Academy of American Poets
Incredible Bridges: “Cotton Candy” by Edward Hirsch
Read it, hear it, see it, do it! Young poets experience Edward Hirsch's memory poem, "Cotton Candy," by first closely reading the poem silently, then aloud, watching a video of the poet reading it, and crafting their memory poem of an...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Shaking the Family Tree
Create family trees while reading "Little House in the Big Woods." After examining Laura Ingalls Wilder's family tree, compare it to a real tree's roots and branches. Conclude with interviewing family members and decorating family...
Curated OER
Record and Preserve Your Family Stories
Students research and create a presentation about their own culture and personal history. They interview family members to increase their awareness of family events and documents. They create a family tree at a web based resource.
Curated OER
African American Poetry: Family and Traditions
Learners are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
Curated OER
Inform the Community
Students gain an understanding of the U.S. Census. In this social studies civics lesson plan, students explore understand the link between the census and the availability of community services.
Curated OER
Xeriscaping In Your Community
Fourth graders participate in a service-learning project. They design landscaping that maximizes water use and utilizes indigenous plant species. Afterward, they advertise and present their xeriscape garden at a school function such as...
Curated OER
Busting the Prairie: Planning a Homestead Community
Students research, design and advertise a homestead community. This is an extensive lesson with a variety of ativities and learning experiences.
Curated OER
ABC Community Walk
Students listen to several stories about cities and different types of communities. They take a walk in their city to identify unique characteristics. They create an alphabet book using people or features of their own community to go...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Just Chill: Don’t Stress Out!
Billy Joel's song, "Pressure," opens a lesson that teaches some techniques to deal with pressure and stressors, significant factors that contribute to aging and poor health. Throughout the four-day lesson, participants study...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Students examine primary source materials on the Dominican Republic in an exploration of how environment influences lifestyles. They compare and contrast life in the Dominican Republic with life in the United States.
Curated OER
The Elements of a Community--Who Belongs, Who Decides?
Pupils identify the elements of a community. They watch a video excerpt, complete a class web diagram, answer discussion questions, and describe the controversy from the video.
Curated OER
Opinionnaire Worksheet -- Folk and Family Heroes
In this opinion worksheet, students think about heroes they know and reveal what they think about them by marking responses to the questions and completing the statements.
National Center for Families Learning
The Summer Fun Summer Learning Drama and Plays Unit
The play's the thing that puts the play in a summer learning drama program designed to combat summer slide and encourage family literacy. Participants learn about drama as an art form, engage in dramatic presentations, write scripts, and...
National Center for Families Learning
The Summer Fun Summer Learning Dance Unit
Summer slide. Alas, not a term synonymous with a type of sliding board, summer slide refers to the fact that learning slips during summer break, especially in the areas of spelling and math facts. Enrich summer break with a...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
A Sense of Belonging
In order to understand how the land changes over time because of the people who live there, learners interview an elderly person about the past. Children ask an older family member to describe what the local area was like when they were...
Scholastic
Writing Letters of Gratitude
A lesson begins with a discussion on gratitude—what does it mean, and for who are learners thankful? Scholars share their thoughts and feelings then choose a community worker to which they wish to share their gratitude. Writers compose a...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Fly Your Kite
Encourage scholars to become a productive community member with a kite-themed lesson plan. Following a review and discussion, learners complete a Venn diagram that displays the connection between character traits needed to make a home...
University of British Columbia
The Outsiders: Identity, the Individual, and the Group
S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders is the anchor text in a unit that asks readers to reflect on their own identity, their place in their family, in groups with which they identify, and in school.
Teaching Tolerance
Puppet Show
It's a play, it's a story, it's a puppet show! A lively resource provides academics with a creative outlet to express their views on diversity and social justice. Scholars are responsible for writing, creating, and performing a puppet...
Health Smart Virginia
Making Partners
Partnering with someone new may be daunting. Here a lesson encourages young peers to work collaboratively in physical activity settings. Following a whole-class discussion, scholars participate in several cooperative activities that...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Second Grade
Two lessons shed light on bullying in hopes to create a bully-free zone in your classroom. The first lesson defines bullying and allows scholars to reflect on their behavior. The second lesson focuses on choices and consequences. Both...
Curated OER
Social Studies and Reading Integration
Kids take a quiz on the concepts that define community and culture. They answer 10 multiple choice questions regarding family traditions, immigration, Hispanic culture, and community.
Curated OER
What Does Respect Look Like at Home?
Fourth graders conceptualize the value of respect for self, and give examples and non-examples. They describe how things could have been done differently within the family or the community for non-examples. Students conceptualize the...
Curated OER
Sharing Information: Schools, Police and FERPA
Learners research Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), interview school officials to see how FERPA is interpreted in local schools, speak with community journalists to find out if they have ever had a hard time getting...