Classroom Resources

This novice-low Spanish activity is specifically aimed at elementary students who are beginning their Spanish journey. In this activity, students will learn about families in various Spanish cultures and gain a preliminary knowledge of the Spanish language, learning the Spanish names for various family members. Students will start by identifying some of the locations where Spanish is spoken. They will then examine differences between Hispanic families and their own. Finally, they will learn some vocabulary words associated with describing their family. Detailed activities and guided questions are included along with possible extension activities that focus on Spanish exploration and immigration. 

This Spanish language activity allows students to use their clothing vocabulary skills to show off their creative side. Students design clothing items for a store or store catalog and use presentational language skills to identify the items and their descriptions. The addition of sizes and prices will encourage students to explore the differences between shopping in the US and another country. The lesson link includes a student instructional page and a pre-made rubric to assist with grading. This activity could easily be adapted for use in any language classroom.

This is a novice-high Spanish activity in which students create a video describing their daily routine in Spanish. Printable project instructions, planning templates, and a rubric are included within the resource. Students use the included resources to work individually or in groups as they use presentational speaking skills to tell about their daily routines. This activity will also give students a chance to examine how reflexive verbs are used when describing routines. Students can use reflexive verbs in either present or preterit tense, depending on their proficiency level.

This informational material from the Encyclopedia of Alabama describes the games of the Southeastern Indians. Games include Stickball and Chunkey.  This information can be used when teaching about Alabama Indian cultures.

The coach of a football team redefines the meaning of determination and motivation when he has two of his players complete an arduous task. This video can be used when teaching about the role of motivation and emotion in human behavior.

Social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducts a series of radical experiments that test the willingness of individuals to obey authority. When the inflictor is interviewed as to why he continued to send electric shocks after each incorrect answer even when he was begged to stop, the inflictor implies that it wasn't that serious because it was the subject that made the request. This clip illustrates the conflict between personal conscience and obedience to authority. This clip can be used when teaching about types of methodology and strategies used by researchers in different psychological studies. 

This unit focuses on analyzing food labels and understanding nutrition facts. This unit includes several printables and a link to an interactive VENN diagram. It is recommended that seven 50 minute sessions be utilized to complete this unit. 

CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) developed this presentation to educate youth on e-cigarettes, including the health risks, the factors that lead to e-cigarette use, and what youth can do to avoid all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. This resource is intended for adults who educate or serve youth ages 11 – 18 (teachers, youth ministers, coaches, scout leaders, etc.). Utilizing the talking points and information for users document, the presenter does not require additional information, nor permission to deliver the presentation.

Attainment of a healthy mind and body begins with understanding how to balance the demands of life. Understanding stress is foundational in maintaining personal health. These activities provide an overview of what the stress response is, and how stress affects the body and mind. Students will demonstrate an awareness of their own levels of stress, develop an awareness of their unique stressors, and how to cope with stress in healthy ways.

Stress is a part of life, but students may have difficulty coping and feel overwhelmed, which can increase the risk for drug use. The article “Stressed Out?” helps explain how the body’s stress response system works, as well as the health consequences of ongoing (chronic) stress. Students will learn how their bodies respond to stress, and how they can manage under pressure.

Now more than ever, it’s important to break down the stigma of youth mental health and let others understand that reaching out is not a sign of weakness but a step in the right direction.

This informational material discusses characteristics that students should look for in a trusted adult.

In this Flipgrid, students will choose a community helper and create a video describing which community helper is their favorite and why.

Students pretend they are reporters from Alabama. They will choose a survivor of the Civil War to interview - a Confederate soldier, a Union soldier, a politician, a civilian (non-soldier), or a woman. Students will create a fictional person to interview, but their answers must be based on historical facts. Students will prepare at least three questions for this person with a focus on their experiences during the war. Edit the video to go between the student as the reporter asking the questions and the student as the interviewed person. Bonus challenge: add costumes/props! 

A YouTube video is attached in the Flipgrid for an additional resource on the Civil War.

Few technological innovations in history have made as much of an impact as the Internet. Learn about the predecessor of the Internet, called ARPANET; how text, audio, and video messages are transmitted through the Internet; and how this transmission of information has changed the lives of billions around the world.

Dine (Navajo) code talkers transmit the coordinates of the enemy to the naval fleet for an attack. Because the enemy has no knowledge of their language, their communication is secret and cannot be decoded.  This chapter of history is not widely known. "Windtalkers," tells the story of how Navajo Indians used their language to create an unbreakable code that helped win World War II in the Pacific. This video can be used when describing the military strategies of World War II.

The public is informed via newspaper that all Jews must wear a visible blue Star of David whenever they are in public. The decree outlines all of the regulations and specifics on how the emblem should be worn. The instating of this stigma makes the Jewish people bigger targets for discrimination.

This clip discusses the history of Thanksgiving and acknowledges the different events and people that have influenced its modern-day form. It mentions that the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims and Native Americans was a three-day festival and did not involve foods contemporarily associated with the holiday such as cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, potatoes, and turkey.

This clip discusses the history of the Christmas holiday and some of the misconceptions surrounding it. It also explains how the modern form of the holiday came to fruition with its cards, gifts, trees, and icons such as Santa Claus.

The Prouds learn all about Kwanzaa when they invite over a homeless family for the holidays.

Winston Churchill desperately presses Franklin D. Roosevelt for assistance and aid as England struggles against Nazi Germany in Europe. He asks Roosevelt to borrow navy ships, and Roosevelt is unable to provide support due to the United States' policy of neutrality.

This clip explains the history behind the holiday known as Cinco de Mayo and dispels misconceptions that the holiday celebrates Mexican independence.

The pilgrims arrived in the New World but unfortunately arrived in Cape Cod instead of the Hudson River. They disagreed with what to do next and ultimately came together to create rules and laws that would be the Mayflower Compact.

Teaching parkour is a great way to get students active with their surroundings inside or outside, and to get them excited about taking safe risks and enjoying movement. 

Parkour is an art of movement in which you train the body and mind to overcome obstacles. It emphasizes strength, flexibility, balance, body control, creativity, fluidity, discipline, and precision. Parkour movements include running, jumping, vaulting, climbing, balancing, and crawling. Parkour training focuses on safety, responsibility, overcoming fear, and self-improvement.

As a sport, mountain biking continues to grow in popularity across the globe. Well-run youth programs can provide a powerful entry-point to this life-long activity. This curriculum guide is designed to be a resource for leaders of introductory mountain bike programs. Within these pages, you will find information that will be applicable to both school-based and extracurricular settings.

A fun introduction to the world of geocaching. Kids learn (probably for the first time) about geocaching and think of the possibilities for this worldwide, high-tech treasure hunt!

This geocaching lesson includes links to a geocaching video and online resources. This plan includes warm-up and assessment ideas.

Objectives:

● The student will be able to download the free geocaching app onto their phones (if students don’t have access to a phone they can share with other students and/or the teacher).
● Students will be able to follow a map and locate the area of the cache.
● Students will be able to find a cache based on the directions of the app.

How do you teach pacing? This is one of the most common questions and can be a difficult question to answer.  We can repeat over and over to our students that they need to start slow, and then finish fast…but do they really get it?  By establishing some good running habits, they will be able to run longer, be more successful, and have more fun!

Running — and sprinting in particular — is a fundamental skill that supports a multitude of other activities. When children know how to sprint properly, they are more likely to enjoy a wide range of sports and activities that emphasize this form of running.

Running is one of the simplest and most basic ways the human body is built to move—which is probably why it’s on almost every physical education teacher’s agenda, regardless of their students’ ages or grade levels. But just because running is fundamental doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Instead of heading out to the track to run laps, why not spice up the routine? Here are twelve fun running games for kids of all ages to try out during your next PE class!

Running isn’t just for exercise. Sure, running is healthy, but it’s also a blast! To become a better runner you need to run. That’s obvious, right? But if you want to keep getting better, you need to enjoy running. You need to have fun running. You need to love running. And that is what Ready, Set, Go is all about.

Fitness testing is a part of many physical education programs across the United States. For many youngsters, the PACER test is the most difficult. Here are three lead-up activities to make the experience of administering the PACER test more enjoyable for the students. 

Marathon runners must run much greater distances than their track-and-field counterparts, needing to start slow and speed up towards the end. This experiment will help you to discover why.