Curated OER
Upside-Down Books
Students read various examples of literature. In groups, they brainstorm a list of views that go against what was in one of the stories. They illustrate the opposite ideas and compile them into a class book. They use each other to...
Curated OER
Recycling Bottles
Students learn how to sort #1 and #2 plastics and how to weigh and read a digital scale. The bags are then collected and weighed on a digital scale and the information is used to make bar graphs. They also write in their journal about...
Curated OER
What is Technology and How is it Used in Schools?
Students use KidPix to describe their view on technology. They share their work with others in the class. Students brainstorm ways teachers use technology with students. They differentiate between productivity and instructional tools....
Curated OER
Sports in Physics: Measuring Velocity in a Mini-Olympics
Eighth graders examine the difference between speed, velocity and acceleration. In this velocity lesson students read and construct a line graph and a bar graph to show information about velocities of sports activities.
Curated OER
Briar Rose: Anticipation Guide
Prepare your readers for Briar Rose with an Anticipation Guide that asks them to agree or disagree with a series of statements that reflect issues raised by Jane Yolen’s narrative about a young girl’s research into her grandmother’s...
Curated OER
A Clockwork Orange: Anticipation Guide and 4 Corners
Get your kids up and moving with this prereading activity for A Clockwork Orange! After your class completes the anticipation guide (included), they walk to the corner of the room that you've deemed for those who strong disagree,...
Novelinks
The Tempest: Vocabulary Bingo
Bingo! Practice vocabulary from William Shakespeare's The Tempest with a fun matching game. As you call out the definitions, class members mark the new vocabulary words that match and try to get five in a row.
Curated OER
Problematic Situation for Yoshiko Uchida's Journey to Topaz
Like Yuki, Mrs. Sakane, and Ken, characters in Journey to Topaz, class groups must reach a consensus on 12 items they would bring if forced to relocate. The activity provides readers with an opportunity to make text-to-self and...
Ontario
Informed Citizenship—Civil Rights
To launch a study of civil rights, class members brainstorm rules and expectations of behaviors at home, in school, in the workplace, and in sports. They then look at civil rights cases and examine the rules embedded in these cases.
National Security Agency
Money Maters: Integers are Integral!
A thoroughly-written lesson plan and a plethora of worksheets about integers comprise this resource. Neophyte number crunchers learn to recognize integers, add and subtract them, and apply the concepts to the designing of a personal...
Curated OER
Interesting Integers and Exciting Equations
An 80-page resource provides four lessons and all associated worksheets to teach middle schoolers about expressions and equations. The lessons are hands-on, using games, "integer chips," a balance and cubes, and cut and paste activities....
Curated OER
Problem Solving Model
Use a vocabulary chart to introduce math functions. The class defines a list of mathematical vocabulary terms on a worksheet, as well as completes equations and expressions. They examine word problems and practice transcribing them into...
Novelinks
The Little Prince: Response to Art Exercise
Depending on your perspective, solitude can be lovely or very, very lonely. Kids take a look at the simple landscape illustrated in Antoine de Saint Éxupery's The Little Prince, and write a short journal entry about their...
Curated OER
All Aboard
Explore the U.S.S. Nevada. Researchers use primary sources, secondary sources, children's books and websites to study the naval ship. Their study commences with a class alphabet book on the ship. Intended to be part of a lesson on...
Curated OER
Determining Ideas and Adding Details
A handy TFDC (topic/fact/detail/conclusion) graphic organizer (included) allows young writers to outline and record their main ideas and supporting details in the prewriting phase. They then continue to add details to the topic sentences...
Curated OER
Unlikely Communicators: Carrier Pigeons
Second graders explore information about carrier pigeons and other means of communication. They describe different types of communication and transportation and identify their advantages and disadvantages They develop a Communication...
Curated OER
Affects of Prejudicial Attitudes
Second graders explore the concept of cultural assimilation. They study the affects of prejudice on the authors of Curious George (Margret & H. A. Rey). They communicate ideas and opinions of the rights and responsibilities of...
Curated OER
Scientific Method: How Many Drops of Water Fit on a Coin?
Young investigators conduct an experiment using the scientific method. They see how many drops of water fit on a coin; have them conduct several different trials. This involves making a hypothesis, looking at controls, and introducing...
Curated OER
Exercise and Water
Second graders discover the needs of their body by trying different types of aerobic exercise. In this physical education lesson, 2nd graders analyze The Busy Body Book by glancing at the pictures inside and predicting what the...
Curated OER
The Prince and the Pauper
Mark Twain, the famous American author, is often studied in the school system. Use "The Prince and the Pauper" to analyze the differences between the text and its video version. This lesson includes several culminating project...
Civil War Trust
Civil War Soldier: Experiencing the Battle of Franklin
Fighting a war over home soil makes a living nightmare even more real. Class members describe the experience of a Civil War soldier during the Battle of Franklin, poised right at a major turning point of the war, after researching the...
Curated OER
Basic Guide to Writing an Essay
Introducing your class to essay writing? The gentle tone, concise explanations, and clear examples provided by a 17-slide presentation introduces young writers to the expository essay format. All that's missing is a complete essay with...
Novelinks
The Wednesday Wars: KWHL
What do you know about the Vietnam War? What do you want to find out? How to do you plan on finding this information? To gain an understanding of the backdrop of The Wednesday Wars, class members create a KWHL chart and then begin...
Novelinks
The Cure: Guided Imagery
Prepare class members for a discussion of Sonia Levitin's dystopian novel The Cure, by leading them on a guided imagery exercise designed to encourage visualization of written descriptions.