Curated OER
A VIEW FROM THE TOP
Students explore the idea of aerial photography through the story of Amelia the Pigeon. They view an actual aerial photograph of their school or home, and then write a story describing what Amelia would see if she flew over their school...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Humor Helps Hammer a Point Home
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about the use of ridicule in cartoons and respond to 3 talking point questions.
Curated OER
Ghosts of Rwanda
Students participate in watching the film "Ghosts of Rwanda." They are put into a group of seven and assigned to track a specific area of the film. The group then discusses their assigned area of the film answering specific questions.
Huntington Library
The Poetry and Prose of Langston Hughes
Eleventh graders discover the poetry of Langston Hughes. In this social issues lesson plan, 11th graders experience the views of Langston Hughes. Students read Hughes' poetry and discuss the basic theme. Students evaluate the political,...
Curated OER
The Wyandotte Constitutional Convention: The Issue of Suffrage
Seventh graders discover details about the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders tackle civil rights concerns as they draft persuasive speeches to secure the rights of young voters in the state.
Curated OER
Fox hunting debate
Students read the internet article "Hundreds of Hunts Out Despite Ban". The teacher then holds a class discussion about it. Students then hold a formal debate representing all points of view on the issues. Students then write a...
Cornell University
Constructing and Visualizing Topographic Profiles
Militaries throughout history have used topography information to plan strategies, yet many pupils today don't understand it. Scholars use Legos and a contour gauge to understand how to construct and visualize topographic profiles. This...
State Bar of Texas
Roe v. Wade
At what point does the right of privacy end and the government begin? Scholars research rights under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. Using the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case as a starting point, along with small group work...
EngageNY
Speech Writing: Identifying Reasons, Evidence, and Linking Words
Enjoy the view. Scholars continue viewing a video of an opinion speech, this time identifying the supporting evidence the speaker employs. After watching, they work in small groups on their shared writing projects, crafting a body...
Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust
Seeking Refuge: Then and Now
Participants examine refugee law and policies and read several case studies to prepare for a discussion of this hot-button issue. The packet includes a wide range of materials representing a variety perspectives.
Advocates for Human Rights
Deliberative Dialogue
How do you create a classroom environment where hot button topics may be discussed in a respectful manner? As part of a series of lessons that focus on immigration issues, class members examine the rules for civil discussion before...
Exploratorium
Seeing Your Blind Spot
Viewers use a small, dimmed flashlight to identify the blind spot for both the right and left eye. It is a simple activity to incorporate into your activities during a lesson on vision and the structure and function of the eyeball.
Curated OER
Influence and Outliers
Using the TI-Nspire calculator, statisicians identify outliers and their effect on the least-squares regression line. In finding the line of best fit, they determine what points will affect the least squares regressions and what points...
EngageNY
Speech Writing: Identifying Criteria for a High Quality Conclusion
Learning is never-ending. Scholars learn about effective conclusions as they continue watching a video of an opinion speech. After analyzing the speech's conclusion, they work in small groups to write an ending for their own speeches.
Scholastic
Persausive Writing
A unit on persuasive writing guides elementary learners through the writing process. The first part examines the elements of persuasive writing, including expressing an opinion, connecting ideas, using supporting facts, and writing...
EngageNY
Speech Writing: Identifying Criteria for a High-Quality Introduction
Using a helpful resource, pupils watch a TED Talk of an opinion speech as they consider the criteria for a high-quality introduction. Scholars then engage in a shared writing process with the teacher to practice writing the introduction...
Curated OER
Know Your Angles
Explore types of angles and the characteristics of each. After observing a PowerPoint Presentation, learners tour the school facilities and use a digital camera to capture prescribed angles. Using the digital pictures and written...
Advocates for Human Rights
A Global Perspective on Immigration
To gain a global perspective on immigration, groups investigate and create a map of the migration patterns in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Class members then examine the background, immigration history, and...
Community Colleges of Los Angeles
Seeking Refuge: Understanding Refugees in Canada
What if you had no choice but to leave everything behind and seek asylum elsewhere? Do countries have an obligation to accept refugees? To gain an understanding of the complexity of the issues of refugee rights, class members first...
Curated OER
"I Believe..." Podcast Style
Use this communication skills lesson to emphasize evaluating a speaker's main point and argument. After reading Martin Luther King's, "I Have a Dream Speech" and John F. Kennedy's speech, "I Believe in an America Where the Separation of...
Teach Engineering
Inside the DNA
Get your class to take a closer look at DNA. Pupils conduct research to determine the methods used by scientists to analyze the molecular structure of DNA. The class members investigate different types of molecular imaging along with gel...
Southern Poverty Law Center
Evaluating Online Sources
All sources are pretty much the same, right? If this is how your class views the sources they use for writing or research projects, present them with a media literacy lesson on smart source evaluation. Groups examine several articles,...
University of Washington
Kepler’s Laws
Introduce your physics or astronomy class to Kepler's laws of planetary motion with this straightforward instructional activity. It covers the basic concepts of each and has learners answer questions to demonstrate their grasp on them....
Louisiana Department of Education
Gulliver’s Travels
Gulliver's Travels tells the story of a man who goes on voyages and encounters strange people. A unit plan introduces readers to the classic text, as well as excerpts from other examples of sarcasm and satire, such as "A Modest...