Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Author Profile

Polly Base's Profile

Profile Picture

Polly Base

LEARN Author

K20 Center

About Me

Recent Publications

Why Pause? Exploring the Power of Commas

Comma Usage

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 7th - 12th

This lesson on comma usage focuses on equipping students with a solid understanding of comma rules and their practical application in writing. Through interactive activities and examples, students will learn how to use commas to separate items in a list, set off introductory elements, join independent... Read more »

Lesson 5E Lesson

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 7th - 12th

Subject Subject

  • English/Language Arts

Course Course

  • A.P. Language and Composition

Tag Related

  • ACT Prep, Culture, Food, Short Story

Copied To Clipboard Standards

  • 12.5.W.6, PUN 201, PUN 301, PUN 302, PUN 404, PUN 601
More 3-4
Time Frame 90-125 minutes
Sentence Scramble

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 7th - 12th

Students review prior knowledge about sentence creation and punctuation by rearranging sentence cards. Read more »

Strategy Instructional Strategy

User Group Group Size

  • Medium Group (at least 10), Small Group

Copied To Clipboard Placement In Lesson

  • Engage/Opening

Time Frame Time To Complete

  • Less Than 10 Minutes

Tag Intention Or Purpose

  • Active Engagement, Collaborate, Organize

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 7th - 12th
Nursing Then and Now: Memoirs of Alcott and Whitman

Compare & Contrast Nursing Past and Present

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 10th - 12th

In this lesson, students look through the lens of nursing to think about what it means to overcome adversity. Students will read Civil War-era memoirs from Walt Whitman and Louisa May Alcott. They will then compare and contrast the descriptions of nursing in those texts with an account of modern nursing... Read more »

Lesson 5E Lesson
Nursing Then and Now: Memoirs of Alcott and Whitman

Compare & Contrast Nursing Past and Present

Tag Related

  • Alcott, ICAP, Individual Career Academic Plan (ICAP), Whitman

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 10th - 12th

Subject Subject

  • English/Language Arts, Nursing

Course Course

  • A.P. Literature and Composition, American Literature

Copied To Clipboard Standards

  • 11.3.R.1, 11.3.R.7, 11.3.W.2
More 3-4 class periods
Time Frame 150-200 minutes
List of 8

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 3rd - 12th

List of 8 invites students to improve their listening and speaking skills while focusing on content-specific prompts. This strategy is helpful for reviewing and activating prior knowledge. Read more »

Strategy Instructional Strategy

User Group Group Size

  • Medium Group (at least 10), Small Group (at least 4)

Copied To Clipboard Placement In Lesson

  • Engage/Opening, Evaluate/Assessment

Time Frame Time To Complete

  • 10 - 20 Minutes, 20 - 30 Minutes

Tag Intention Or Purpose

  • Activate Prior Knowledge, Active Engagement, Identify, Physical Movement, Recognize, Review, Speak & Listen, Student Choice, Vocabulary

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 3rd - 12th
Four A's of Analysis

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 9th - 12th

In this strategy, students practice analysis and citation skills with focused questions. Having this focus helps students think specifically and critically about a text. Read more »

Strategy Instructional Strategy

User Group Group Size

  • Individual, Small Group (at least 4)

Copied To Clipboard Placement In Lesson

  • Explore/Learning Activity

Time Frame Time To Complete

  • 20 - 30 Minutes

Tag Intention Or Purpose

  • Active Engagement, Analyze, Citing, Critical Thinking, Cross-Curricular, Infer, Reason, Text analysis, Text evidence, Writing

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 9th - 12th
20 Questions Mingle

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 3rd - 12th

This strategy can be used to help students ask questions, review key vocabulary, and practice subject specific skills, specifically grammar. Read more »

Strategy Instructional Strategy

User Group Group Size

  • Whole Class

Copied To Clipboard Placement In Lesson

  • Engage/Opening, Explore/Learning Activity, Evaluate/Assessment

Time Frame Time To Complete

  • 20 - 30 Minutes

Tag Intention Or Purpose

  • Active Engagement, Analyze, Critical Thinking, Identify, Reason, Review, Speak & Listen

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 3rd - 12th
Unveiling Injustice: A Deep Dive Into Killers of the Flower Moon

The Reign of Terror: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 9th - 12th

This lesson centers on Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann which examines the Osage murders of the 1920s. Students analyze the connections between the events depicted in the book and the factual background of the Reign of Terror as presented in an interactive e-learning activity, helping to foster... Read more »

Lesson 5E Lesson
Unveiling Injustice: A Deep Dive Into Killers of the Flower Moon

The Reign of Terror: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 9th - 12th

Subject Subject

  • English/Language Arts, Reign of Terror

Course Course

  • A.P. Literature and Composition

Tag Related

  • Osage

Copied To Clipboard Standards

  • 11.3.R.1, 11.3.R.2, 11.3.R.6, 11.3.W.4
More 4-5 periods
Time Frame 270 minutes
Grammatically Correct

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 6th - 12th

An ELA strategy that uses movement to enhance students' memory of grammatical concepts. This can be used as review, introduction of key terms, or formative assessment. Read more »

Strategy Instructional Strategy

User Group Group Size

  • Whole Class

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 6th - 12th
Moved by Punctuation

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 6th - 12th

An ELA strategy that has students connect punctuation to different movements to aid in memory retention. This can be used for reviewing or exploring a new concept. Read more »

Strategy Instructional Strategy

User Group Group Size

  • Whole Class

Copied To Clipboard Placement In Lesson

  • Engage/Opening, Engage

Time Frame Time To Complete

  • Less Than 10 Minutes

Tag Intention Or Purpose

  • Activate Prior Knowledge, Active Engagement, Conversation Starter, Critical Thinking, Physical Movement, Punctuation, Recognize, Review, Student Choice

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 6th - 12th
Food Fight: Difficult Conversations in the Classroom

Speaking and Listening

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 9th - 10th

Participating in difficult conversations in a classroom setting gives students a chance to learn how to express ideas and opinions safely. In this lesson, students build trust and respect for each other, building their confidence to speak on difficult topics without fear. Students will engage with complex... Read more »

Lesson 5E Lesson

Subject Subject

  • English/Language Arts

Grade Level Grade Level

  • 9th - 10th

Copied To Clipboard Standards

  • 9.1.R.1, 9.1.R.2, 9.1.W.2
More 4-5
Time Frame 200