Curated OER
Plant a Seed of Kindness
Students perform acts of kindness. In this character instructional activity, students cut out seed shapes and write down their acts of kindness on them. Students place the seeds on a bulletin board where they "plant" them below the...
Curated OER
Building An African Compound
Students construct a model of an African compound. In this African culture lesson, students describe the neighborhoods that can be found in Africa. Students use construction paper, glue, dried leaves, and a cardboard box to construct a...
Curated OER
Gullah Contributions to South Carolina History
Students research the Gullah people and their impact on South Carolina. In this South Carolina history lesson, students study, locate, and color the region of Africa the Gullah people came from. Students listen to Gullah music and watch...
Curated OER
Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Guided Lesson
Using visuals helps young mathematicians grasp concepts such as addition and subtraction. Here, they use just that to solve three scenarios. In the first scenario, three turtles leave a group of five, and learners determine how many are...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Male deer growing antlers to begin the breeding season is an example of a phenological event. First in a four-part series is an activity requiring individuals to collect phenological data on their campus. Classes discuss phenology, the...
Polar Trec
Permafrost Thaw Depth and Ground Cover
The thaw depth of tundra creates a positive feedback loop with both global warming and the carbon cycle. Scholars sort photos and develop a hypothesis for ground cover and permafrost depth. Then they review the data and measurements...
Curated OER
Adaptations to Environments with Mammals
Fifth graders, after viewing a PowerPoint on different mammals, analyze what a biome is. Then they choose a mammal to research and go outside to feel the grass and leaves and hypothesize about which biome they live in as well as its...
Curated OER
Windy Weather
Make wind detectors with paper plates, ribbon, and streamers. Go for walks over an extended period of time to observe and record the effect of the wind on the detectors and other observable objects (leaves, grass, etc.).
Curated OER
Best Nest Builders
Students construct a nest out of mud, string, sticks, and grass using only two fingers or two popsicle sticks to simulate a bird building a nest. They compare/contrast pictures of various bird nests and draw the differences between the...
Curated OER
HAPPY SOIL, SAD SOIL
Learners will be able to identify the characteristics of healthy soil and unhealthy soil.Take the class outside to an area of thick grass near trees, if available. Compare the
clothes people wear to the thin cover. Discuss the reasons...
Curated OER
Classifying Monocot And Dicot Plants
Sixth graders identify the parts of a flower, and tell the difference between monocots and dicots. They group plant by leaf types and characteristics placing the information in table form on the computer.
Curated OER
Biology Leaf Collection
Students collect leaves and compile them into a collection booklet. They collect tree leaves, shrub leaves, grasses, and weeds. For each sample they also label its common name and information about where and when it was collected.
Annenberg Foundation
Masculine Heroes
What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...
Outdoor Learning Center
Outdoor Survival
Which of the following can you survive without for the longest time: water, food, or a positive mental attitude? The answer may surprise you. Guide learners of all ages through games, activities, and discussions about surviving in the...
Curated OER
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning with Walt Whitman
Use poetry as a mode for creating interest and cross discipline learning.
Advocates for Human Rights
Who are Immigrants?
What do Jerry Yang, Patrick Ewing, John Muir, Charlize Theron, Peter Jennings, and Saint Frances X Cabrini all have in common? They are all immigrants to the United States. Famous and not-so-famous immigrants are the focus of a resource...
College of the Canyons
Free Verse
Free verse poetry is often regarded as poetry without structure, but in reality, it is a poetic form that adheres to its own poet's thought and breath patterns. Delve into the rules and famous examples of free-verse poetry with a short...
Curated OER
The Evolution of Transcendentalism
Key concepts, major writers, and historical events related to Transcendentalism are explored in a student-produced PowerPoint about this movement. The presentation could be used as an introduction to a unit or as a model that class...
Curated OER
Composting
In this recognizing items that can be composted worksheet, students identify organic items that can be composted, write items that can be composted for each of the letters in the word compost, and make a list of vegetables and fruits....
Curated OER
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Young gardners read and listen to books about seeds, plants, and the growing process. They plant seeds in plastic cups to observe the process of root-growing and plant formation. The whole class walks through a field to collect seeds...
Center Science Education
Feeling the Heat
What is an urban heat island? Middle school meteorologists find out by comparing temperatures at different locations on campus. They relate their findings to what might be happening in a concrete jungle and how it impacts local weather....
Global Oneness Project
Living with Less Water
Did you know that California produces two thirds of the fruits and nuts consumed in the United States? That it produces almost one third of the vegetables? Did you know that scientists warn that California is facing the onset of a...
Calvin Crest Outdoor School
Survival
Equip young campers with important survival knowledge with a set of engaging lessons. Teammates work together to complete three outdoor activities, which include building a shelter, starting a campfire, and finding directions in the...
DePaul University
Seasons on the Prairie
Fact and opinion passages inform readers about the seasons on the prairie and Zambia in Southern Africa. Then, test scholar's knowledge with multiple choice and short answer questions.