Manufacturing Teacher Resources

Can capitalism have virtue? Adam Smith thinks so! The 12th video in a series of 13 discusses Smith's political and economic views. Pupils discover these concepts and more through primary source photographs and examples that relate to...

Was justice served for Bobby Franks? An informative article about the 1924 trial of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold includes an overview of the murder of Bobby Franks, the defense’s legal strategy, and excerpts of closing arguments from...

Climate change affects even the largest and intimidating of landforms—even Mount Everest! A resource helps teach learners the connection between global climate change and its effects on Earth. Activities include videos, class discussion,...

The Progressive Era brought about a word that often leads to turmoil—change! Learners research the late 1800s in American history to uncover societal issues gripping the nation back in the day. The 15th lesson of a 22-part series...

Being able to recognize patterns, craft generalizations, and draw conclusions based on information in a text passage are essential critical thinking skills. Encourage learners to hone these skills with a worksheet that asks them to read...

Popular culture can pack a powerful punch when it comes to creating awareness around an issue! Teams collaborate to create a pop-culture-themed message during a digital citizenship instructional activity. Part of a vast library of...

Just how durable could a hollow ball bearing be? Learners model the strength of the walls of a ball bearing as a function of the radius of its cavity. They use their models to make reasonable conclusions about the probability of failure...

No matter where you stand on the controversial topic of genetic engineering, the science that makes it possible is extraordinary. An animated video describes a process of genetic engineering involving bacteria. The quick...

Overcrowded streets, pickpockets, the Black Plague ... what's not to love about medieval London? With the informative handout, scholars explore some of the city's famous landmarks, such as St. Paul's Cathedral. They also discover where...

What is water worth to you? The answer probably depends on many different variables. Learners explore the value of water in space and what it takes to transport the resource to locations in a galaxy far far away. They then consider...

If all the mined gold in the world was melted across a football field, it would rise 5.4 feet. That's just one interesting fact pupils learn when using the debate topics website to determine if the United States should return to a gold...

Does technology always mean advancement? Scholars take a close look at the use of voting machines. Does using a machine make voting more effective? Readers consider the advantages and disadvantages of the current voting process. They...

Scholars use their communication skills to express their take on climate change in the ninth installment of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They create ways to deliver their messages on a specific aspect of climate by...

Follow the life of an apple from harvest to the consumer. A three-part lesson describes the different steps to get an apple from the farmer to your kitchen and the approximate waste that happens at each step. They discuss the process and...

Kick-start a discussion of the importance of biodiversity with a colorful resource that touts the benefits of maintaining healthy ecosystems. The images stress the interdependence of all the elements of an ecosystem.

Have you ever seen an egg bounce? Three interesting and simple hands-on experiments with eggs teach basic concepts about chemical reactions. First, participants cook an egg in alcohol to learn about denaturing proteins. Then, they watch...

What led to the end of Prohibition? In a word: money. To use the words of one historian: the government was desperate for tax revenue in the midst of the Depression. With a series of curated videos, scholars examine the causes of and the...

Students explore cottage industry and division of labor. They study the Industrial Revolution and its effects on workers and productivity.

A instructional activity on classification and sorting is here for you. Elementary schoolers participate in an interactive computer game in which they sort books by theme. They take a trip to the library to observe and discuss how books...

Fifth graders examine advertising on wrappers and determine how it makes them feel about the product. They determine through a discussion the kinds of advertising/marketing techniques used to attract them to a product.

Students examine how businesses practice sound waste management. They discuss how to plan a business, identify how to make the least impact on the environment in planning a Kool-Aid stand, and complete Business Costs Worksheets for the...

Football, basketball, softball. What do these sports have in common? Athletes. Young scholars learn about and discuss the food pyramind, especially grains, with the thought that they will be planning a pre-competition meal and snack for...

Given a very realistic challenge, your young geometers design residential fish tanks in rectangular and triangular prism shapes. They compute the volume of water each will hold. They also determine the size of plastic covers for each...

Students are introduced to the process of photosynthesis. In groups, they test the effects of the lack of sunlight on plant leaves and compare the results with their hypothesis. They note the characteristics that plants and animals share...