Curated OER
On The Day You Were Born
Students engage in a study about the holiday of a birthday with the help of using children's literature. They make cognitive connections of using the characters of the book and relating them to the personal celebration of a birthday.
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Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...
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Pop Up Card
Young scholars design and create pop-up greeting cards for a special occasion in this art lesson for Kindergarten through 8th grade classrooms. The lesson includes resource links for pop-up "arm" ideas and can be accomplished in one day.
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Stand Up Bunny
Learners create "stand-up bunnies" for classroom display in this early-elementary Art lesson ideal for the spring months. A bunny template and design ideas are included to aid in the teaching process of this fun and quick lesson.
National First Ladies' Library
Language Arts: The Rise of the Operetta
Students develop an appreciation for the musical theater form, the operetta. In addition, they present parodies of songs from The Mikado. Working in small groups and accessing provided Websites, they compose their parodies. Once...
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First Grade, First Grade, What Do You See?
First graders read the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?" by Bill Martin, Jr. and work cooperatively to create an online book about their geographic region. Books can be posted on the internet with other books from around...
Japan Society
Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
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Sarah Plain and Tall
Learners read the story, dividing it into chapters per day until complete. They respond to the ad, just as Sarah, Plain and Tall did and use the correct parts of a letter used including a return address, greeting, body, closing and...
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Dad's Magnetic Personality
Students create a gift honoring Father's Day. In this Father's Day instructional activity, students examine the meaning of fatherhood and explore the history of this tradition. Students create a picture collage over a template of their...
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Clowning Around: Drawing
Kids create a clown out of shapes. They work to show emotions while practicing their drawing skills. Pupils use circles, triangles, squares, oil pastels, and their imagination to draw, color, and decorate a sad or happy clown. Tip: Have...
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From the Post Office to the Oval Office
This Presidents' Day, have your pupils write letters to the presidential family. They will read an article about writing letters to President Obama, identify topics they feel are important, and finally discuss if those topics would...
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Van Gogh's Sunflowers
Students create replicas of Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers using construction paper, tissue paper, glue, and scissors in this art instructional activity for the elementary classroom. The flowers can then be displayed in the room as a...
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Hand And Foot Print Reindeer
Students create reindeer out of paper cut-outs of their own hands and feet in this fun and quick Art activity for the early-elementary classroom. The lesson plan may be accomplished as an individual or small group (partner) project.
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Wiggly Spiders
Learners create "wiggly spiders" using black paint, construction paper, yarn, and their hands in this fun, messy, art lesson for the early elementary classroom. An ideal lesson for the Halloween holiday or for a lesson/unit on spiders.
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Face Study: Draw the Other Half
Build fine motor, spatial, and drawing skills by having the class complete the other half of a portrait. They choose an image of a face from a magazine, then attempt to draw the other half of the face as accurately as they can. Two book...
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Puzzle Trees
Elementary artists use a collage and multi-media technique to create textured trees. They study the fall trees, discussing texture and what bare trees look like. They then use a variety of materials to create a textural piece.
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Leaf People
Kids create leaf people out of sticks, glue, and leaves. They use their imagination to construct leaf people and then glue them onto construction paper. Tip: Extend this craft by incorporating writing. Have learners write a short story...
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Florida Blue Crab
Explore the extraordinary creatures of the ocean! Learners create Florida Blue Crabs (imitation of course) using blue paint and their hand prints. This is a cute supplementary project perfect for an ocean-themed unit or preschool...
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On the Edge and Under the Gun
Students brainstorm ideas related to gun control and share with the class. in this gun control lesson, students research teacher approved websites related to gun control. Students write a paper in groups on a self selected topic related...
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Dealing With Tragedy in the Classroom
Students compose a letter, organize a group effort, discuss the idea of patriotic symbols and explain their importance, use visual representations to express feelings and explain the importance of sustained volunteerism.
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Flower Power
Students create flowery napkin rings, paint umbrellas, paint flowers, and create "butter-flowers" in this four-day instructional activity all about Springtime. The activities in this instructional activity could be accomplished over...
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Tin Can Telephone
Students make telephones. In this visual arts lesson, students follow the provided steps to create their own tin can telephones.
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Bunny Hats
Students create "Bunny Hats" using construction paper, paper plates, glue, googly eyes, and pencils in this fun Art lesson for the early-elementary classroom. The lesson emphasizes building cutting skills and encouraging creative...
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First Meeting of the Indians and the Europeans
Your class hears a Native American Indian point of view of Europeans' arrival in Louisiana. They assess how cultural perspectives (especially an insider's view) and native language can shape a story. Each pupil identifies the...