Curated OER
Picture America's Sweetheart
High schoolers examine Seventeen Magazine's America's Sweetheart contest and one of their finalists by reading about Sunia Arif and what made Seventeen choose her. Students then write a 300-word essay about what would make them or...
Curated OER
What Happens to Our Bodies When We Get Sick?
Seventh graders explore ways in which they become sick. They find out ways that there bodies fight off bacteria. Students watch a video from the Magic School Bus series:"Inside Raphie." After reviewing video students can openly discuss...
Curated OER
Message in a Bottle
Young scholars acquire a pen pal in a foreign country and write letters at least twice a month throughout the year to exchange with them. At the end of the year, they write an essay that compares one important difference and one...
Curated OER
Autumn Writing
Students review and brainstorm the signs of autumn through a PowerPoint presentation/ lesson with embedded video clips. After brainstorming ideas as a group, Students use Kidspiration to develop a graphic organizer and follow the writing...
Curated OER
One Event: Different Perspectives
Students watch a video clip from "The Path to 9/11" and write a summary of one of the events depicted. Next, they read the 9/11 Commission Report to compare information from the report to that of the media clip. They chose one more print...
Curated OER
Beowulf: Songs of Ancient Heroes
Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...
Curated OER
Cancer Banner Art Installation
Students complete a service learning project to raise money for Relay for Life. In this service learning instructional activity, students discuss installation art and watch a video about Pepon Osorio. Students review articles about...
Curated OER
Education is the Meaning of Life
Students explore the teachings of Confucius. In this Korean culture lesson, students watch segments of the A and E video "Confucius: Words of Wisdom." Students read handouts regarding the Asian education system and discuss their...
Curated OER
Formal Writing Introduction
Give your class tips on formal writing. A paragraph format is outlined along with specifics for writing a conclusion sentence. A few transitions are listed to vary sentences and sentence structure. Pull this resource back out whenever...
Curated OER
Safe schools, Scary Schools
Students write an essay discussing the balance between safety and restrictions when it comes to the placement of metal detectors in schools. They research the safety situation in their district, including discussions about safety issues...
Curated OER
Rosa Parks: Mother of Civil Rights Movement
Students read an article from Time and react to the article based upon what they have studied about Rosa Parks. They find that even though Rosa is no longer alive, she still has an impact today. They focus on that impact she has and...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Cocaine in a Can
Young scholars examine the case of "Cocaine," a new soft drink targeted at teens. They explore the decision by some stores not to sell it. Students compose essays expressing their views about the drink and the ensuing decisions.
Curated OER
U.S. and Canada: How are We the Same? How are We Different?
Get high school geographers to compare and contrast Canada and the United States. They begin by drawing a freehand map of North America, then complete readings to gain insight into Canada. The text is not provided; however, another text...
Curated OER
Writing: Barn Raising
Young writers compare writing a paper to building a barn. They write a thesis statement using parallel construction and use transitions to hold the paper (walls of the barn) together. A barn raising video link is included; great for...
Curated OER
Dance Research Essay
Young scholars discover and appreciate the history, characteristics, and significance of a specific dance style. They to pick a dance style that they are interested in and would like to research.
Curated OER
Now You See Me, Now You Don't
Bioluminescence fascinates most upper elementary scientists. Display images of different glowing deep-sea organisms and discuss their environment. Young biologists then experiment with images and different colors of filtered light. In...
Louisiana Department of Education
Fahrenheit 451
In his 2013 introduction to Fahrenheit 451, Neil Gaiman states, “Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” In this extraordinary unit plan, readers "explore the power of written language to educate and...
Federal Reserve Bank
GDP: Does It Measure Up?
Here is resource that offers a very clear explanation for how economists measure economic growth by comparing real GDP over time. There is also an additional worksheet that details the expenditure method and four components for...
Heritage Foundation
Lawmaking and the Rule of the Law
How many constitutional clauses does it take to create a bill? High schoolers find out with several activities and selected clauses about the rule of law and the US Constitution. Various coinciding activities help to strengthen...
Heritage Foundation
Courts and Judges
If the Supreme Court is so supreme, why do all cases not just start there? High schoolers learn why every case does not start at the Supreme Court as well as the importance of hierarchy in the US judicial system in the 11th installment...
Heritage Foundation
Procedural Rights: Amendments VI, VII, and VIII
Even in court, your class members have procedural rights provided by the amendments. Teach high schoolers this important lesson by using the 18th installment of a 20-part unit exploring the US Constitution. The resource provides several...
Curated OER
Troubled Leadership
Students discuss how each leader was influenced by people close to him. They view a video "Troubled Leadership." Students discuss the two rulers featured: the Egyptian King Tutankhamen and the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. They discuss...
Curated OER
Reflect on this Mote of Dust
Students explore space science by analyzing a speech by Carl Sagan. In this cosmos lesson, students view an online video of a speck of a "pale blue dot" in the distance of space which turns out to be Earth. Students write an essay...
Curated OER
A Twisted Love Poem
Students read poem about dating violence, discuss meaning of the poem, and compose essay about their interpretation and reactions to it.