 |
Agricultural
Nation - Image Cards
In this activity from the Smithsonian's
National Museum of American History, young people use visual,
analytical and interpretive skills to examine primary sources and learn about
how crops were harvested, transported and sold in 1880s America. The "Clues
Sheet" helps learners develop and strengthen skills in interpreting and
evaluating data, chronological thinking and problem-solving. The hands-on
collaboration promoted by this resource works well in afterschool settings.
This activity, designed for grades 4-6 but adaptable for older program
participants, can stand alone or serve as a starting point for other history,
transportation, health and nutrition or cultural/community activities. |
|
Autobiography
Through Objects
In the first part of this lesson from the
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, learners
analyze memorabilia of Latin music legend Celia Cruz and make inferences about
her life. Playing her music for the group is a fun way to add another dimension
to this activity. A group discussion of how artifacts reveal information about
a subject leads into the next activity, where individuals gather personal
objects and create a mini-exhibition about their lives. Asking young people to
reflect on significant moments in their past honors their experience and can be
a powerful way for them to explore their identities. That this resource promotes
self-reflection and culminates with an exhibit, making it particularly suitable
for afterschool leaners. |
|
Drive
Through Time
With this interactive from
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, learners of all ages
can use a virtual time machine to explore modes of transportation during four
different eras and create a photo album of their trip with period photographs.
This activity requires a computer and Internet access. It's a great
way for afterschool educators to help youth build chronology skills, develop a
better understanding of change over time and discover how transportation has
impacted the growth of American commerce, communities, landscapes and people.
Educators can also extend this interactive by connecting transportation
throughout America's history to the group's own family and community histories. |
 |
Estimating
Volume - Counting on Frank
This Illuminations
lesson plan comes from a multi-part unit that features connections between math
and children's literature - a wonderful model for interdisciplinary
learning in an afterschool setting. "Counting on Frank," by Rod Clement,
is a funny, engaging story of a boy who investigates his world by
making surprising calculations, such as how many humpback whales would fit in
their house, and his pet dog. After reading the story aloud, educators can lead a group
discussion or ask small groups to follow the "Getting the Facts" worksheet and
estimate what size the boy's house must be if it can shelter 10 humpback whales.
The spirit of inquiry modeled by the boy may also inspire participants to ask
their own surprising questions-and then calculate the answers. |
 |
Explore
and Write about Nature
In Explore and Write about Nature from
ReadWriteThink, young people ask questions and make connections that
will help them improve their reading, writing and scientific exploration
skills. In this activity, young people look closely at living things in their
natural environments and then make books about what they see. Explore and Write
about Nature encourages learners in afterschool settings to go outside and
explore the world around them firsthand. Activities in this lesson are flexible
and adaptable to one-on-one learning or group work. |
 |
Exploring
Music and Movement
In Exploring Music and Movement, two components of a five-part lesson
plan from EDSITEment,
the emphasis is on listening, multicultural understanding and self-expression.
In this set of activities, participants listen to a variety of popular,
traditional and ethnic American music, from the evocative sounds of Native
American drumming to the lively sounds of zydeco music from Louisiana. Through
this lesson, young people learn about musical instruments and the geographic
and cultural context of music. Educators can then use the worksheet to
facilitate a group discussion, eliciting the participants' impressions about
and personal responses to the music. |
|
Fables and Trickster Stories From Around the World
In this unit from EDSITEment, young people become familiar with fables and trickster tales from different cultural traditions and see how stories change when transferred orally between generations and cultures. They learn how both fables and trickster tales use animals in different ways to portray human strengths and weaknesses and to pass down wisdom from one generation to the next. Multiple activities and extensions make this resource easy to adapt for afterschool settings. In addition, all of the lessons can be carried out in settings with limited access to technology.
|
 |
Fossil
Impressions
Designed to generate interest in science and engage learners, Fossil Impressions
presents an enjoyable, tactile learning experience. In this Xpeditions
activity, participants make imprints in clay that hardens into molds and
creates corresponding fossil casts. This short
activity is a wonderful opportunity for young people to use raw materials to
make something tangible and learn about the fossilization process. |
|
Long Distance Airplanes
In this activity from Illuminations, young people make paper airplanes and explore attributes that increase the distance they fly. Each participant collects data from three flights of their airplane and finds the median distance. Then the junior aviators organize, display and interpret the median distances for the group by using a "stem-and-leaf" plot. The resource includes an activity sheet to guide them through this learning process. As a time-honored favorite for creative play, paper airplanes go over well in afterschool settings. Moreover, only basic materials - paper, rulers and chalkboard - are needed.
|
|
Mystery
Cube
ReadWriteThink hosts
Mystery Cube, an online series of interactive lessons where learners
separate a mystery into six distinct elements: setting, clues, crime or
mystery, victim, detective and solution. Using Mystery Cube, young
people can identify the elements of mystery stories, practice using vocabulary
from the mystery genre and sort and summarize information. These lessons can
jumpstart discussions about how writers construct mysteries as well as
afterschool writing workshops where participants try writing their own mysteries. |
|
Paper
Quilts: Describing Designs
This activity from Illuminations
provides a context for using geometric and fractional terms like "horizontal,"
"vertical," "one-half" and "one-fourth." Incorporating math concepts into a
visual arts activity is a great way to reinforce academic learning for
afterschool students. Individuals color sections of a
square of paper, then pair up and describe their design to each other and try to
get their partners to replicate the drawings. This resource also includes
recommendations for read-aloud stories on the topic of quilts. |
 |
Reaction
Time, Zap!
Reaction Time 2: Zap!, from
Science NetLinks, helps young people learn how to improve skills
through practice and awareness by using a reaction-time interactive that
challenges both visual and auditory responsiveness. This interactive also
supports self-reflection as participants think about the
strategies for learning new skills and ideas that work best for them. In the
development section, educators find information about this interactive
tool, as well as suggestions for paired activities and follow-up questions. Computers with sound are required for this resource. |
 |
Street
Games
This set of activities from
ArtsEdge offers afterschool participants an opportunity to combine
fitness with inquiry-based learning. Young people experience street games of
Harlem by learning about and playing established games, such as stickball, kick
the can and tag, as well as hand games, chant-and-response activities and
skipping rope. Then, working in teams, learners research and present their
findings about a selected street game, compare street games using Venn
diagrams, and create a new street game of their own design. Ideal for young
people in grades K-6, the activities draw upon a range of academic skills
including literacy, social studies and the arts. |
|
What Can We Learn from Artifacts?
This Science NetLinks lesson opens with a discussion of what our possessions reveal about our interests, personalities and behaviors. Participants determine what artifacts are, how they are discovered and what information can be learned from them. They also learn how artifacts are initially buried and then excavated. This resource shares contextualized, hands-on learning experiences, including a kind of archaeological dig involving a waste basket.
|
 |
What's
your Angle?
In this lesson from EconEdLink,
young people play the role of business owners and learn about market research,
as well as ways how to influence consumer behavior. Participants try to make their
products or innovations more appealing to consumers by producing visual and
audio advertisements and slogans. These collaborative, hands-on activities
create an understanding consumer and media literacy. |
|
When I Was Young
In this ARTSEDGE lesson, young people learn about how history has been preserved through oral storytelling. Participants interview a family or community member to find out what life was like when they were young, and then share this person's story with the group. Depending on the time available and interests of the participants, educators can undertake the entire project or select a few of the activities to implement. These activities work well in afterschool programs because they support young people's explorations of oral history and build their skills as storytellers.
|