Curated OER
A Penny for Your Thoughtfulness
Students reflect on the value of a penny. They examine how working families endure economic hardships with the help of charities. They create their own philanthropic event to raise money for a charity.
Curated OER
Pressing Cases
Students investigate famous criminal cases in which the media has played a significant role and reflect on how the news helps to shape attitudes and behaviors in their own lives.
Curated OER
Thank You Notes
Students investigate the history of presidential proclamations and develop their own Thanksgiving Proclamations, highlighting current issues and sentiments.
Curated OER
Mixed Blessings
Young scholars investigate the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by analyzing a...
Curated OER
Nutrition and Health and School Gardening
Students examine how healthy eating contributes to a healthy body and life style. They read nutritional labels on food items. They use the Five Foods Pyramid to evaluate their own eating habits. They plan, design, and create a school...
Curated OER
Feeling Vulnerable
Students discover some of the ways the developing world is vulnerable to the impact and effects of natural disasters. They investigate some "natural disaster hotspots" around the globe and assess how vulnerable these areas are.
Curated OER
My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
Curated OER
Create Your Own Form
Students gather and organize data using a mock census form, and determine mean, mode, range, and median for sets of data.
Curated OER
Muhammad Ali
Students analyze the lifetime accomplishments of Muhammad Ali in the area of sports and his role as a catalyst for social change.
Curated OER
Forever in Our Memories
Students consider reactions to various plans for building on the grounds of the World Trade Center. They explore ideas and opinions that went into creating other memorials of events in American history and propose ideas for improving...
Curated OER
TOXIC TECHNOLOGY
Students examine what they already know about computer recycling and cconsider how computer recycling is contributing to a global toxic waste problem by reading and discussing the article, ""Poor Nations are Littered With Old PC's,...
Curated OER
Media Analysis--Culture and Gender Roles
Ninth graders participate in class discussion about culture and how it influences our lives then complete an analysis of advertisements from popular magazines to derive what effects they have on our culture. They use analysis of adds to...
National First Ladies' Library
Learning to Be Consumers: The Emergence of Catalogs and Advertising
Learners study the historical context of marketing and how it came to be so important in the 19th century. They analyze advertising in the 19th century, 20th century, and today to understand how much or how little has changed.
Curated OER
Political Puzzles
Students investigate how different liberal democracies around the world organize their governments and decide major policies. They compare their findings to the American political system, using examples of current political issues.
Curated OER
Not Just a Corny Idea
Students explore ways in which ethanol can be created using alternate energy sources.
Curated OER
Conflict Diamonds
High schoolers examine how diamonds are portrayed in American culture. They identify the political and social implications of conflict diamonds and the locations of these diamonds in Africa. They evaluate the effectiveness of the...
Curated OER
Magnetism and Electricity
Students demonstrate a comprehension of the properties, position, and motion of objects and materials, and of light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. They use materials to assemble an electric circuit and test materials, including...
Curated OER
What Am I?
Students identify various shells. In this oceanography lesson, students create a KWL chart to activate background knowledge on shells. Students read the book Ocean Day and learn about waves, tides, and the seashells that can...
Curated OER
Cooperative Classroom Text Features Activities
Fifth graders examine text features and create a PowerPoint presentation. In this text features lesson, 5th graders go over Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures and text features before they choose one to include in a book and...
Curated OER
Disease & Epidemics
Students investigate diseases and epidemics from a biological and social perspective. They analyze the management of disease, use and misuse of antibiotics and vaccinations, and development of new treatments.
Curated OER
World Percussion Instruments
Fourth graders study percussion instruments from various world cultures. For this percussion instruments lesson, 4th graders listen to percussive sound sources, learn playing techniques, and create compositions for instruments they...
Curated OER
Creating a Pot: Repetition as a Unifying Design Element
Students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.
Curated OER
Poetry
Fifth graders are introduced to poetry and many authors who create it. In this language arts lesson plan, 5th graders create a class poetry book. Each student submits an original poem, along with an illustration.
Curated OER
Peace in the Middle East: A Simulation
Tenth graders develop an understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict. They describe how each side has a valid claim to the Holy Land. They familiarize themselves with the challenges of settling this issue.