Curated OER
Noisy Nora, Studious Students: Story Elements
Alliterative adjective nicknames generate stories inspired by Rosemary Wells' book Noisy Nora (also a thematic complement to any class with children who make a ruckus to get attention). Class members explore basic story elements --...
Scouts
The Deadly Picnic: A Lab on Deductive Reasoning
Whodunnit? Find out who killed Mr. Brooks through a logical examination of evidence. Class members fill out a couple of data tables to help them pin down the suspect. After they've figured out just who the culprit is, pupils compose...
Curated OER
Sequencing: Pictures Tell a Story
Students listen to a story and observe five illustrations of the main events drawn by the teacher. They arrange the illustrations in sequential order. Then, working in groups of five, they read stories and select five events, one for...
Film English
The Conditioned
Discover the lovely story of Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho with your class. Over the course of the activity, pupils practice descriptive writing, write short narratives, collaborate in small groups, watch a powerful short film about Raimundo,...
Federal Reserve Bank
Something Special For Me
People often save money, but what are the benefits and drawbacks of that action? Youngsters learn about saving, savings, and opportunity cost through the lens of a short book, called Something Special for Me.
Curated OER
Anansi: A Language Arts Twist to the Trickster
Students read African folk tales to learn about story elements and writing techniques. In this writing and reading skills lesson, students listen and retell African folk tales about Anansi the spider. Students complete four lessons to...
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast Creation Stories
Students compare and contrast creation stories. In this Bible studies instructional activity, students work in groups to read and summarize creation myths and share with their peers. The class goes on to create a chart to...
Voice of America
Henry Ford, 1863-1947: He Revolutionized the Auto Industry
How did Henry Ford change the world? One word: automobile. After reading a two-page passage about Henry Ford's contributions to society with the invention of the automobile, readers respond to a series of 10 reading comprehension...
Curated OER
Our Native Americans
Students complete a unit of lessons on Native Americans. They label maps, list resources the Native Americans used in their daily lives, create an original short story, define key vocabulary, and develop a model of something that...
Curated OER
Events Leading to the Indian Removal 1830-1832
Learners consider the effects of Indian Removal on the Cherokee Nation. In this American history activity, students research Internet and print sources regarding the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Learners write short stories that detail...
San Francisco Symphony
Going West
Now this sounds like a fun lesson! Youngsters learn about pioneer life and the Westward Movement. First, they listen to the Copland's "Appalachian Spring," and then they discuss the elements of music found in the piece. They...
Scholastic
Ruby Bridges: A Simple Act of Courage, Grades 3-5
Through character trait graphic organizers, a vocabulary sorting activity, class discussion, and a civil rights movement slide show, your young historians will be introduced to the amazing story of Ruby Bridges and her experiences as the...
Kids Yoga Stories
Valentine's Day - LOVE
Open your heart with a refreshing yoga session designed for Valentine's Day. With visual cues of hearts and other festive decorations, participants begin a series of yoga poses designed to open their heart chakras and to reflect on...
Curated OER
"Me and My Family Tree"
Students explore genealogy by reading a family history book in class. In this family tree lesson, students read the story Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney and discuss their own family history. Students identify what the term...
Curated OER
Legends Old and New
Students listen to a Native American legend and discuss the basic elements of story. In small groups they read and analyze more legends from books and Websites. Then they compose and present an original legend.
Curated OER
The Little Star: Learning About Christmas
Students listen to the story, discuss how Christmas is celebrated, and construct a nativity scene. In The Little Star lesson, students hear the story showing Christmas as a religious festival. Students act out the story and...
Curated OER
Catch Me If You Can: Over and Under
Students read a story. In this vocabulary skills lesson plan, students read The Gingerbread Man, use flannel cut outs to re-enact the gingerbread man running over and under.
Curated OER
Re-covering Imperial History
Young scholars read about imperialism in Japan and China and write their own book based on the story they read.
Channel Islands Film
Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Lesson Plan 2
After watching West of the West's documentary The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, class members imagine how Juana Maria/Karana may have felt about living alone on the island for 18 years and craft a blackout poem or a narrative in...
Curated OER
What a Garden Can Teach Us
Third graders read "Seedfolks" and "What a Garden Can Teach Us" and discuss how a garden is like a community. They create a class quilt illustrating how their classroom community the lines of the poem.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Exploring Korea
A thorough and fun lesson on Korea! In groups of four (Social Chair, Historian, Translator, Travel Agent) class members research North and South Korea to determine a good location for an overseas institute for studying abroad. Once this...
San Francisco Symphony
Heritage Song
Learning how to compare and contrast is a core skill. Learners compare two music selections that showcase a specific heritage. They draw and discuss how each song and the composers of each song used their personal heritage as...
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon A Time (Saxipak’a): Lesson Plan 1
As part of a study of the history of the Chumash on California's Channel Island chain, class members view the documentary Once Upon a Time, respond to discussion questions, and create a timeline for the different waves of migration.
Curated OER
Technologies of the Civil War
Fifth graders discover new and interesting technologies of the Civil War. In this Civil War portfolio of lessons, 5th graders analyze primary resources, develop new vocabulary, investigate websites, and create a time line of new...