Curated OER
African Novel Study
Seventh graders participate in literature circles as they read African novels. They read, work on word studies, and complete comprehension activities. They share their reading with other literature circle groups in the class.
Whitewater Valley Railroad
Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take their...
Penguin Books
Core Curriculum Lesson Plans for The Lions of Little Rock
Schools in the 1950s and 60s looked very different from the schools we know today. An educator's guide explores the civil rights movement and, specifically, the process of integrating schools. Questions cover key themes in the novel and...
Curated OER
The Mastodon Kill
Using the book Bandits, Bears, and Backaches, learners develop an understanding of the pre-history of Arkansas. They follow the trail ofthe giants mastodons and paleo Indians who lived there long ago. The emphasis on this lesson is on...
Curated OER
A Visit to China
Sixth graders study the history of China. They explore the Chinese people, the Great Wall of China, religions, government and Dynasties. In groups, 6th graders collect information on China. They write a report on their findings and...
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark Review
Students play games. In this comprehension and recall lesson, students play Give Me A Break, Bingo and Jeopardy to reinforce the knowledge they've learned about Lewis and Clark.
Curated OER
Freedom Train North
Fourth graders conduct a novel study of the book Freedom Train North. They identify the parts of a story that include beginning, middle, and end. Students also recognize the setting, plot, and theme after reading a part of the book daily.
Curated OER
The Western Hemisphere on Review
Sixth graders research a country in the Western Hemisphere. They write a research paper and present a five-minute presentation on the country. They use PowerPoint to give their presentations to the class.
Curated OER
Publisher Skills Assessment
Students complete a technology integration project using Publisher. In this technology lesson, students use Publisher to create magazine activities for the American Revolution, indigenous cultures, California missions, colonization, and...
Curated OER
Political Parties and Election Results, 1997 and 2000
Learners become familiar with the results of the Canadian Federal Election by analyzing data on the number of valid votes by political affiliation. In this civics lesson plan, students integrate data and knowledge with other research...
Curated OER
Go, West, Pack Light!
Learners investigate the hardships related to pioneer life and the Wagon Train. They listen to an excerpt from the book "Little House on the Prairie," and discuss the hardships faced by pioneers travelling west. In small groups...
Curated OER
History in the Making: The Tortilla
Fourth graders examine the history of the tortilla and extend the study across the curriculum. In this history of the tortilla lesson, 4th graders research the background of the tortilla, determine the ingredients, and work with the...
Curated OER
A Recipe for Reading: Asian Style Rice and Eggs
Learners read, write about, and cook with rice in this home economics lesson. They reflect on the experience eating rice at home or in other ethnic foods.
Curated OER
"Where in the West" Guided Reading Lesson
Students complete a vocabulary chart, review proper/common nouns, discuss and review comparative adjectives and make "self to text" connections before reading. In this language arts lesson, comprehension questions are completed during...
Curated OER
Surprise at Pearl Harbor
Students review the concept of courage and relate it to their daily life. As a class, they are introduced to the events of December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. Using a map, they locate Hawai'i and label the islands. They use the internet to...
Curated OER
Views of JFK
Young scholars review the highlights of Kennedy's campaign and presidency. They least three of the issues related to JFK to research through both print resources and interviews. In addition, they create written summaries from collected...
Curated OER
Get Ready, Get Set, Squeeze!
Students explore coin value and count coin combinations. In this money counting and social studies instructional activity, students read The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams and practice counting money and making change for...
Curated OER
Quilt Codes
Students list criteria to evaluate credible historical sources and defend their criteria in an essay. In this historical sources lesson plan, students review information of historical sources as well as the facts and pictures.
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered activity on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional...
Curated OER
Quilting: The Story of the Underground Railroad
Students explore quilting. They read and discuss the book, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. They research African American quilting traditions on the Internet and name three common qualities in quilts. They create a quilt block...
Curated OER
Westward Movement/the Oregon Trail Using Power Point
Fifth graders research and examine the Westward Movement using a computer. they create their own word search from facts they discover in their research or while interacting with the Oregon Trail software. They create PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Mystery at Lake Cachuma
Students review the concept of character and name the traits associated with good character. As a class, they discover a mystery at Lake Cachuma and complete a worksheet. They use the internet to research the history of the Chumash...
Curated OER
Lost on Superstition Mountain
Students review the concept of responsbility and relate it to the own lives. Using the internet, they research the search for gold on Superstition Mountain in Arizona and locate it on a map. They also examine the culture of Mexico and...
Curated OER
Life and Times, Developing a Chronology
High schoolers review the career and life of Ernie Pyle as an example of a biography in context. They consider how a chronology maps out the events in the life of an individual in the context of other events that were occurring at the...