In this lesson, students explore the role of regulations ininfluencing air quality decisions as they examine trendsin air pollution. The students are encouraged to thinkcritically about important technological developments thathave influenced the lives of individuals since the start ofthe twentieth century.

Students explore how public policy decisions are made and practice solving problems that require choices. Students learn that solving environmental issues involves a
diversity of stakeholders and that everyone can contribute to solutions to air pollution problems.

The lesson develops the basic ideas that combustion activities are a major source of air pollution and that the products of combustion include particles (soot) and gases such as
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

This lesson feature allows students to explore the relationship between air pollution
and asthma in Michigan.

Tradition and technology come together in this lesson in which students learn about Alaskan animals through Native American tales and their own online research.

CK-12 Algebra Explorations is a hands-on series of activities that guides students from Pre-K to Grade 7 through algebraic concepts.

In this informational text, elementary school readers learn about the difference between weather and climate and about components of the climate system. The text can be used to practice visualizing and other comprehension strategies. Available in K-2 and 3-5 grade bands and as an illustrated book as well as a text document, the story appears in the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle.

SPARK tails artists Jim Denevan and Cris Drury as they create large earth works. This Educator Guide is about the history and tradition of artists making work in and about the natural environment.

In this lesson, students analyze the allusions, slang, and literary analogies used in "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara. To extend understanding, they will then write their own allusions and analogies.

The traditional autobiography writing project is given a twist as students write alphabiographies - recording an event, person, object, or feeling associated with each letter of the alphabet.

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the planet Mars. This lesson will begin by discussing the location and size of Mars relative to Earth, as well as introduce many interesting facts about this red planet. Next, the history of Martian exploration is reviewed and students discover why scientists are so interested in studying this mysterious planet. The lesson concludes with students learning about future plans to visit Mars.

This lesson introduces students to American colonial life and has them compare the daily life and culture of two different colonies in the late 1700s. Students study artifacts of the thirteen original British colonies and write letters between fictitious cousins in Massachusetts and Delaware.

This lesson extends over several class periods. Students analyze the claim, grounds, warrants, qualifiers and counterclaims in three articles about the American Dream. Students conduct research and find two additional articles about the American Dream. Students then analyze the argument in those articles. Finally, students write their own argument essay about the current state of the American Dream.

Groups of students read and discuss American folklore stories, each group reading a different story. Using a jigsaw strategy, the groups compare character traits and main plot points of the stories. A diverse selection of American folk tales is used for this lesson, which is adaptable to any text set.

American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.

An 8th grade social studies unit, co-taught with the school librarian, about the impact of American Public PolicyThis lesson plan is meant to serve as one lesson in a wider 8th grade social studies unit on the impact of American public policy.  The lesson focuses on the impact of the public policy of slavery.  The wider unit would also include whole-class study of the impact of Native American Removal and Indian Schools.  At the end of the unit, students would investigate a contemporary issue of American public policy and develop and put into practice a plan to draw attention to that public policy issue.   

In this unit students continue the exploration of factors that influence change by examining the events that led up to the American Revolution. Over the course of the unit, students will build a deeper understanding of the significant ideas and values at the heart of the American Revolution, what drove the colonists to seek independence, and how conflict between England and the colonists ultimately influenced change in our country. Students will see the American Revolution from multiple perspectives, starting with analyzing the difference in perspectives between the British and the colonists and how each side’s actions often instigated each other. Students will also explore how class structure influenced colonists perspectives. Later in the unit, students will think about the perspectives of black people, women and Native Americans who were forced to choose a side and why they may have had a different point of view of the events of the revolution.

An important part of this unit is pushing students to focus on seeing history from multiple different perspectives. The core text Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began offers one perspective on events, however, the prespective is limited to that held by white elite colonists. Therefore, students also read excerpts from A Young People's History of the United States in order to build a deeper understanding of all sides of the Revolution.

In this lesson, students begin to focus on the character reactions to events/situations in Esperanza Rising. They begin by considering individual reactions and, as the unit progresses, they will begin to compare character reactions in writing. In this lesson, the event they consider is moving into the cabin in the camp. (RL.5.1, RL.5.3).
At the end of the lesson, students listen to a read-aloud of new pages of A Life Like Mine and make connections between that text and Esperanza in Esperanza Rising. The purpose of this text in this lesson is to help students understand children's rights in regards to work.
Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads pages 74-77 of A Life Like Mine aloud during Closing and Assessment A.
The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to human rights. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.

In this lesson, students read the next chapter of Esperanza Rising, "Las Ciruelas," and analyze how the chapter fits into the overall structure of the text (RL.5.1, RL.5.5). They then make connections between this chapter and the UDHR, looking for evidence of threats to human rights, before analyzing character reactions to the situation of Mama being ill (RL.5.1, RL.5.3).
Although the lesson is written for "Las Ciruelas" to be a teacher read-aloud, this can be organized in different ways to meet the needs of your students. For example, students could read this in pairs or triads, taking turns to read, with a teacher-led smaller group of students who need additional support.
Many of the articles of the UDHR could be applied to each chapter. Students may make other suggestions than those recorded on How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).
In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become an ethical person. The characteristic that students practice is respect as volunteers share out personal reflections on what happened in Esperanza Rising.
Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads aloud "Las Ciruelas" during Opening A.
The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to human rights. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.