Curated OER
Shape Up!
An outstanding instructional activity on teaching the basic shapes and polygon names to young geometers is here for you. In it, learners investigate the role of basic polygons in the strength of structures. They use geoboards, rubber...
Curated OER
Good Sportsmanship Leads to Home Run
Pupils share examples of good sportsmanship, then read a news article about a team helping an injured player score a home run. The teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students read the news...
Curated OER
Colossal Squid Caught in Antarctic
Students define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and...
Curated OER
Exploration of "Pillbugs"
Fifth graders define vocabulary terms, identify the characteristics of a pillbug, and create a dichotomous key. Then they examine the pillbugs and make observations and record these observations. Finally, 5th graders observe specific...
Scholastic
Citing Text Evidence
Could you go without your cell phone for 48 hours? Pose this question to your class and then read the article provided here. Pupils mark the text and and complete a graphic organizer that requires the use of textual evidence.
Illustrative Mathematics
Comparing Numbers
Young mathematicians spin their way to a deeper number sense with this fun, collaborative activity. Using two spinners, one with the numbers 0-9 and the other with the decades 00-90, pairs of students take turns building and comparing...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Three Skeleton Key
Encourage your middle schoolers to interact with the text as they read. While reading "Three Skeleton Key," class members note predictions, define words and study their meanings, take notes on how the suspense builds, and jot down...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 2: Learning About Adolescence
The Native American symbol, The Circle of Life, represents life's spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional well being. By way of deep discussion, and two games, the lesson plan uses the Circle of Life to explore the stages of...
Curated OER
Couriers in the Inca Empire: Getting Your Message Across
Students examine how the Inca communicated over large distances. They locate the Inca Empire on a map, define key vocabulary terms, play the game, 'telephone,' and create a quipu to show the year they were born.
Curated OER
Incredible Integers!
There are three parts to this lesson on integers. In the first, learners explore positive and negative numbers on an actual painter's tape number line and by playing a "Hot Seat" game. In part two, they view a BrainPop video and work...
Curated OER
Pavement or Dirt?
What are the pros and cons to having either permeable or impermeable materials for building? How do they affect the environment? Use this role-play and the extension activities to get your environmental scientists thinking about the...
Polar Trec
Family Polar Fun Day
Family fun days are great for connecting home and school life, building strong parent/teacher relationships, and engaging students in a fun and social way. Here are several activity ideas to help you and your class run your own Family...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Bingo
Students review vocabulary words and definitions from a literature selection. They play Vocabulary Bingo to practice the words.
Curated OER
Starting Your Own Business
Fifth graders read a book and complete several correlating activities to learn how to start their own business. For this economic and math lesson, 5th graders read the book The Toothpaste Millionaire. Students define the term...
Curated OER
Build a Polyp
Students research coral polyps. In this coral polyps lesson, students discover the anatomy of a coral polyp and how they feed. Students create an edible coral polyp model.
Curated OER
What Culture Game?
Students examine artifacts from ancient cultures. They compare the differences and some similarities that may exist . They decide on at least two artifacts per area for each of the three cultures chosen and explore diversity.
Curated OER
Dictionary Detective
Build your class's dictionary skills with this fun game. The activity allows learners to better understand dictionary usage, spelling, and vocabulary. By the end of this activity, they should be skilled word finders.
Curated OER
Gone to the Dogs
Approach vocabulary through decoding and chunking. Your class breaks up words into basic syllables or chunks then engages in a decoding activity. Useful for a variety of language levels and grades, just modify to fit your class.
Curated OER
Maggie's Adventures Grades 1-2
Learners use Maggie's Learning Adventures online activity. They play a matching or memory game to become aware of homophones. Students recognize that there two ways to use many words. They practice with noun or verb identification by...
Curated OER
Coast-to-Coast Book Design-Part 1: What is a book?
In this first of four lessons on book design, students are introduced to the vocabulary of book design through the use of bookwalks and a non-linear PowerPoint presentation in game-show (Jeopardy!) format.
Curated OER
Decimal War
Pupils play a math game. In this decimals and fractions lesson, they use base ten blocks to practice converting between decimals and fractions. Everyone plays a game called Decimal War to practice these concepts.
PBS
Surface Area and Volume
You and your class will like this lesson on using visual models to relate the volume and surface area of solid shapes. Learners construct three-dimensional forms using nets. They calculate the surface area and volume for each and then...
Curated OER
Solve Story Problems: Sold! A Mathematics Adventure
Young mathematicians listen to the book Sold!: A Mathematics Adventure by Nathan Zimelman where they encounter ways to solve story problems. They then create and solve start unknown addition and subtraction equations. Resource builds in...
Curated OER
Word Wall Words
Students practice recognizing sights words. In this literacy lesson, students recognize and read 200 sight words, use combinations of words to make sentences, use words to fill in basic sentences, successfully pass spelling tests with...