Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning
In this lesson, students will understand the essential elements of identity theft and consumer fraud. They will create a PSA-style poster or video about how to avoid identity theft. This lesson includes optional modifications for distance learning. Resources for use in Google Classroom are included. Read more »
Created by: Susan McHale
Date Updated: August 3rd, 2023
Standard 9: Identity Theft
Where is the best place to go on vacation? The worst? What are ways that your students could answer these questions descriptively? In this engaging lesson, students will practice descriptive writing skills by creating uniquely individual "Best/Worst of" lists in e-book format. Read more »
Created by: K20 Center
Date Updated: March 11th, 2024
Writing to Engage and Entertain
Through their own research and discussion, students see how career choice, postsecondary education, and salary are all interrelated. Students identify three careers that they might be interested in, identify the postsecondary requirements to attain these careers, and learn what the beginning is for... Read more »
Created by: Susan McHale
Date Updated: September 11th, 2024
Standard 1: Earning an Income
This grammar lesson will engage students in recognizing, identifying, and creating active or passive voice in their writing. The use of active and passive voice is demonstrated through the short story, "The Monkey's Paw," although any piece of literature could be substituted. This lesson includes optional... Read more »
Created by: Margaret Salesky
Date Updated: March 15th, 2024
Grammar/Language Usage
Acquiring the use of a car is a rite of passage for high school students. In this personal financial literacy lesson, students will investigate the cost of a car, types of lending agencies, and additional costs associated with car ownership. This lesson does require that students have access to the... Read more »
Created by: Susan McHale
Date Updated: March 14th, 2023
Standard 7: Understanding Loans
The lesson focuses on solving for perimeter and area of composite figures. Students will explore area and perimeter using pattern blocks to create unusual shapes, and then try to calculate the areas of these shapes. Next, students will learn about the real-life application of mathematics by watching... Read more »
Created by: Amber Stokes
Date Updated: September 30th, 2024
Perimeter and Area of Composite Figures
Students will explore the cultural characteristics that appear in various versions of the story "Little Red Riding Hood." Additionally, students will compare and contrast how the cultural characteristics appear in each story and how American authors have revamped the story to mirror popular culture... Read more »
Created by: Lindsey Link
Date Updated: September 10th, 2024
Cultural Characteristics
This lesson breaks down the components of a function through the metaphor of a function "machine." Students will design their own function vending machines, identify the products they will sell and the prices of those products, and evaluate each others' machines to build a function from the information... Read more »
Created by: Brittany VanCleave
Date Updated: December 2nd, 2024
Functions (Domain and Range)
In this lesson, students will explore the meaning and application of the Bill of Rights. Students will summarize each amendment from the Bill of Rights in their own words and discuss the application of each amendment. Students will then discuss whether or not "ballot selfies" should be a protected form... Read more »
Created by: Sarah Brewer
Date Updated: October 21st, 2024
Interpreting the Bill of Rights
This lesson focuses on teaching students how to solve algebraic equations using student-friendly language. Students will begin by trying to solve viral math posts in groups. Next, they will learn the "Do/Undo" method for solving equations. Finally, students will create their own viral math posts and... Read more »
Created by: Mariah Warren
Date Updated: December 13th, 2024
Solving Equations
Using pictures related to pop culture as mentor texts, students identify the archetypal figures represented. They then are broken into small groups where they choose a figure not previously identified to represent the archetype assigned to them and are asked to justify this choice to the whole group.... Read more »
Created by: K20 Center
Date Updated: August 6th, 2024
This stress management lesson will challenge students' ideas about stress and its effects on the body. Students will participate in a high-pressure competitive activity, learn about good and bad stress, research and evaluate articles about stress, and create SMART goals for stress management. By the... Read more »
Created by: Adam Yeargin
Date Updated: November 26th, 2024
Stress Management
This lesson engages students in exploring, assessing, and drawing conclusions about the validity of various media sources through exploration of the 2019 "Alienstock" phenomenon. Students will work independently and in groups to compare and analyze different media sources and evaluate the validity and... Read more »
Created by: Margaret Salesky
Date Updated: October 3rd, 2024
Analyzing Information, Media, and Validity
This lesson invites students to explore scientific models and simulations to learn about climate and weather phenomena. Students will learn from a meteorologist about how those in the field of climatology use math and science in their careers, as well as the details of this job and career path. By the... Read more »
Created by: Cacey Wells
Date Updated: October 10th, 2024
ICAP Science: Weather
This lesson uses the book "P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever" by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter to teach digraphs and nuances of phonetics in the English language. Students will brainstorm to identify other digraph words in their vocabularies, write and draw their own pages for a sequel... Read more »
Created by: Chelsee Wilson
Date Updated: November 26th, 2024
Phonics
This lesson focuses on applying Newton's third law of motion and on finding solutions to problems associated with collision. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to examine and explain evidence to support Newton's third law of motion, identify a real-world problem involving a transfer of... Read more »
Created by: Alonna Smith
Date Updated: September 16th, 2024
Forces and Motion
In this lesson, students will explore the odds of winning in games of chance and discover the problems associated with gambling. They will participate in a game of dice, read personal stories, and create their own PSAs about the dangers of gambling addiction. This lesson includes optional modifications... Read more »
Created by: Susan McHale
Date Updated: February 2nd, 2023
Standard 12: Gambling
This lesson, used in conjunction with Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder," guides students to determine their own definitions for cause, effect, and foreshadowing, find examples of these concepts in the text, and create a brochure based on the story's fictional Time Travel, Inc. This lesson... Read more »
Created by: Chelsee Wilson
Date Updated: August 10th, 2023
Analyzing Short Stories
This lesson builds on the inquiry questions that students developed in the lesson "Hall of Injustice, Part 1." Students will use their inquiry questions based on the Tulsa Race Massacre to write an informative research paper that focuses on how remembering history impacts the present. Students will... Read more »
Created by: Polly Base
Date Updated: November 8th, 2024
Guided Inquiry Research
In this lesson, students play the role of a nosy detective, digging through a mysterious neighbor's garbage to make observations and inferences in order to solve a case. Using images and "artifacts," students create a character profile to show how their observations and inferences help them come to... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: June 22nd, 2023
Observations and Inferences
This lesson asks students to analyze the motivations of Montresor in Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" and engages students by placing them in the role of a forensic psychologist. In this role, having students will answer questions in a clinical evaluation. Students will analyze... Read more »
Created by: Brandy Hackett
Date Updated: September 12th, 2024
Irony and Characterization in "The Cask of Amontillado"
Do words matter? Does our choice of words affect the attitudes of others? In this lesson, students will explore the denotation and connotation of different words from the play "Romeo and Juliet" and how word choice affects understanding and perception of an author’s writing. This is a multimodality... Read more »
Created by: Shelby Blackwood
Date Updated: November 27th, 2024
Connotation and Denotation in Romeo and Juliet
This lesson is part of a series, titled "Woman Crush Wednesday" in which we look at how female scientists have shaped our view of science. In this biology lesson, students will explore the contributions of Rachel Carson, the impact of human activity on our ecosystem, and how organisms develop resistance... Read more »
Created by: Mariah Warren
Date Updated: April 18th, 2023
Biological Unity and Diversity
Students analyze primary source documents to understand the motives of colonists who supported, opposed, or remained neutral before the American Revolution. They apply this understanding to open-ended scenarios and write from the perspective of a loyalist, patriot, or neutralist. Read more »
Created by: Susan McHale
Date Updated: November 11th, 2024
American Revolution
Sometimes, we know a great deal about the meaning and inspiration behind a work of art. In many cases, the artist has left information about their art in an artist's statement. Sometimes though, it is up to the viewer to construct their own meaning of a work of art, regardless of what information about... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: August 9th, 2024
Ekphrastic Poetry
This lesson is part of the "Woman Crush Wednesday" series that looks at the ways female scientists have shaped our views of science. In this biology lesson, students will explore the many contributions of Jane Cooke Wright, with special attention on her study of the impact of uncontrolled cell division... Read more »
Created by: Mariah Warren
Date Updated: April 18th, 2023
Understanding Mitosis
What does it mean to have a plan for a postsecondary college or career? This lesson encourages students to explore their career choices and develop a plan to achieve their career goals. Read more »
Created by: Chelsee Wilson
Date Updated: January 10th, 2024
College and Career Readiness
Understanding the contributions of sociological theorists can provide insight into the field of sociology. This lesson explores the contributions of eight key figures and enables students to dive deep into research to learn more. This lesson should be taught after students have a working knowledge of... Read more »
Created by: Chelsee Wilson
Date Updated: August 17th, 2023
The Foundations of Sociology
Students will engage in a discussion about what it means to be human before trying to determine, much like the Turing Test, which images were created by artificial intelligence and which were created by humans. Students will read a passage from Frankenstein, analyzing the piece for how the author portrayed... Read more »
Created by: Brandy Hackett
Date Updated: August 9th, 2024
Thematic Links Between AI and Frankenstein
The ability to sequence events in a text is a key comprehension strategy, especially for narrative texts. This lesson will allow students to construct a story by placing events into sequential order, analyze clue words that writers use for sequencing, and create a sequential timeline of the story "Ada... Read more »
Created by: Aimee King
Date Updated: September 4th, 2024
Sequencing of Events
In this lesson, students examine the nature and function of international trade agreements in the world economy. Through engaging in an interactive story, students learn many important concepts regarding world trade. In addition, students explore both the benefits and drawbacks of trade agreements through... Read more »
Created by: Cody Sivertsen
Date Updated: August 29th, 2024
International Trade Agreements
In this lesson, students will examine why the Cold War came to an end. Students will view video footage of the fall of the Berlin Wall, look for reasons the Cold War ended by analyzing data and Why-Lighting a reading, and extend their understanding by working in groups to create pie charts that detail... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: April 12th, 2023
End of the Cold War
In this fourth and final lesson of "The K20 Chronicle" journalism unit, students will have an opportunity to peer review/edit a classmate's article, learn about magazine/newspaper layouts, preview examples and non-examples of proper layouts, hear from two graphic artists on how they came to be in the... Read more »
Created by: Margaret Salesky
Date Updated: August 10th, 2023
Putting It All Together: Layout and Final Product
This lesson takes learners through a process using their five senses to describe various candies. Learners will record their findings using descriptive words and then pose positive or negative opinions about the candies. Following this activity, they will write the first draft of a persuasive paragraph... Read more »
Created by: Patricia Turner
Date Updated: September 11th, 2024
Persuasive Writing
Be ready to move! Classroom practices that engage and maintain student interest while promoting student-centered learning and real-world connections are highlighted in this lesson. Students use video technology to gain opportunities to communicate in a new and exciting manner. Students experience a... Read more »
Created by: Polly Base
Date Updated: October 14th, 2024
Building Relationships & Community in the Classroom
In this lesson, students analyze and create multimedia messages to communicate the risks to life and property associated with severe weather and natural disasters. Students analyze informational graphics made by meteorologists to identify critical information and actions residents need to take in response... Read more »
Created by: Danny Mattox
Date Updated: July 2nd, 2024
Using Multimedia to Communicate Weather Hazards
This lesson will ask students to consider and respond to the following essential question: "Why should we remember the Holocaust?" First, students will investigate the events that happened during the Holocaust by examining an infographic and reading the testimonies of those who experienced it. Next,... Read more »
Created by: Daniel Schwarz
Date Updated: August 9th, 2024
Stories of the Holocaust
In this lesson, you will begin by reading the book "The Duckling Gets a Cookie" by Mo Willems to get students thinking about sharing equally and what a fair share means. Students will use shapes and objects to represent items as they work with a variety of problems. Although the problems presented for... Read more »
Created by: Melissa Corn
Date Updated: July 31st, 2023
How to Make a Fair Share
In this lesson, students will learn how to design their own resumes and prepare for job interviews. They will begin by thinking about what they already know about resumes. Next, they will review examples of resumes before writing their own based on common descriptions of jobs for which students typically... Read more »
Created by: Will Markham
Date Updated: May 11th, 2023
Resume Creation and Interview Skills
This lesson invites students to analyze historical figures in the field of psychology and to make connections regarding their impact in their field of study. Students will research a historical figure and examine that person's impact during the period in which they lived, as well as their long lasting... Read more »
Created by: Mariana DeLoera
Date Updated: August 9th, 2024
Analyzing Historical Figures
In this lesson, students will be examining the practices associated with rituals and festivals that honor the dead around the world. They will design anchor charts and participate in a Detective Board activity in order to identify similarities between the various rituals. As they read a handout and... Read more »
Created by: Mariana DeLoera
Date Updated: March 5th, 2024
Día de los Muertos and Other Occasions Honoring the Dead
The Reign of Terror: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
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 »
Created by: Polly Base
Date Updated: September 10th, 2024
The Reign of Terror: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
This introductory philosophy lesson begins by introducing students to existentialism through artwork. Once they have a basic understanding of philosophical inquiry, which explores the issue of human existence, students will delve further into the key themes: Philosophy as a Way of Life, Anxiety and... Read more »
Created by: Margaret Salesky
Date Updated: May 6th, 2024
Existentialism
Real Interest Rates and Financial Institutions
In this lesson, students step into the shoes of George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life as they explore different types of financial institutions and examine how changes in interest rates and salaries affect our willingness to make major purchases on big-ticket items such as cars and houses. Students... Read more »
Created by: Mariana DeLoera
Date Updated: June 11th, 2024
Real Interest Rates and Financial Institutions
In this lesson, students explore the rules of colons and how they can be used to enhance their writing style. They begin the lesson by determining which colon rules are true and which are false. Next, they practice their new knowledge of the colon rules and read an article about the Iroquois’ “Three... Read more »
Created by: Lisa Loughlin
Date Updated: July 1st, 2024
Using Colons To Enhance Writing
This lesson will explore the particular challenges of experimental design in psychology. Students will get to know the fundamentals of experimentation, and how they apply to psychological research. They will come to appreciate why the scientific method is necessary, and how psychology employs it, including... Read more »
Created by: James Welch
Date Updated: November 27th, 2024
Psychology Research
Do we really know what dinosaurs looked like? In this lesson, students learn about different dinosaurs and discuss society’s interpretation of their behavior and appearance based on the little evidence we have. Then, they will sketch different dinosaurs, using small models as a guide. Students will... Read more »
Created by: Jacqueline Harmon
Date Updated: October 31st, 2024
Art
Be ready to move! Classroom practices that engage and maintain student interest while promoting student-centered learning and real-world connections are highlighted in this presentation. Participants will use video technology to understand how students can communicate their learning in a new and exciting... Read more »
Created by: Daniel Schwarz
Date Updated: September 18th, 2024
This interactive session will provide participants with the tools and resources they need to successfully create visual communication that informs stakeholders, strengthens partnerships, communicates goals and data, and inspires collaborative action. Participants will walk away with tools and resources... Read more »
Created by: Shayna Pond
Date Updated: June 21st, 2023
In this session, participants will investigate authenticity and e-learning and connect them to create meaningful experiences for their students. We know that authentic teaching engages students in real-world problems and situations. When teachers incorporate their knowledge of authentic learning with... Read more »
Created by: Lindsey Link
Date Updated: May 1st, 2024
The Leading Educators in Authentic Development (LEAD) workshop is a series of professional learning sessions that develop teachers’ skills in leading professional development at their school sites. This workshop features four sessions over a two-day period and this is the second of the four sessions.... Read more »
Created by: Mariah Warren
Date Updated: November 11th, 2024
This is the final session in a series of professional learning activities that support a group book study. In this final session, participants summarize their learning, reflect on key insights, and create a plan to put their new knowledge into action. Read more »
Created by: Keiana Cross
Date Updated: August 9th, 2024
Though the traditional five-paragraph essay is a great foundational tool, writing beyond the traditional high school environment can take many forms. One form is known as an infographic, combining visuals with researched information. In this club activity, students gain an introduction to the infographic... Read more »
Created by: James Morris
Date Updated: June 26th, 2024
Students who become financially responsible in college will develop good spending habits that will last a lifetime. This activity enables students to understand ways in which they can change their spending habits, so that they will save money throughout college and in the years that will follow. Read more »
Created by: Daniel Schwarz
Date Updated: June 26th, 2024
The Career Expo provides an opportunity for students to meet with representatives across 16 different career clusters. Postsecondary institutions and community leaders will provide students with a broad overview of numerous careers and postsecondary programs. Students will learn about careers in business... Read more »
Created by: Will Markham
Date Updated: August 19th, 2024
In this lesson, students will learn about the history of Ivy League institutions and their role in postsecondary education. They will begin by becoming familiar with some of the many famous and successful people who attended Ivy League schools. Students will explore and conduct their own research on... Read more »
Created by: Mariana DeLoera
Date Updated: November 14th, 2024
This collection features tech tools and instructional strategies for supporting group awareness of learning. Group-constructed visual representations have been shown to affect knowledge acquisition significantly. When students see their learning and co-constructed knowledge as a group, it builds confidence... Read more »
In this strategy, student input is used to create an in-the-moment poster about a given topic. The Anchor Chart is then hung on the wall for later...
Google Drawings is a tool within Google Drive that can be used to create anything from simple charts to elaborate concept maps, and it is easy to integrate...
View Guided Instructions »
This strategy asks students to draw a picture from an event or place and add themselves to the illustration. Students then discuss their illustrations and the content with their peers. Based on the conversation, students modify their illustration to show what they learned or how their ideas have changed. Read more »
Created by: Sherry Franklin
January 2nd, 2024