Curated OER
Columbus: Hero or Villain?
Students explore Christopher Columbus's motives. In this character education lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the life and actions of Christopher Columbus in order to write essays that his actions as the...
Curated OER
Character Traits
Explore character traits using this resource. After reading the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, learners fill in a graph identifying character traits. Then, they write and put on a skit. This resource provides a motivating way to...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Intensities in the Classroom
Everyone learns and experiences life differently. A set of lessons about character intensities encourages middle and high schoolers to analyze themselves, their peers, and characters from a book based on the five listed intensities:...
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Guy Fawkes
Sixth graders access their prior knowledge of the job of Parliament and its relationship to the monarchy. In this Gunpowder Plot lesson, 6th graders research the Gunpowder Plot, summarize key story ideas, and role play the plot. They...
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Helpful Animals and Compassionate Humans in Folklore
Learners 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
Who Will Help?
Learners analyze the characters in the book The Little Red Hen. In this character study lesson, students discuss the behavior of the characters and write about positive ways to work together for a common goal.
Curated OER
Spreading Kindness All Around
Pupils donate items to organization to demonstrate kindness. In this kindness lesson plan, students read many books and discuss how the characters in each one demonstrate kindness, and then they themselves donate to charities.
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Preparing the Soil
Students explore philanthropy through literature. In this service learning lesson, students consider character traits as they read Seedfolks. Students record their notes regarding the characters in the story of a community garden in...
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Enchanting Egypt
After reading the Magic Tree House book Mummies in the Morning, learners talk about Ancient Egypt. They identify the plot, characters, setting, etc., explore vocabulary terms, and construct a pyramid. This will motivate your class...
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Flat Stanley Travels to U.S. Regions
Fourth Graders read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. In the story a bulletin board flattens the main character. He is then sent in an envelope to a friend in California. During a fantasy genre language arts unit, groups of students...
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Maniac Magee: Life Without Problems
Young readers discuss how they would deal with problems faced by the main character in Maniac Magee. They write down their own problems and exchange them with others to analyze and provide possible solutions. They establish a "Dear Abby"...
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Links to the Past
Learners use documents from California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900 , in American Memory to create a script depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, and realizations of immigrants who settled California between...
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How About a Hand?
Students experience a shared reading regarding the importance of feeling like a valued member of the community within a family. In this family member feelings lesson, students discuss the feelings and the motives of the characters....
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1765 to the Declaration of Independence
Students research philanthropists of the American Revolution. In this philanthropy lesson, students watch the video Johnny Tremain and analyze the characters and determine their motives. Students read the Declaration of Independence...
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The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald
Students run a mock trial for Lee Harvey Oswald. They identify what motivated him to assassinate the President. They examine his personality as well.
Curated OER
How Fast Are You?
Students explore constructive ways of handling conflict. In this conflict resolution instructional activity, students brainstorm things that make them angry, sad, happy, etc. Students listen to a story and identify ways the characters...
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Heaven or Ground Hog Day?
Students discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical lesson, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with classmates....
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Preparing the Soil
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students read Seedfolks and discuss the characters in the story and consider their actions that led to a community garden. Students journal about their...
Curated OER
The City Symphony- The Original Reality Show
Students discuss the purpose of city symphonies that were used in the past. In groups, they compare and contrast the social systems of a school and city to create their own city symphony video together. They also write what is known as...
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Middle Ages Timeline
Students research a historical figure from the Middle Ages. For this Middle Ages lesson, students present important events of their characters life and of the time. Students write a time card for each significant event. ...
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Leaders in the Anza Expedition
High schoolers conduct Internet research on historical characters in the Anza expeditions. They compare/contrast the Anza leaders and analyze their relationships to each other in the Anza expedition.
Facing History and Ourselves
The Holocaust: Bystanders and Upstanders
Scholars analyze the role of bystanders during the Holocaust. The investigation explores the roles of the bystanders, upstanders, and rescuers with primary and secondary resources to determine actions taken—or not—and their implications...
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Thinking About Money
Young scholars explore the concept of a personal budget. In this philanthropy lesson, students use a Venn diagram to compare 2 stories in which the main characters spend money in different ways.
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Historical Fiction: A Wealth of Interpretations
Students read a book from the Dear America series and contrast different points of view. They respond to the book either by participating in a literature circle or completing a journal entry. They compare and contrast two books or a...