Curated OER
Virtual Tour of John F. Kennedy Library
High schoolers take a virtual tour of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. In this Kennedy presidency lesson, students access the library via the Internet and take notes on the experience. High schoolers write essays using the...
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
Getting to Know Our School
Students explore their school and the various types of people who work there (school nurse, custodian, and principal). They interview these people and complete an activity based on the information they have obtained.
Curated OER
Ooh, You're in Trouble!
Students consider disruptive school behavior and how school districts in several states are turning to the juvenile justice system for help. They debate this issue from a variety of perspectives, and write a paper.
Curated OER
"I Hear America Singing": Controversy and Music in the Mexican War
Eighth graders examine the Mexican War and its outcome through music. In this primary source analysis lesson, 8th graders analyze the lyrics of selected songs to consider the 2 perspectives regarding U.S. involvement in the war. Students...
National Library of Medicine
Your Environment, Your Health: Air Quality
Some scientists argue that air pollution now causes more deaths than smoking. The second unit in a six-part series focuses on air quality. Scholars learn what's in the air, how clean the air around their school is, and what they can do...
Steppenwolf Arts Exchange
Fahrenheit 451: Study Guide
Here's a must-have packet for your curriculum library. If you are interested in Fahrenheit 451, if you are interested in Ray Bradbury, if you are interested in censorship, if you interested in programs that make a difference, then...
Curated OER
Places in My Community - Parks, Library, Hospital, School
Students exhibit their knowledge of community. In this early childhood lesson plan, students identify areas of their neighborhood and local community by recognizing pictures of various locations, including parks, libraries, hospitals,...
Curated OER
Literature in the Library
Students get familiar with their school library. In this library orientation instructional activity, students explore the layout of the library and challenge students to locate literature materials in a scavenger hunt activity.
Overcoming Obstacles
Using Appropriate Resources
A instructional activity dives deep into reference materials. The class begins with a discussion of which resources are best used for specific purposes and how to identify ways to get the needed information. Learners share information...
Curated OER
The Founders’ Library: Thinking as a Founding Father
Students analyze the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. government instructional activity, students examine books, movies, and music that influence them today and then investigate writings that influenced the framers...
Missouri Department of Elementary
How I Act Is Who I Am
A lesson centers itself around the topic of family roles. A whole-class discussion uses puppets and posters to go in-depth into the following character traits; caring, responsibility, respect, and cooperation. The discussion closes with...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Cooking
A Reading Adventure Pack focuses on cooking. Scholars participate in three hands-on activities after reading the fiction book Easy as Pie by Cari Best and the nonfiction book How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? by Chris Butterworth....
Curated OER
After Reading: "Plot the Plot" Activity in the Library Media Class
"Plot the plot" of "The Adventures of the Speckled Band" with your young readers. Take a few days to read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story as a class or in pairs, having learners write down what they consider to be the most important...
Curated OER
The World of Amelia Bedelia
Get ready to laugh with your class by reading the book Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School. After they read the book and do activities comparing their first day of school with Amelia' they will then have conversations around the story....
University of Chicago
Gender Roles in Ancient Egyptian Society
After reading about the legal status of women in the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt and doing some additional research, your young historians will work in groups to develop short skits that reflect a typical gender-role related scenario...
Curated OER
Jim Crow Lesson Plan
Jackie Robinson's attempt to earn a spot on the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers provides learners with an opportunity to examine the Jim Crow laws and revisit issues of segregation and integration. "The Unconquerable Doing the Impossible: Jackie...
Scholastic
Dear Miss Breed
This compelling plan based on the letters in the book Dear Miss Breed engages readers in learning what it was like for Japanese Americans following the attacks at Pearl Harbor. After reading the letters, young scholars will...
Poetry4kids
How to Create Book Spine Poetry
Can you create a poem without writing a word! With found poetry, you can! Practice one version of found poetry with a lesson on book spine poems. Learners create poems by stacking books and reading the lines created by their spine titles.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Using Historic Digital Newspapers for National History Day
Your learners will take a trip through history as they peruse through historic digitalized newspapers, reading real articles from such historical periods in the United States as the Temperance movement...
University of British Columbia
The Outsiders: Identity, the Individual, and the Group
S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders is the anchor text in a unit that asks readers to reflect on their own identity, their place in their family, in groups with which they identify, and in school.
Facing History and Ourselves
Dual Identities
Many of us have multiple identities. There's who we are at home, school, friends, and strangers. And often these identities come with different names. The third activity in the First Days of School series examines how names reflect...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Oceans
Flotsam by David Wiesner and The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen, begin a reading adventure pack focusing on oceans. With story listening and thoughtful discussion, scholars complete several...
Poetry4kids
How to Write a Repetition Poem
A repetition poem is the focus of a lesson that challenges scholars to compose an original piece. To add meaning to their poem, authors choose words to repeat at the start of most lines.