Finding Background Information Teacher Resources

Students research the My Lai Massacre and trial. Students discuss the events and the trial, reviewing the constitutional amendments and concerns related to the massacre. Students write an analysis of photographs related to the incident.

Students discover philanthropic acts of the Civil War era. In this service learning activity, students research Underground Railroad literature, Reconstruction Amendments, and acts of philanthropy during the Civil War era.

Students examine how tectonic plates change the Earth's land. In this geology lesson, students are divided into small groups to construct a continent puzzle. Students use transparency pieces to demonstrate how Africa and South America...

Students examine the amount of garbage that is produced by the City of Vancouver. In this landfill lesson, students participate in a field trip to the City of Vancouver Landfill. They look at what happens to garbage, recycling, and yard...

Ninth graders simulate (role play) some of the original emotional responses to this request for soldiers. They list and evaluate reasons for and against creating the Mormon Battalion. They justify their own decision under such...

Students demonstrate reading comprehension by drawing a picture and writing a sentence about giraffes. In this early reading comprehension lesson, students listen to a read aloud and watch a video about giraffes before drawing a giraffe...

Students plot the positions of vessels given bearings in the form of landmarks. They explain how the debris field can help solve the mystery in how the ship sunk.

Students study biodiversity. They participate in a scavenger hunt to look for presence of wildlife and connections in nature. They create a collage about Venezuelan biodiversity in small groups and present to the class. They write a...

Ninth graders explore soil erosion. Through a class discussion, they examine soil conservation methods. Given a potted plant, 9th graders observe the effects of erosion when water is poured over the soil. Students brainstorm terms...

High schoolers consider the importance of biodiversity in the ocean layers. In this oceanography lesson, students use the Shannon-Weaver diversity index to analyze data.  High schoolers analyze the information collected and write a...

Students explain how zoo-plankton have an impact on the global process.  In this ocean zoo-plankton lesson students calculate carbon flux and plankton densities. 

Students explore how marine archaeologists use data to draw inferences about shipwrecks.  In this marine archeology instructional activity students plot the position of a vessel, draw inferences about a shipwreck and explain the...

Students discuss steps of the scientific process, as well as, observe a picture of the beach that they will visit. Students create a testable hypothesis about marine debris  at the beach. In this science lesson, students create a...

Students explore the importance of the dry forest. In this science lesson, students discuss the history of dry forests and changes that have occurred due to human interaction. Students create a map showing the historical range of the dry...

Students use technology to gain historical information to analyze photography. They interpret the significance of a photograph during a specific time period. Also, students interpret visual information to gain an overview of various...

Students read and investigate the accomplishments of John Muir. They gather information about one of the United States National Parks founded by John Muir. They create a tri-fold brochure about John Muir and a National Park he founded.

Fifth graders read "My Side of the Mountain." They create a pantomime using vocabulary words from the story. Students create three questions about the reading. They discuss the passage they read and act out words to help them better...

Aztecs created amazing hydroponic gardens called Chinampas, to grow their crops. Learners in grades k-7 engage in four mini-experiments to understand just how amazing floating gardens are. Tip: A perfect way to bring science into your...

Students identify an editorial and propaganda, discuss differences between weekly and daily newspapers, analyze needs of rural and urban newspaper audiences, and evaluate possible power of the press and importance of multiple views...

Students examine the language and cultural differences that were encountered by the Indians and the Dutch leading to disaster for the first European settlement in Delaware.

Learners experience the rotation of the Earth and the Sun and the Earth's revolution around the Sun, using a playground mode.

Students review political cartoons and discuss what political impact they can have. They choose a current political cartoon and write an essay exploring its intent and impact.

Students use a NASA website to use a given formula to find acceleration and distance after a specific time and how it relates to engine propulsion.

Young scholars examine the methods of wind energy. They discover how a wind turbine generates electricity. They research the feasibility of installing wind turbines in their schools and construct a model wind turbine.