Curated OER
The Night Before Thanksgiving
Natasha Wing's story The Night Before Thanksgiving is a great way to incorporate rhyme and literature into the Thanksgiving season. Learners make text-to-self connections, recall main events, and choose post-reading activities...
Jessica Winston
The Biggest Valentine Ever
Combine hearts with minds in a reading comprehension activity with a Valentine's Day theme. Steven Kroll's The Biggest Valentine Ever, named one of the best books for kids in 2014, provides kids with an opportunity to practice their...
Curated OER
Muggie Maggie: Lesson 8
Students predict a chapter from a book while learning new vocabulary words. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read the book Muggie Maggie, and predict what will happen in the upcoming chapter. Students read and...
Curated OER
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Students read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Joffee Numeroff with their teacher, discuss the concept of cause and effect, and create their own story boards for a class story.
Curated OER
Reacting to the Rapture
FamilyRadio.com publicized that the Rapture or Judgement Day would happen on May 21, 2011, it didn't. Informed students read a New York Times article on the topic, then answer nine related comprehension questions.
Curated OER
The Campaign: Issues and Strategies. What do you think?
Students research a candidate in an election and discuss how the media portrays that candidate and how the media influences voters. In this candidate lesson plan, students also distinguish fact from opinion, look at political cartoons,...
Curated OER
Writing a News Report
Students explore journalism by analyzing current events. In this news report lesson, students identify important questions to ask during an interview and discuss a fictitious news story about a missing teacher. Students read published...
Curated OER
The Cause & Effect Model
Students analyze the plot of the story, "The Little Engine That Could" to provide a model for writing creatively, developing critical essays, producing themes, and making predictions.
Curated OER
Elders Predict Snow
Students interview Native Indians to learn their ways for predicting and measuring snowfall. In this weather measurement lesson plan, students invite a Native Elder to their classroom to tell them about how they predicted weather....
BBC
Words in the News
Here's an "old-school" lesson plan on an event in US history. High schoolers look into the massive layoffs that occurred in New Orleans in 2005. Discussion and debate take place, and groups of learners must cut and paste a series of...
PBS
Cardboard History
A PBS clip focused on collecting sports memorabilia launches this research project lesson plan. Class members then read Dan Gutman’s Honus and Me in which Wagner’s baseball card is used to time travel. The lesson plan ends with...
Curated OER
Arthur Meets the President
Pupils discuss the role of the President. In this government lesson, students read Arthur Meets the President and complete a story map. Pupils develop new vocabulary related to the story.
Curated OER
The True Story of Abbie Burgess
First graders read a story from their textbooks about women in the 1850's. They discuss what it was like to be a woman living in American during this time period. They brainstorm heroines of American history and then discuss woman...
Curated OER
Bronze Bow
Explore ancient Rome through reading The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. Readers activate prior knowledge by examining objects that relate to the story and predict the significance of the items. Their curiosity is aroused...
Curated OER
A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
Curated OER
Chinese New Year
Students complete a variety of activities as they study Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac. They act out a story of the Chinese Zodiac. They make several crafts including Chinese lanterns and paper fortune cookies.
Curated OER
The Lesson: Bio-fuels
Students explore the pros and cons of bio-fuel use. In this environmental stewardship instructional activity, students visit selected websites to discover what bio-fuels are and the effect they may have on the environment.
Curated OER
The Window
Students read a story entitled, "The Window," and discover how some cultures are rejected by others. Students write a letter expressing feelings of rejection and keep a journal of significant events in the story. Using a graphic...
Curated OER
The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Understanding Primary Sources
Students analyze Russell Lee's photo essay as a sign of segregation in Texas. They consider the differences between primary and secondary sources and how historians use these sources.
Curated OER
The United States and the Soviet Union were Engaged in a Cold War
Students work together at figuring out the definition for what cold war means. In this social science instructional activity, students listen to "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss and recognize how this story relates to the cold war...
Curated OER
Brutal British
Students read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
Curated OER
Follow the Road to Riches
Students study the story of gold and silver mining in the San Juan region. Through the use of interactive video and the Internet, they will examine the various events occurring at this time. They create a timeline highlighting the major...
Curated OER
The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Understanding Photo Essays
Students analyze a photo essay of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas by the photojournalist Russell Lee. They identify the goals of the photo essay, explore a website, and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie: A Lesson In Economics
Students explore the concept of cause and effect as it relates to economics through the story "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." Students discuss simple cause and effect relationships and make predictions according to the story. They...