For the Teachers
Cause and Effect Matrix
Study cause and effect in both literature and informational text with a instructional activity designed for several different reading levels. After kids review the concept of cause and effect, they read an article or story and note the...
Curated OER
“THE LORAX” by Dr. Seuss
Few children's books convey the message of conservation as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Read the story aloud, emphasizing the interconnectedness of plants and animals in an ecosystem and discussing different ways people can help...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Decimals and Fractions
Reinforce the concept of fractions and decimals as part of a whole with a lesson that begins with a mixed review, then goes into a three problem guided practice, and ends with a collaborative activity. The guided practice and activity...
Curated OER
Theater: Create a Script
Figurative language is the focus in the book Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia. After reading Peggy Parish's book, class members dramatize idioms from the text, using dramatic strategies such as characterization, exaggeration, and...
Curated OER
Using Algebra to Explore Problem Space
Students apply their knowledge of math by rewriting word problems using equations. In this word problem lesson, students build upon previous knowledge as they set up the correct steps to solve word problems. This lesson is full of hints...
Curated OER
Creating Classroom Rules
Perfect for establishing classroom protocols, this activity gets even the youngest learners thinking about rules and their consequences. The instructional activity begins with a discussion and a reading of the poem Humpty...
Curated OER
Structure and Meaning Cues
First graders use cues to identify unknown words. They will learn strategies to assist them in decoding while reading. Then they discuss how to listen to themselves read in order to decide whether or not the word makes sense in the...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Think Positive!
Following an attention-grabbing read-aloud, scholars brainstorm ways they can change negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Small groups plan and perform a skit that showcases one of the new ideas to uplift one's feelings....
EngageNY
Real-World Positive and Negative Numbers and Zero
Class members investigate how positive and negative numbers are useful in the real world. Individuals first read a short passage and identify terms indicating positive and negative numbers. They consider situations involving positive...
Brigham Young University
The Giver: Magic Squares
Combine math and vocabulary in a fun activity based on Lois Lowry's The Giver. Before kids begin the book, they look up the definitions of 16 vocabulary words and complete a puzzle that will give them the same number.
EngageNY
Putting It All Together
Shuffle 'em up and deal! Learners practice operations with polynomials using cards they pass around the room. The activity works with pairs or individuals, so it offers great flexibility. This is the fifth installment in a series of 42...
EngageNY
Decimal Expansions of Fractions, Part 2
Develop your pupils' understanding of fractions and their decimal equivalence using the 12th lesson in this series. Scholars learn an alternative to long division that results in converting fractions to decimals that emphasize fractional...
EngageNY
Problem Solving When the Percent Changes
Use more than one whole to solve percent problems. The ninth installment in a 20-part series has pupils work percent problems in which they must determine two wholes. Individuals use double number lines to represent and solve the...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 8
Prophecy and blindness often go hand in hand, as in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Explore Oedipus' thoughts about prophecy, fate, and responsibility with an activity focused on the discussion between Creon and Oedipus regarding the murder...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 11
You'll C-E-R a difference in classroom achievement after using a helpful lesson plan. Designed for economics, civics, government, and US history classes, participants practice using the CER model to craft arguments about primary and...
Facing History and Ourselves
Social Media and Ferguson
How can social media help or hinder civil dialogue? How can information shared on social media be verified? As the investigation of media reports of the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown continues, class members read...
University of Kansas
Newspaper in the Classroom
Newspapers aren't only for reading—they're for learning skills, too! A journalism unit provides three lessons each for primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. Lessons include objectives, materials, vocabulary, and procedure, and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
American Diplocmacy in World War II
The end of World War II saw the world deeply changed over the last few years. Four thorough lessons explore post-war Europe, America, and Asia through reading assignments and discussion questions about the Grand Alliance and the signing...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Magical Musical Tour: Using Lyrics to Teach Literary Elements
Language arts learners don't need a lecture about poetry; they listen to poetry every day on the radio! Apply skills from literary analysis to famous songs and beautiful lyrics with a lesson about literary devices. As...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Third Grade Skills Unit 3: How Does Your Body Work?
A skills unit combines ELA and science with lessons that explore the human body. Lessons begin with a reading, go into skills practice, and offer take-home materials. Skills practice includes listening to and discussing a read-aloud,...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 2: Early American Civilizations
Fifth graders explore early American civilizations in a four-week ELA unit. Every lesson offers an opportunity to read and discuss a selected passage followed by word work that covers vocabulary, grammar, and morphology. Learners write...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 7: Poetry
Over the course of a 12-lesson language arts unit, young scholars analyze a variety of poems taking a close look at figurative language and tone. They learn to compare and contrast, improve comprehension, and identify settings. To...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Third Grade Skills Unit 11: Introduction to Ecology
The concluding skills unit offers learning opportunities and reviews in preparation for assessments. Scholars participate in lessons that examine spelling patterns, prefixes, suffixes, pronouns, and adjectives, draft a letter, and listen...
Baylor College
Neurotransmitters Contain Chemicals
Human body systems students play a card game, "Locks & Keys" in order to learn that neurotransmitters carry a message from one neuron to another by fitting into a receptor site on the receiving nerve cell. While this activity can...