Theory of immigration. In this lesson on immigration, students explore primary sources to discover several reasons why people migrate. They will then present skits to share this information. Finally each...
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A Soldier's Letters
Students explore the role letters play in a soldier's life and learn background information about Vietnam in the 1960s.