Poetry4kids
How to Write a Tanka Poem
Take your haikus to the next level with tanka poems, another form of Japanese poetry that regulates the length and rhythm of each line by syllables. Young writers read the explanation, examples, and tips for tanka poems before writing...
Newseum
Search Signals: Understanding Your Top Hits
Class members watch a short video about the criteria used to drive search results to learn about how search engines work. Scholars use a "Search Signals" worksheet and a tip sheet to record information as they conduct a simple search of...
Newseum
Am I Being Fair?
Young journalists use four strategies from an "Am I Being Fair?" tip sheet to check for and counter personal biases about a topic. Scholars apply the strategies to an article about the best pizza as guided practice. Participants then...
Curated OER
Preparing for Success
This lesson plan is more of a series of tips for you, the teacher, to implement when standardized testing comes around. The strongest component of this guide is that it invites the teacher to reflect on what worked the best, and what...
Curated OER
Mixing Colors with Corn Syrup and Food Coloring
Anyone who has worked with small children know that color identification and color mixing can be fun! This simple idea has a lot of potential. It suggests to mix food coloring with corn syrup to provide an opportunity for color mixing...
Curated OER
Leaf People
Kids create leaf people out of sticks, glue, and leaves. They use their imagination to construct leaf people and then glue them onto construction paper. Tip: Extend this craft by incorporating writing. Have learners write a short story...
Curated OER
Have It Your Way Sandwich Collage
You want to make a sandwich out of fabric and paper? If so, this art project provides the instructions needed. Learners will use a variety of fabrics and paper to construct a sandwich through collage. Tip: Have leaners describe the...
Curated OER
Clay Gargoyles and Grotesques
Grotesques or gargoyles are wonderful subjects for stories or art projects. Here is a simple "how to" for creating a lesson about sculpting clay gargoyles. Tip: Have learners research gargoyles throughout history.
Curated OER
Toothpick Sculpture
You'll be surprized at how much engineering, design, and creativity can go into a toothpick and a marshmallow. Learners make toothpick sculptures where they construct three-dimentional models by sticking marshmallows and toothpicks...
Curated OER
Urban Ecosystems 2: Why are There Cities? A Historical Perspective
Second in a series of five lessons, this lesson plan encourages preteens to consider cities as urban ecosystems. First, they keep a food diary for a few days. They visit the Natrional Agricultural Statistics Service website for current...
Curated OER
Understanding the Elements of Fiction
Inform your class on the elements of fiction: themes, settings, characters, plots, dialogue, narration, flashback, clues, climax, resolution. They write the definitions of the terms on the worksheet provided.l Tip: Have them write a...
Curated OER
Learning About Homonyms
I don't know why but I love teaching homonym lessons. This one encourages learners to look up and write a definition for a set of 10 different homonyms. Tip: Put new knowledge to the test and have the class fix a story that contains...
Curated OER
Urban Ecosystems 4: Metabolism of Urban Ecosystems
Cities are compared to living, breathing, metabolizing organisms. Fourth in a five-part series of lessons, this one focuses on the flow of materials through a city. Links to interesting websites and images make your delivery of...
Curated OER
AIDS, HIV and other Microbe Matters
This series of lessons contains sensitive material. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. It begins by discussing what microbes are. Scholars are then asked to review a few online resources and answer...
Curated OER
Fill a Jar
Sometimes short lesson outlines are enough to give you a great idea. Young writers draw any object inside an image of a jar, that doesn't belong in a jar. They can draw a tree, truck, or dinosaur. Tip: Have kids write a short story...
Curated OER
Bounce Back - The Long and Short of It
Upper elementary scientists test basketballs with differing amounts of air to find if inflation affects bounce height. The lesson introduction poses the question of whether or not the composition of a ball determines bounce height, but...
Curated OER
What Can I Afford?
Middle schoolers explore the concept of cell phone plans. In this cell phone plan lesson, students research the cost of cell phones. Middle schoolers compare various cell phone plans and decide on which phone plan is best for them.
Curated OER
Narrative Cartoons
Students create a narrative cartoon. In this narrative lesson, students use a Peace Corp website to collect information and photographs that they add captions to and use to create their own narrative cartoons.
Curated OER
Cloudy vs. Clear
Learners analyze line plots. In this weather lesson plan using real NASA data, students discuss how weather affects the way the Earth is heated by comparing different line plots.
Curated OER
Proofreading with Peer Editing
A standard peer editing activity, young writers get into groups and pass their papers to each of their peers in turn; each person checking their peer's paper for spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. In a fun twist, your class...
Curated OER
Pipe Cleaner Sculpture
Learners of any age can make the most out of their pipe cleaners. This art project idea is very simple and yet, it could result in some amazing works of art. They use pipe cleaners, flat styrofoam, straws, pasta, and beads to create...
Curated OER
Harmony Day - Listen In
Here is a great idea for building cultural awareness and good listening skills. The lesson suggests having a guest speaker come to the classroom to share his/her experiences. Prior to the visit, the class will generate a list of...
Curated OER
Crepe or Tissue Paper Blots
What happens when you drip vinegar onto tissue paper? The colors bleed, leaving an interesting and organic design. Get your class observing and creating with this quick-and-easy art project. Tip: This can also be done using coffee...
Curated OER
Sponge Painting
Sponge painting is a technique that is fun for learners of all ages and it can be adapted to fit a variety of skill levels and subjects. Here, little ones use sponges and paint to make geometric patterns. Tip: Sponges can be cut into...