Teach Engineering
A Simple Solution for the Circus
Class members are challenged to design a device that will move a circus elephant into a train car. Groups brainstorm ideas that use simple machines to load the elephant. They then choose one of their ideas, sketch a plan, and present it...
Polar Trec
Polar Detectives: Using Ice Core Data to Decode Past Climate Mysteries
How does examining an ice core tell us about weather? Learners set up and explore fake ice cores made of sugar, salt, and ash to represent historical snowfall and volcanic eruptions. From their setups, scholars determine what caused the...
University of Colorado
Space Travel Guide
Neptune takes 164.8 Earth years to travel around the sun. In the fifth of 22 lessons, young scientists create a travel guide to a planet in our solar system. They provide tips for others on what to bring, what they see, and their...
University of Colorado
Strange New Planet
The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new planet by...
Park City Historical Society & Museum
Mining and Milling: The Story of Park City
Study the chemistry of mining! Through nine lessons in the unit, learners explore different concepts related to mining. Their study ranges from rock and mineral analysis to the environmental impact of dynamite and the chemical reaction...
Cornell University
Electric Vocabulary
Practice electric vocabulary using multiple methods. Learners begin by watching a video that explains vocabulary related to electric currents. They match vocabulary cards to practice and then create an electric circuit. Using the...
NASA
Model Development Assessment Activity
Time to show off what they've learned! The final lesson in the series of six asks young scholars to process their learning from the previous lessons. They identify possible elements of the sun as well as a possible origin.
ProCon
Universal Basic Income
Should the United States adopt a universal basic income? After reading brief background information, scholars research the debate topic by reviewing the top three pros and cons. They also respond to a survey question and review other...
GNS Science
Think like a Geologist: 1
How well do pupils play the role of geologist? Test their abilities in the first installment of a two-part series. Presented with a series of rock formation diagrams, learners write stories to match what they see in the diagrams. The...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Flight
A Reading Adventure pack focuses on the invention of flight. After reading a fiction and nonfiction book, scholars take their newfound knowledge to design a one-passenger flying device, experiment with different types of paper airplanes...
Curated OER
Using Primary Documents: The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Students examine primary documents from various key historical events, including those from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. They discuss the importance of such documents.
Curated OER
Just How Small is a Nanoparticle?
Students determine the size of a nanoparticle. In small groups, they calculate the actual size of a particle shown in a photo, and discuss how they arrived at their answers.
Curated OER
Dell House Dig
Students demonstrate basic procedures for archeological excavations. They participate in an archaeological dig exploration off of Blackhawk Island in the Wisconsin River where the Dell House once stood.
Curated OER
Flowing From Here to There
Sixth graders discover how humans modify their environment. They work together to design their own simple machine to transport materials. They record observations and suggest modifications.
Curated OER
Silk Road Caravan
Students determine how the geographic features of the Silk Road trade route contributed to the economic development and diffusion of culture in both Eastern and Western Civilizations.
Curated OER
Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon: A Publicity Campaign
Students investigate the environment by designing a group project. For this ecology lesson, students identify the man made threats to the Amazon while reading environmentally conscience vocabulary terms. Students collaborate in groups...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. In this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.
Curated OER
Fantasy / Art Maps
Ninth graders analyze a fantasy art map by Jeremy Anderson, paying careful attention to the way the topographic features of the land are represented. They create a similar map of Sacramento that includes topographical features as well as...
Curated OER
Great Rivers 2: The Ups and Downs of River Flooding
Second in a three-part lesson on rivers, this lesson focuses on the flooding that occurs in riparian locations. First, learners take a look at facts about the Amazon River. They read online materials and fill in a worksheet as they...
Curated OER
Racial Violence in America: Lynchings, 1877 to 1920
Students analyze racial violence in America. Students listen to interviews with survivors of racial violence. They discuss the reasons behind the violence. Students explore the African-American community's response to racial violence and...
Curated OER
Opium: Use and abuse
Students investigate the issue of opium smoking amongst Chinese communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They examine how opium use was used to create ill-feeling towards Chinese people.
Curated OER
Reading the Coyote School News: Lives of Ranchers in Southern Arizona
Fourth graders examine the effects of Mexican-American ranching on life today.
Curated OER
Canada, O Canada
Students study the similarities and differences between Canada and the United State in this unit. They examine geography, government and culture as they "travel" through Canada.
Curated OER
Mapping Perceptions of China
Students discuss what types of things are included on a map. They compare and contrast maps of China with a map they create and practice using different types of maps. They write analysis of their classmates maps.