Kenan Fellows
Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Is one type of energy inherently good or bad? Young scientists explore energy resources in a week-long unit. After extensive research, groups create powerful position statements and presentations supporting their energy resource of choice.
Ogden Museum of Art Education Department
Literacy and Landscapes
As the saying goes, art often imitates life ... and literature! A series of activities designed to accompany a visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art encourage writers to find inspiration in various landscapes. The lesson plan...
California Department of Education
Gaining by Giving
Community service is a win-win! Scholars discover how to gain valuable career skills through helping others using a lesson about volunteer work. Second in a six-part career and college readiness series, the activities focus on...
California Department of Education
Who Am I?
Get in touch with your sense of self! The fifth and final instructional activity in a series of college and career lessons for fifth graders reinforces the relationship between interests and career choices. Pupils play a scenario-driven...
BrainPOP
World History Lesson Plan: Uncovering Essential Questions
Have you ever noticed a news story revolves around an essential question? Scholars research methods of reporting historical events. Working in groups, they use an interactive module to gather information on a historical topic, uncovering...
California Department of Education
How to Succeed in Life
Is it possible that six simple traits lead to a happy, successful life? Part four of a six-part series of college and career readiness lessons examines the effects of character in determining success. Working groups discuss...
Smithsonian Institution
New American Roles
America has dealt with its fair share of hardships in contemporary history. The resource discusses the events of the Gulf War, September 11th, the Afghanistan War, and The Iraq War. Scholars click on artifacts to learn more information,...
California Department of Education
Safe at Work
From minimum wage to minimizing injuries, young workers need to know their rights! The sixth and final lesson in a series of college and career readiness activities gets eighth graders thinking about safety and labor laws.Â
State Bar of Texas
Hernandez v. Texas
What if the jury is not made up of people from your ethnicity or background—are they still considered your peers? Scholars analyze the impact the Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas had on jury selection across the nation. Paired...
Planet e-Book
Dubliners
The Dubliners contains 15 short stories all bound in one book. The stories begin with narration by young children, and as they progress, so do the ages of the narrators. The author, James Joyce, focuses most stories on characters that...
Curated OER
Abortion
Abortion has remained a highly controversial issue ever since the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Using the website, learners sift through all the information they need to participate in a debate about the topic. They learn about the...
ProCon
Is Homework Beneficial?
Does homework improve student achievement, or does it increase stress? Scholars use the included debate topics website to prepare for a class discussion or debate about whether homework is advantageous. After reading a brief background...
Beverly Hills High School
Napoleon: What Would You Do?
Begin a study of Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Revolution by presenting class members with 10 situations that Napoleon would face as he rose to power. Individuals select one of three options for each scenario that represents what...
Beverly Hills High School
Memoirs of a Legend
To conclude a study of the French Revolution, young historians adopt the voice of critics of Napoleon Bonaparte and lay charges against him. They then craft a memoir in Napoleon's voice that details his motives and what he sees as his...
Syracuse University
Ancient World Writing System
Most twenty-first century pupils don't know how to interpret cuneiform. Examining images of cuneiform and papyrus writing and using a chart and Venn diagram, young historians extrapolate what life may have been like for people who lived...
C-SPAN
The Impact of Citizens United v. FEC
What began as an effort to show a movie by an interest group has impacted financing of federal elections. Did the Citizens United case lead to more "dark money" in politics, or did it shine a light with more speech? Using video clips...
Curated OER
Writing Lesson 12
Fourth graders practice responding to a writing prompt. They practice proofreading. Students use the proofreading guide to check their writing for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They write three paragraphs in response to...
Curated OER
Writing: Lesson 7
Teacher reads aloud to the students the material that is printed in boldface type inside the boxes. Information in regular type inside the boxes and all
information outside the boxes should not be read to the students. Possible
student...
Curated OER
United Nations General Assembly
Students study China and the Chinese occupation of Tibet. They read position summaries/notes of China, Tibet and various foreign nations. Then they roleplay members of United Nations General Assembly and discuss and debate the topic.
Curated OER
Nobel Peace Prize Winners
Students work in groups to complete biography overviews and research, organize information and decorate masks to look like their assigned Nobel Peace Prize winner. They present their information to the class as a group then independently...
Curated OER
Writing: Lesson 6
Teacher reads aloud to the students the material that is printed in boldface type inside the boxes. Information in regular type inside the boxes and all
information outside the boxes should not be read to the students. Possible
student...
Curated OER
The Underground Railroad
Students use vocabulary related to the Underground Railroad. They identify key facts related to the Underground Railroad, evaluate their personal responses to the Underground Railroad and make a judgment about the morality of the...
Curated OER
At Home on the French Frontier: 1700-1800
Students role play bartering for goods and services as the French settlers did in colonial Illinois. They start with eight household items to acquire through bartering. They have to calculate values for each object and determine the...
Curated OER
Find the Question
Young scholars look at a group of statements, and pick out the one statement that is actually a question. In this question lesson plan, students eliminate statements as they read.