Curated OER
Through The Looking Glass
Students examine the time period of westward expansion. In groups, they use the internet to research the reasons why people moved west during the 1800s. They write their own narratives playing the role of a member of a pioneer family...
Curated OER
How Manduca See
Third graders investigate how manduca sees and they discuss what they think the manduca might be thinking. They write a story about what an insect sees and does from the insect's perspective.
Curated OER
I am the Walrus
Students research walruses using the library and the Internet, then write an essay from what they find in their research. In this investigative instructional activity students view a video on walruses then write an essay after...
Curated OER
Fretful Over Fast Food
Fifth graders research fast food options and write an essay on the topic. In this fast food lesson, 5th graders pretend they are a babysitter and research fast food restaurant options to eat at while they are baby-sitting. Students write...
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Attic Hunting
Sixth graders investigate how journal writing helps preserve past, present and future history. They discover how different groups of people keep different types of journals and what the journals show about the lives of the writers.
Curated OER
The Power of Storytelling
Learners are creating their own stories to understand life. The use of history is used to help one to create one's own story. The skill of writing is emphasized as a tool to learn history.
Scholastic
Thanksgiving Lessons Grades PreK-2
A quintessential resource for teaching an elementary unit on the first Thanksgiving addresses a variety of skills, including informational reading, critical thinking, comparing and contrasting facts, technology tools, and historical...
Curated OER
North Carolina State Vegetable -- Day 2
Students are introduced to the state vegetable of North Carolina, the sweet potato. In groups, they create their own sweet potato person using the items from a Mr. Potato Head. They write a summary of their person and a narrative about...
Curated OER
Autograph Story
Learners write narrative essays about getting a famous person's autograph (a classmate) and then combine their work with pictures to enhance the stories. This technique can be used with any writing project.
Curated OER
Studying the Caribbean Immigration
Students use the site maps and other resources to research one of the influential Caribbean immigrants or descendents of immigrants mentioned in a narrative they have read. They write an essay about an influential immigrant.
Curated OER
Faces of the Bench
Students use primary source documents to gather information on justices in the Michigan Supreme Court. They write about the thoughts and experiences of the author. They identify and describe each justice briefly.
Curated OER
Evaluating Informaton Quality
Sixth graders investigate the concept of the quality of information that is used to conduct research. They begin to conceive the differences between information that is fact or fiction. Students write a critique of an information source...
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Journeys
Pupils write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...
Curated OER
Farewell to the Former Library Media Specialist
Students write a letter to their former library media specialist incorporating brainstormed ideas of what they have liked about the library media center. In this way students let the teacher know about what has been done in the past and...
Curated OER
Flying High With Hot Air Balloons!
Sixth graders demonstrate an understanding of a narrative story by listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. They create two visual products that reflect the understanding of events, vocabulary, and characters.
Curated OER
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Young scholars discuss their prior knowledge of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Using the internet, they research the personal, political and economic influences that made an impact on the expedition. They also discover how the...
Curated OER
The Power of Journals: Going Beyond the Text
Eighth graders define and use new vocabulary and identify the reasons why Native Americans captured Europeans during the colonial period. They write their own journal entries about the topic and explain the importance of journals as a...
Curated OER
How are Boundaries Created?
Students examine two new concepts: orientalism and objectification. They view two film clips/videos on Seven Years in Tibet with Brad Pitt to incorporate the new concepts. In addition, students read Orientalism and write key questions...
Curated OER
Midterm Project
High schoolers create a multimedia presentation. They create a storyboard using Inspiration. Students write a narrative that reflects the process he/she went through to create the presentation. They include obstacles encountered and...
Curated OER
Latino-American Authors and Historical FIgures
Eighth graders examine various websites and gather information from them about influential Latino-Americans. They synthesize the information they gathered to create a poster about their chosen influential Latino-American. Students...
Curated OER
Moon WebQuest
Third graders research basic information about the moon and identify the phases and order of the phases of the moon. They conduct Internet research, complete a moon WebQuest, and write a magazine article about the moon using their...
Curated OER
True Settlers of the Pacific Northwest: Who was there with Dr. John Mcloughlin?
Students discover who was present when the city of Vancouver was founded. Using the internet, they research the various cultures of the area and which were present at the Hudson Bay Company. They discuss each person's role in how the...
Curated OER
Henry David Thoreau
Students explore the life and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau. Students watch a slide show on Henry David Thoreau. They visit a quiet, tranquil location and observe nature. After reading and discussing Thoreau's works, students create...
Curated OER
A Long Time Ago in the Future
Students read and discuss Canadian young adult literature. They compare/contrast the elements of citizenship, characterization, and themes, write journal responses, and identify the elements that define Canadians.