Curated OER
Reel in Learning with Reptiles
Whether it’s all about a Jackson Chameleon or a North American Bearded Lizard, learners will be eager to embark on informational text with reptiles.
Curated OER
Pen Pals
Fifth graders become pen pals from other countries and research their countries for information that help with their writing. This information is then sent to another student who is also portraying someone from another country.
Curated OER
Mystery Lessons
Learn about mysteries with your readers. They will investigate plot, basic elements of mystery, famous characters, and become familiar with genre vocabulary. Bring in props and mystery books to begin and then have learners create story...
Curated OER
Return to the Moon
Students react to statements about space exploration, then read a news article about plans to resume manned flights to the moon. In this space science and current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion...
Curated OER
Jack of All Tails
After reading the book Jack of All Tails, learners complete vocabulary activities, play charades, consider a list of questions, and complete a list of verbs. There are also several suggestions for how to connect this language...
Curated OER
Allowing Students to Explore Simple Physics and Marketing in English Class
Scientific method, linear measurements, friction, inertia. Imagine learning scientific vocabulary in an ELA class. Before researching and developing a presentation about simple machines, class members build a common, but decidedly...
Curated OER
Roberto Clemente
Have your class explore the life of Roberto Clemente using this lesson. After reading the story Roberto Clemente by Jonah Winter, learners answer cause and effect questions, classify ideas, make comparisons, and write a news article.
Curated OER
Marketing to Teens: Marketing Tactics
Enlighten young consumers to advertising techniques aimed specifically at their generation. Have learners answer questions about how advertisements are geared for a younger audience, then have them practice selling to other teenagers....
Perkins School for the Blind
Tactile quilts that tell a story
Learners with multiple disabilities need to engage in projects that push them to know their full potential. They need to be able to express themselves in a variety of ways, and this very thoughtful lesson does just that. They make a...
Curated OER
Whodunnit?
Want to create an exciting mystery activity? Investigators will identify the elements of a mystery, review mystery stories, then write their own mysteries. They engage in forensic science experiments related to mysteries and learn to ask...
Curated OER
Health Conscious?
What is your attitude on health and illness? By considering their own experiences, learners will reflect on and discuss their attitudes toward health and illness while educating each other by researching illnesses in small groups,...
Curated OER
A Whole Lotta Changin' Goin' On
Here's a fabulous lesson plan on the life cycle of a butterfly. Youngsters are able to identify and understand the four stages of life. They construct models of a caterpillar and write a sequence story about the life of a butterfly. This...
Curated OER
Take this Job and Love It!
High schoolers need to be prepared to enter the job market during or after high school. Here are six preparational activities geared at getting those kids ready to enter the job market. They conduct research on various jobs, learn...
Curated OER
Working on the Slant
Compare and contrast a major news story from various newspapers. How does the perspective change? Are certain things included in some of the stories and left out of others? Have pupils complete a graphic organizer to compare how...
Curated OER
Keiko, Killer Whale
Middle schoolers will create a children's book on Keiko, the killer whale, that was rehabilitated and returned to the wild after living in an aquarium. In small groups, they conduct internet research to find out the history and current...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Mathematicus Dramaticus
The best part about this resource is that you've got four wonderful activities to choose from. Each of the projects can work together or on its own to help learners understand the history of math and how it can be seen every day. In...
Curated OER
Edible Numbers
Believe it or not, this is a 76-page series of lesson plans published by the California Commission on Agriculture which is designed to teach upper-elementary learners about agricultural practices and products in the state. There are two...
Curated OER
Developing Dialogue
Why do people argue? Use the article "A Holiday Medley, Off Key" to discuss the struggles that interfaith couples face when choosing to celebrate certain holidays. Then, in small groups, encourage learners to write dialogues that...
Curated OER
Whole Number and Decimal Place Value
Practice real-world application of decimals by viewing the U.S. National Debt Clock online and discussing the level of outstanding debt. A skit, vocabulary, and various other resources are available.
Safe Drinking Water Foundation
Water Pollution
An introductory instructional activity to a unit on water pollution, young environmentalists are asked to brainstorm examples of pollutants in water. This instructional activity will help develop a sense of what water pollution is and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A “New English” in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”: A Common Core Exemplar
To examine the “New English” Chinua Achebe uses in Things Fall Apart, readers complete a series of worksheets that ask them to examine similes, proverbs, and African folktales contained in the novel. Individuals explain the meaning...
Curated OER
Eating Right with a Little Help From the VT
Students explore the food pyramid. In this nutrition instructional activity, students identify the 5 food groups and sort foods according to the group in which they belong. Students use the Visual Thesaurus to complete a food groups...
Curated OER
Talking About a Resolution
Students explore Nobel Prize winning economist Thomas C. Schelling's strategic egonomics theory as it applies to making new year's resolutions. They make their own resolutions and develop plans to keep them using Schelling's strategies.
Curated OER
A Letter to Terry Fox
Middle schoolers research information about Terry Fox on the Internet. They write a personal letter to Terry Fox.