Each small group of students researches one aspect of the same big topic, such as the Gold Rush, and teaches what they have learned to the rest of the class.
Searching for Gold: A Collaborative Inquiry Project
Grades
|
Engaging Students in a Collaborative Exploration of the Gettysburg Address
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
In small groups, students closely examine one sentence from the Gettysburg Address and create a multigenre project communicating what they have discovered about the meaning and significance of the text.
Grades
|
Graphing Plot and Character in a Novel
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
In this graphical mapping project, students assign a value to the events, characters, and themes in a novel and think about how the elements of the story are all interconnected.
Grades
|
Looking at Landmarks: Using a Picture Book to Guide Research
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
This lesson uses Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg to highlight ten major landmarks of the world. Students research the landmarks and present their findings to the class.
Grades
|
Voting! What's It All About?
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Unit
Students explore a variety of sources for information about voting. They evaluate the information to determine if it is fact or opinion, and then create a graffiti wall about voting.
Grades
|
Myth and Truth: Independence Day
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
By exploring myths and truths surrounding Independence Day, students think critically about commonly believed stories regarding the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the Independence Day holiday.
Grades
|
Native Americans Today
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
This lesson challenges students' views of Native Americans as a vanished people by asking them to compare their prior knowledge with information they gather while reading about contemporary Native Americans.
Grades
|
Engaging Students with Library of Congress Primary Sources in the ELA Classroom Quick-Reference Guide (QRG)
3 - 12
Printout
|
Quick-Reference Guide (QRG) focused on "Engaging Students with Library of Congress Primary Sources in the ELA Classroom."
Grades
|
Rosa Parks was born on this day in 1913.
K - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Rosa Parks was committed to the struggle for social justice and human rights until her death, inspiring millions of people around the world. Today, we celebrate her!
Grades
|
Cultural Connections and Writing for Change
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
A little understanding can go a long way. After learning about difficulties that Palestinian youths face, students will write a letter to an official discussing these issues.
Grades
|
Guided Comprehension: Monitoring Using the INSERT Technique
4 - 6
Lesson Plan
| Recurring Lesson
Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson introduces students to the comprehension strategy of monitoring.
Grades
|
Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through Whole-Class Dialogue
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
"That's my position and I'm sticking to it!" After reading about the Korean War, students will take a position in response to an open-ended question, support their position, and evaluate that support.
Grades
|
Pourquoi Stories: Creating Tales to Tell Why
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Where did the stars come from? What makes lightning and thunder? Pourquoi tales are narratives developed by various cultures around the world to explain natural phenomena. Students study three tales and learn about their cultures of origin, then work cooperatively to write and present an original pourquoi tale.
Grades
|
Bringing Economic Vocabulary to Life Through Video Posters
2 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Minilesson
Imagine if vocabulary could come alive with the click of a button! Students create video posters to demonstrate knowledge of new economics vocabulary.
Grades
|
Skimming and Scanning: Using Riddles to Practice Fact Finding Online
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students will learn to skim and scan to make sure they don't flounder when they're surfing the Internet for facts to help them complete riddles about the United States.
Grades
|
Using Pictures to Build Schema for Social Studies Content
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
How do you read an image? Students find out in this lesson in which they "read" several images of the Boston Massacre to better understand the event and recognize effects of propaganda.
Grades
|
Developing Searching, Skimming, and Scanning Skills With Internet Bingo
4 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Student pairs aim to be the first team to call out "bingo" in this lesson in which they use skimming and scanning to locate information about ancient Greece and Rome.
Grades
|
Writers' Workshop: The Biographical Sketch
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Unit
Students use the faces and places they learn about in their research to write a biography about a contemporary or historical figure.
Grades
|
History Comes Alive: Developing Fluency and Comprehension Using Social Studies
2 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Unit
Let the power of imagination and inference serve as a "time machine" to bring Benjamin Franklin into the classroom! History and science come to life in a dialogue with Franklin the inventor, developed through lesson activities that incorporate research, imagination, writing, visual arts, and drama.
Grades
|
Great American Inventors: Using Nonfiction to Learn About Technology Inventions
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Who are the people behind the world's greatest inventions? Students read biographies of a terrific trio of American inventors and create presentations that highlight how their inventions from the past impacted the future.