Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who, What, Where, When, Why, How

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students take a closer look at the organization of news stories. In this journalism lesson, students identify the elements of news stories and then write their news stories on the same topics using different types of leads. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating 100 Years of Flight

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners practice reading comprehension, note taking and writing skills. In this literacy and writing lesson, students read about the invention of airplanes, women pilots and the space race before writing their own news article on "100...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

News Watch

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the concept of human rights.  In this US History lesson, 8th graders research newspaper articles that deal with human rights and prejudice.  Students write a summary of their article and share it with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Odyssey of a Coin

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a fictitious newspaper article to document the travels of an ancient Greek coin. They evaluate the economic conditions that existed in ancient Greece and analyze the impact Alexander the Great had on the ancient world.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the new vocabulary associated with the book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly before listening to a teacher read aloud of the book. They complete a choral reading of the story, sequence it, and write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pearl Harbor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers consider the impact of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In this World War II lesson, students research print and electronic sources about the attack on Pearl Harbor and then write news article about the attack from an American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Editorial Writing

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students Write a persuasive essay that contains effective introductory and summary statements; arranges the arguments effectively; and fully develops the ideas with convincing proof, details, facts, examples, and descriptions. They write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying Important and Unimportant Jobs - An Ornithologist's Job

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students watch a video segment narrated by an ornithologist and act as reporters to write a news article about the job of an ornithologist. In this ornithologist instructional activity, students watch a video about the job of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

California Here We Come!

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students, in groups, explore the impac the Gold Rush immigration had on the culture of California. They write a newspaper article from the 1850s identifying immigrant groups to California during the Gold Rush era.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Election One Year Away

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students identify political parties, then read a news article about the 2008 election. In this current events lesson (written prior to the 2008 election), the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wind Provides Electricity for Homes, Schools

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students complete a KWL chart, then read a news article about the comeback of windmills. For this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a KWL chart and vocabulary activity, then students read the news report and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Were Rivets to Blame for Titanic Sinking?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students answer questions about the Titanic, then read a news article about possible causes of the disaster. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rising Temperatures Threaten Penguins

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students examine the continent of Antarctica, then read a news article about the decline in the Antarctic penguin population. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Archaeologists Reveal King Tut's Mummy

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students look at pictures of a sarcophagus, then read a news article about King Tut's mummy. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion, pictures, and a vocabulary activity, then students read the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Sells House to Help the Hungry

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students compare their wants and needs, then read a news article about a family that downsized their home to help African villagers. In this current events and poverty in Africa lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bovine Oversteps Boundaries

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders read about Grady, the Silo Cow and analyze the parts of a news story.  In this news article activity, 6th graders discuss writing for different purposes.  Students discover the characteristics of a strong...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Food Saves Lives, Could End Hunger

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students locate the country of Niger, then read a news article about a new type of food that is being used to fight childhood hunger in Africa. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with map and vocabulary...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Touring Through the Beginning of Earth

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars simulate the role of reporters and research two major theories on how the Earth was formed. They create and write a series of newspaper articles on the theories of beginning life on Earth for the newspaper's front page.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dream Big

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the success of privately built and flown space crafts by reading and discussing a news article. They develop adventure trip proposals to present to Sir Richard Branson. Students write essays reflecting on the importance...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Chorus For Us

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine "serious" choral music written for student choirs and the composers who write it. They reflect upon the notion of "serious" music, and examine the trend of concert composers writing pieces for student chorus
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Art of Violence

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Violence and human suffering, as represented in art and film, are the focus of an investigation of the power of visual images and the moral implications of such representations. Class members examine “Guernica,” Pablo Picasso’s massive...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Fence

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read a news article from the New York Times related to the construction of a fence between Mexico and the U.S. and its impact on the lives of the people living on both sides. They read and discuss a variety of scenarios, answer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Count The Letters

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students perform activities involving ratios, proportions and percents. Given a newspaper article, groups of students count the number of letters in a given area. They use calculators and data collected to construct a pie chart and bar...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pronouns

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars play a game. In this pronouns lesson plan, students watch a video and read a book about pronouns. Young scholars review types of pronouns, fill in missing pronouns in sentences, read a newspaper article and find as many...