Curated OER
President Obama's Address to Students Across America
Students listen to President Obama's speech, and discuss its meaning. In this President Obama instructional activity students learn about the president, about how to deliver a speech, and the ways they can make a difference. They create...
Curated OER
The Second Inaugural Address (1865)—Restoring the American Union
Learners explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to reconstruct the country as the Civil War drew to a close.
Curated OER
Motivating and Speaking Activities
Students participate in various activities to encourage speaking. They design a board game using the questions, dice and counters. Students are given partial information about a topic. They exchange information with their classmates...
Curated OER
Sentence Writing and Parts of Speech
In this sentence writing worksheet, students are given sentences with the words out of order and must put them in order so the sentence makes sense. Students are also given adjectives and must divide them into positive and negative...
Curated OER
Helpful Animals and Compassionate Humans in Folklore
Students define elements of stories from around the world that include helpful animals. They explore animal character motivations and use graphic organizers to compare and contrast animal stories from different cultures.
Curated OER
Learning Vocabulary by Using Reference Materials
Finding engaging ways to help your middle schoolers build their vocabulary is not easy to do. The instructional activity presented here offers a great way to motivate them to build vocabulary by making it into a game. Teams of pupils use...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 6: Kohlberg's Levels of Moral Reasoning
How does our moral reasoning shape our identity? After a study of Kohlberg's Levels of Moral Reasoning, readers use Kohlberg's theories to analyze the speech, thoughts, and decisions of a character in A Separate Peace. They then...
Curated OER
Lessons from the Holocaust
In an ultimate lesson about listening to opposing points of view, your young historians read testimony from the Nuremberg Trials by Nazi SS officers regarding their actions during the Holocaust and a brief speech by Himmler to SS...
Curated OER
Taming of the Shrew: Act 2 Questions
Activate higher-level thinking and reading comprehension skills with these questions about act 2 of Taming of the Shrew. Literary analysts respond briefly in writing to 5 questions about plot, characters, motivation, and personal...
Curated OER
Story of Self
What a great beginning-of-the-year activity! Get your class to identify their values through a three-page worksheet (included). Each speaker will craft a two-minute description that includes their story and how they can help their...
Mr. Roughton
Cold Case Rome
Pupils are transformed into detectives in the case to solve the motive behind the assassination of Julius Caesar. This resource includes eight engaging "exhibits" of unique primary and secondary sources for students to analyze...
Curated OER
Perspectives on Civil Rights
Students examine speeches of the Civil Rights Era. For this American history lesson, students listen to speeches delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Students respond to guiding questions as they listen to the...
Curated OER
O, LEAR'S MANY REASONS
Students analyze King Lear's speech and identify his "darker purpose", and let them explore different styles for reading it aloud. They can perform the scene as well.
Curated OER
Cyberbullying: Effects on Teens Across the Nation (Segment 3)
Free speech, privacy, and cyberbullying are the focus of a series of activities that prompt class members to engage in discussions about these interrelated topics. They view a segment from PBS’s series on bullying, read...
Oxford University Press
Language Focus: Interrogative and Demonstrative Pronouns
Work on who, what, where, and how with several grammar activities. Additionally, kids complete sentences with demonstrative (relative) pronouns based on whether items are close or far away.
Center for History Education
Guatemalan Coup of 1954: How Did the Cold War Influence American Foreign Policy Decisions?
Was it all about the bananas—or the fear of a communist threat? Young historians use a history lab to examine documents from the American-led 1954 Guatemalan coup. Using graphics, government documents, and speeches, they examine the...
Mr. Ambrose
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Good discussion questions, quizzes, and tests teach as well as assess. Readers of The Great Gatsby will learn much from the materials in a 36-page packet designed to help students prepare for the AP Literature exam. Included in the...
Curated OER
Literary Response and Analysis Theme Literature
Analyze the central idea or literary theme found in a series of quotes from the Shakespearean play, Hamlet. For literary analysis, learners paraphrase excerpts from the play and then identify the characters' motivations for their speech.
Marion County Schools
Popcorn Literacy
Popcorn is a tasty part of a culminating activity designed to motivate readers to share important literary elements. The popcorn fills the inside of a white paper bag that is transformed on the outside into a presentation tool with the...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan Anchored Instruction
Students explore a case study of a hearing impaired person. They evaluate obstacles the patient may face in a school setting. Students determine strategies to help the patient adapt to his hearing loss. They present their solutions to...
Curated OER
Introducing Nouns and Verbs
Second graders accurately identify nouns and verbs in sentences. In this nouns and verbs lesson, 2nd graders sing a jingle to help them identify characteristics of nouns and verbs. Students classify pictures in the proper category and...
Curated OER
The Outsiders
Tenth graders complete a variety of activities related to the first two chapters of the book The Outsiders. They define metaphor, simile, idiom, and hyperbole, and take a vocabulary pre-quiz. In small groups, they write a character...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Colonizing the Bay
Eleventh graders review the goals of John Winthrop. In this American History lesson, 11th graders read Winthrop's speech and summarize his key points. Students predict the possibilities for success and failure in the...
Curated OER
The History and Culture of Ireland
Ireland has an interesting history that can lead to a variety of motivating lessons.