Lesson Plan
Maryland Department of Education

Our Children Can Soar

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a instructional activity on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella...
Lesson Plan6:21
TED-Ed

From Aaliyah to Jay-Z: Captured Moments in Hip-hop History

For Teachers 4th - 8th
To take "the definitive portrait of that person in that moment" is the quest of photographer and hip-hop historian Jonathan Mannion. In this short video, Mannion details his dedication to his art and the process he goes through to catch...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The 2012 Grammy Awards

For Students 8th - 12th
Kids answer 11 who, what, when, where, and why questions after reading a New York Times article about the Grammy Awards. Boosting reading comprehension by reading about a topical event keeps pupils informed and interested. A related blog...
Lesson Plan1:20
TED-Ed

Lessons from Auschwitz: The Power of Our Words

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Some words are best left unspoken.  Words matter, according to Benjamin Zander, conductor, teacher, and lecturer. To illustrate his point, Zander recounts a story told to him by a survivor of Auschwitz. As a result of her experience...
Lesson Plan10:37
TED-Ed

Getting Started as a DJ: Mixing, Mashups and Digital Turntables

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What do Paris Hilton, Avicii, Diplo, and Cole Plante all have in common? They're DJs! Seventeen-year-old Plante is featured in a short video in which he demonstrates his art and encourages others who might be interested in pursuing a DJ...
Activity6:12
TED-Ed

Bringing a Pop-up Book to Life

For Students 3rd - 9th Standards
Breath life into the pages of a text with this instructional video on creating pop-up books. From choosing a topic, through the planning and creation phases, this video examines how to develop engaging visual...
Lesson Plan7:34
TED-Ed

Pixar: The Math Behind the Movies

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
When will we ever use this? A Pixar movie maker explains to young scholars how math is used in the creation of animated films. The movie maker discusses the importance of coordinate planes, transformations and translations, and...
Lesson Plan5:53
TED-Ed

A-rhythm-etic. The Math Behind the Beats

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your learners will dance in their seats as this talented drummer connects math to music in a short video clip. Clayton Cameron shows how math puts the "cool" in various genres of music, including jazz, hip-hop, pop,...
Lesson Plan4:38
TED-Ed

A Brief History of Religion in Art

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Did you know that some languages have no word for art? The English language does and the narrator of this short video discusses the aesthetic dimension of religious art as it "visually communicates meaning beyond language." 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Rick Astley

For Students 9th - 12th
Challenge your High schoolers to conduct research using the Internet. They must answer trivia questions regarding the musician, Rick Astley.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock On

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze trends in the Grammy Award winners this year and create graphs displaying their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

REEL POLITICS: HOW HOLLYWOOD EXERCISES ITS FREEDOM OF SPEECH

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners list the five best films of the year, in their opinion; brainstorm a list of criteria for a "good" film. They compare their own lists with the nominees in this year's Academy Awards; consider patterns in Academy Award winners of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The People's Design Award

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners analyze, critique, and evaluate information from various sources and learn about the design process. For this design lesson, students critique work submitted to People's Design Award and create a design of their own to present...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Love to Read!

For Teachers K - 6th
Students find ways to share their favorite books. For this reading strategies lesson, students advertise books, create a top ten countdown, give a video book talk, simmer story stew, make book medals, play name that book, design a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes a Hero?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing instructional activity, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Young scholars explore...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Uncle Sam is Rich Enough to Give Us All a Farm:

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine websites and video clips to become familiar with tenets of the Homestead Act, challenges faced by settlers and misconceptions about settlers. They role-play colonists on the Planet XR-38 and make choices similar to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interactive Approach To "the Scarlet Letter"

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study Puritan literature by studying daily life in a Puritan colony prior to beginning this unit of lessons. They read the Scarlett Letter and participate in literature activities while completing the unit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln and Photography: A Closer Look

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the Lincoln portraits using a Venn diagram and included analysis tool. In this presidential photography lesson, students write a journal entry and a letter as if they were Abraham Lincoln. Lastly students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chairs, Corduroys, Cottages, and Cars: Exploring the Diversity of Design

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students create and present a theme-based exhibition. For this design lesson, students categorize objects to reflect a specific design theme and create their own theme-based collections. Students research a museum collection to discover...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Designing Scavengers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students write a headline that captures the most important aspects of the People's Design Award. In this design lesson, students are introduced to The People's Design Award and collaborate to create a headline for a newspaper article....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Problem Solved!: Design Solutions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers learn about charrettes. In this arts lesson, students use creative problem solving processes used by design professionals and then investigate the role of problem solving in the world of design.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mind Behind Design

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore a design website and journal their findings. In this design and writing lesson plan, students analyze the design process and discuss benefits to society through design. Students choose a design that they feel is the most...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Björk

For Students 4th - 6th
In this Bjork worksheet, learners read about the life of the performer, then complete a variety of comprehension activities. An answer key is included.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Leonardo DiCaprio

For Students 4th - 6th
In this famous people worksheet, students read a selection about Leonardo DiCaprio and complete a variety of comprehension questions including but not limited to a synonym matching, spelling and vocabulary, writing and sequencing...