Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines: Pulleys

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students observe and analyze how pulleys work and how a double pulley can make work easier. In small groups they use a fixed pulley system and a double pulley system and draw a picture of how their pulley system functions. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Penny for Your Thoughts, Movies, or Music?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate copyright violation laws.  In this media copyright lesson, students read two articles that discuss copyright laws, then they develop their own perspective on the laws.  High schoolers then divide into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spill the Beans

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students explore the meaning of a fact family. In this Math lesson, students work in small groups to create their own fact family based on color of beans.  The beans are colored and represent a given value. Students discover the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Catherine, Called Birdy: April and May

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create an etiquette book for women of Medieval times.  For this Catherine, Called Birdy lesson, students discuss the setting and work in small groups to list things expected of women in the 1200s.  Students then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aztec Myths 1

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students write a diary entry or a letter from the viewpoint of a character in a myth.  In this Aztec myths lesson plan, students define myths and read "The Heart of Copil" and "The Eagle of Tenochtitlan" and find the land of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Washington & the Classics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students will compare and contrast famous philosophers with George Washington.  In this history lesson, students work in small groups to define Classicism, Legalism, Democracy, Republic and Civility, then read some short excerpts so...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mock Congress

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students get involved in the legislative process of law-making by assuming different roles and working with contemporary issues. Working in small groups, students write and work on different bills. Evaluation rubric included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Decisions: Packaging and the Environment

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students work in small groups to redesign the packaging of several common items. They attempt to reach the goal of 25% reduction in packaging materials currently used and explore the impact of various materials and designs in landfills...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bombs Away!

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students design and build a device to protect and accurately deliver a dropped egg. They review and study a number of vocabulary words that are associated with this lesson. They work in a small group in order to develop a successful...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design and construct a Rube Goldberg machine that accomplishes a simple task in at least ten steps. They view and discuss various Rube Goldberg designs, identify types of simple machines, and in small groups produce a schematic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create-a-Game

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students work in small groups to create a game. They begin by performing a fitness activity, and discussing the fact that a game must be invented in order for people to play it. Students practice playing their game, and make refinements...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Are You?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of self and analyze the Human Organization Theory. Individually, students write poems about themselves. In small groups, they create a poster related to the 14 categories of the Human Organization Theory....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Human Rights Violations

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners define human rights and discuss examples of various human rights. They conduct Internet research, develop a list of human rights, and in small groups create a poster illustrating the class definition of human rights.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Dream of Classic Perfection

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson plan, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Telling Stories in Art: Witness to a Brawl

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how a piece of art tells a story. In this visual art lesson, students interpret a piece of art work by writing a newspaper article that tells the story of the moment in time that is depicted in a picture. They work with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Bridges for Young Learners--Culture

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners explore the concept of "culture." In this cross curriculum literacy and world history lesson, students listen to a letter written by a child from Namibia, then compare and contrast life in Africa with their own life. Learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry--Rhythm and Meter in Sonnets

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students identify rhyme scheme and meter in a poem and respond to the message of the poem.  In this sonnet rhythm and meter lesson plan, students take notes on a lecture about rhythm and meter in sonnets and work in small groups to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rosa Parks Autobiography

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students write the story of Rosa Parks from the perspective of someone who was sitting on the bus that day.  In this Rosa Parks/biography lesson, students read the story of Rosa Parks and discuss it in small groups.  After...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students discuss a natural disaster. In this earthquakes research lesson, students discover why earthquakes happen, what happens after an earthquake, and what to do during an earthquake. They discuss some information as a class and work...
Lesson Plan
University of New Mexico

ESL - Thematic Unit Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners read a variety of poetry books together in small groups. They examine Haiku poetry and share their favorites. They write their own Haiku either individually in a pair. They read and discuss limericks and work on writing their own.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Charles Baudelaire: Poète Maudit (The Cursed Poet)

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After learning the main ideas of the Decadent movement, students work in small groups to read and translate poems by the French poet Charles Baudelaire using basic etymology skills. They then read the accurate English translations to see...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polygons, Parallelograms, Quadrilaterals- Oh My!!!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students demonstrate their comprehension of shapes and their properties. They work in small groups. Students review the following terms: property, polygon, quadrilateral, and parallelogram. They read Shape Up! Fun With Triangles and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Serfs and Lords

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners determine what the roles of serfs and lords were in feudal society. In this feudalism lesson, students examine what life was like for the different classes by looking at farm and manor life. They listen to Till Year's Good End,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fair Trade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss philanthropy. In this fair trade lesson, students discover the meaning of fair trade. They are given the definition and work in small groups to read further on the topic and answer questions. This lesson includes...