Advanced Search: Resources

1. U.S. Time Periods

   Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   Teaching and learning resources on U.S. time periods, from the Department of Education.

2. Cross Cultural Activities and Lesson Plans

   Format(s): Text, Website

   Activities and lesson plans based on Peace Corps Volunteers’ cross-cultural experiences.

3. Arts and Culture

   Format(s): Text, Website

   Full lesson plans on a variety of topics related to the arts from the National Endowment of the Humanities.

4. Lesson Plans Related to Art and Design

   Format(s): Text, Website

   From the Smithsonian, lesson plans and resources for teaching and learning about American culture, art, history, and other topics.

5. Smithsonian Folkways: Tools for Teaching

   Format(s): Website

   Looking for more ways to use music to teach? Check out the Smithsonian Folkways website that has a section called “Tools for Teaching” with free lessons and activities for the classroom.

6. Health and Fitness

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The theme of health offers a variety of language-learning possibilities. This three-part lesson plan for young learners can be adapted to other audiences. It includes a reading, a dialogue, and a listening script. The first lesson asks learners to analyze lifestyle choices and give advice. The second lesson takes students to a sporting goods store, where they consider the language they need to talk with a sales clerk. The third lesson is about food choices, including ways to prepare foods. A follow-up activity researches how a famous athlete stays healthy.

7. Houseboats

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This lesson uses a text about the houseboats of Kashmir to give students practice with descriptions, compound words, and participles. The lesson plan could be adapted to tourist destinations familiar to the students. Students are asked to write a description of their homes and create a tourism brochure for their own cities or towns.

8. The Lighter Side

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This “Weather Word Search” gives learners practice with weather-related vocabulary.

9. U.S. National Parks: Protecting Nature and Providing Enjoyment

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This feature article on national parks is appropriate for use with higher intermediate or advanced learners. It offers vivid photos and describes the history of national parks, their creation, management, and expansion. The author discusses features of parks from different regions of the country: Acadia National Park (Maine), Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska), Everglades National Park (Florida), Glacier National Park (Montana), and Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona). Information about the national parks conservation association and the national park foundation is also included.

10. State and County Fairs: Family Fun Across the USA

    In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 3 Format(s): Text

    This feature article is on state and county fairs, “eagerly awaited celebrations of the nation’s agricultural bounty, love of competition, and community spirit.” The article discusses the history of fairs, where innovations in farm equipment and household appliances are displayed, and people engage in competition, fun, rides, and viewing curiosities. Some characteristics of fairs that are described are animals, education, competition, entertainment, and community involvement. Segments on 4-H and fair food follow the article.

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