Curated OER
Happy Birthday!: Internet Research and Historic Events
Talk about intrinsic motivation! Begin where your students' natural interests lie -- with themselves -- and launch a variety of projects with this activity. Class members research important events that took place on their...
California Department of Education
Hazards in the Workplace
Safety first! Safety first! A short video and a PowerPoint presentation introduce job seekers to child labor law awareness, safety standards, and ways to reduce workplace injuries. Class members first take a short workplace...
Curated OER
Seventh Grade Geography Research Paper Project
Seventh graders work on a cross curricular project in both geography and writing classes. Students conduct research on Latin America using both non print and print sources and follow the MLA form of research. Students turn in source and...
Curated OER
1984, by George Orwell - Fact or Fantasy?
Students read 1984 by George Orwell. They research a country who has dictators similar to Oceania's leaders and create a outline for a paper. In addition, they create a web page from their information.
Curated OER
Seven Steps for Writing an Academic Essay
Students brainstorm ideas for a teacher selected writing topic. They demonstrate seven steps for writing an academic essay. They jot down words or phrases using different colored pens. They write a thesis statement and create an outline...
Cornell University
What Is Rust?
Why do metals rust differently? Scholars experiment with metal combinations in a hands-on activity. They create unique environments with different metals and compare the rate and amount of rust for each.
Curated OER
Tea at the White House
Fifth graders write a research paper and turn it into a speech about a historical person in the United States. For this history lesson plan, 5th graders memorize the speech and present it to the class.
Curated OER
Kirigami: The Ancient Art of Paper Cutting
Young scholars perform inquiry into the ancient art of Kirigami. The research provides a context for the lesson and how it is related to History. Students also appreciate the art for the sake of its contribution to culture.
Curated OER
Paragraph Building
Build the skills your budding authors need to develop to compose well-structured paragraphs. Give them the topic sheet (included here), and have them write a cohesive paragraph using the ideas listed. Consider having them include two...
Curated OER
Can You Get the Signal?
What is a signal word? Recognizing these words is an important step in both reading and writing formal text. Review a list of signal words (provided and organized into specific categories), and then have your class play a game to...
Curated OER
Learning About Hurricanes
Students write a research paper on hurricanes. In this weather lesson, students use a science text book to write down facts about hurricanes on note cards and then outline their essay. Students use the outline to create an organized essay.
Curated OER
Information Extra
Students create a paragraph about a subject of their chosing that is informative. In this paragraph writing lesson, students use graphic organizers and work together in groups to create a full, organized...
Curated OER
The Writing Process
Young scholars engage in the various steps involved in the writing process. The lesson plan is written as a guide for the teacher to write more in depth lesson plans for specific activities. This is a good model plan to follow.
Curated OER
Search Report of Information
Learners research and develop a Report of Information for a research paper. They select a topic, write 5-10 interesting questions, research and take notes, create an outline, and write paragraphs.
Curated OER
The Story of an Old Piano
Students read excerpts from The Story of an Old Piano. They choose a personal object and write paragraphs from the object's point of view. Their stories can be bound for the class library.
PBS
Civil War: Before the War
Free the slaves! Scholars research primary documents and videos while working together to create abolitionist posters. They examine the John Brown raid as a template to creating their own demonstration.
Missouri Department of Elementary
If It’s to Be, It’s Up to Me
Here's a clever switch on the tale of Pandora's Box. Rather than lifting the lid and having problems escape, class members write a problem on a strip of paper and place it in Pandora's Problem Box. A student then pulls a problem...
The Imagination Factory
Design a Postage Stamp for Black History Month
Learners create a postage stamp for Black History Month. In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss the contributions of African-Americans and design a postage stamp to celebrate their impact.
Energy for Keeps
Renewable Energy Action Project: What's in Your Energy Portfolio?
Uncover the renewable energy potential in your region. The activity outlines an approach to research current practices and trends. Learners conduct surveys to assess the attitudes of the local population and prepare a paper summarizing...
Curated OER
Lesson 3: Branches of Government
Young historians climb through the three branches of the US government in the third lesson plan of this five-part series. While reading the first three Articles of the Constitution in small groups, children write facts on paper...
Curated OER
Listen To What I Found Out
In this research lesson, pupils complete a graphic organizer to help them organize their thoughts about a research topic. At first, students engage in a class discussion which focuses on how to frame questions, establish a topic, and...
Curated OER
Operation Iraqi Democracy
In this activity, students consider various forms of government and examine the idea of political sovereignty, then prepare outlines for oral presentations on international models of government. For homework, they write response papers...
Curated OER
Fighter Pilots of World War II
Learners explore the types of airplanes that were used in World War II. For this World History lesson, students write a research paper that compares and contrasts three types of American airplanes and three types of foreign...
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
Introductions: Formulating Problem Statements
Describing a problem efficiently doesn't solve it, but a well-crafted argument can move readers to action. High schoolers focus on structuring problem statements by reading examples of strong essays and working in groups to create...