Curated OER
Be a Weather Newscaster
Ninth graders, in groups, create and videotape a news broadcast. Each group researches, develops and writes a weather forecast, a commentary on an environmental concern, a school activity and a commercial.
Curated OER
How Do We Solve the Problem of Wildlife on Our Roads?
Students analyze data on elk ecology and movements across the highway. In this ecology instructional activity, students research ways to save them from highway collisions. They write a report and present their findings in class.
Curated OER
Climate Change: Is there a Controversy
Students explore climate changes. In this climate changes lesson, students research what causes changes. Students search the Internet, summarize reports they find and create a poster with the information.
Curated OER
Sports Participation
Young scholars research statistics about sports participation in references such as the Statistical Abstract of the United States. They make and analyze a list of the 10 sports that the highest number of Americans participated in on an...
Curated OER
Weather, Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
Eighth graders compare and contrast weather and climate. In this earth science lesson plan, 8th graders research weather data site and analyze historical data. They present their findings in class and explain identifiable trends.
Curated OER
Straight Talk On Tough Issues
Students engage in a lesson that is focused upon the concept of breast cancer and research is conducted using a variety of reference sources. They reflect upon how different people deal with the tragedy of cancer and then students write...
Big Kid Science
Measuring Shadows Using an Ancient Method
How did ancient peoples determine the height of really tall objects? Young scientists and mathematicians explore the concept of using shadows to measure height in a hands-on experiment. Paired pupils measure shadows, then calculate the...
Teach Engineering
The Amazing Red Planet
Introduce your class to Mars with a resource that provides information about its size, location, length of day, length of year, number of moons, and average temperature. Also includes is information about the lans for past and future...
Teach Engineering
Model Heart Valves
Small groups use the knowledge learned about the heart to design and build a prototype of an artificial heart valve. The teams demonstrate the functionality of their valve. They are also responsible for creating a pamphlet that describes...
Curated OER
Proportionality: The X-Plane Generation
Young scholars meet NASA researchers who describe the relationship between force, energy and motion. They discuss how NASA's experimental X-plane is being tested to make space travel more reliable and show how proportionality and ratios...
Curated OER
Real Family Genetics
Students research genetic disease and mutation causing traits in family pedigrees simulated in a class activity. Students are each assigned a genetic trait and a "spouse" and must conduct research on their traits and the probability of...
Curated OER
Exploring Scientists/Presentation
Students research a scientist of their choice. They write a research paper on him or her. They select ten important facts from their research paper and prepare a PowerPoint presentation using their facts.
Curated OER
Real or hoax?
Seventh graders brainstorm a list of criteria that makes a webpage useful for research and not useful for research. They complete the activity, "Real or Hoax," and discuss fiction and non fiction stories and determine which websites are...
Curated OER
Marine Protected Areas
Students design a research project about a Marine Protected Area they chose. In this marine biology instructional activity, students gather fish count and catch data then graph them. They create an information poster about their findings.
Curated OER
Earthquake, Earthquake, Read All About It!
Pupils utilize the U.S. Geological Service web site. They research the various types of scales used to measure earthquakes and classify different situations on the scale. They write a story about a town that has just experienced a quake.
Curated OER
Biofilms Are Everywhere
Students research biofilms and create brochures. They role play as advertising firm members assigned to educate the general public about biofilms. They create "wanted dead or alive" posters about harmful and helpful biofilms respectively.
Teach Engineering
Exploring the Forces of Tension
Let the resource stretch the minds of your young scientists with a lesson about tensile strength and stiffness of materials. Groups consider how easily materials stretch and relate this property to engineering design.
Curated OER
Newton in Motion Project
Students investigate Newton's Third Law of Motion as it exits in real world applications. They watch as the teacher makes a simple balloon powered car before explaining how the motion of the car demonstrates Newton's Third Law of Motion....
Curated OER
Are We Taking Drugs that are Safe?
Students compare ideas and make a value judgment about medications and their reliability.
Curated OER
Groundwater Realities
Students review the components of the scientific inquiry method. In groups, they use the internet to research the sustainability of water resources in their community. They examine an environmental impact study, answer questions and...
Curated OER
Sharkland Wiki
Young scholars, while researching the waters around southern Africa and viewing a video of the episode "Sharkland" from Thirteen's series NATURE, critique reliability of online resources and analyze the various components of a wiki. They...
Curated OER
Looking into Eratosthenes' Radius of the Earth
Pupils, in small groups, research Eratosthenes and his calculations of the Earth's radius. They write a summary of the person, the experiments and his calculations to determine how accurate Eratosthenes was in his estimations of the size...
Curated OER
The effects of microgravity
Fourth graders are given a scenario in the lesson that presents a problem that needs to be solved. They conduct research from multiple sources in order to gather information. This is used to contribute to possible solutions proposed by...
Curated OER
"Attack A Cell, Any Cell" Disease Unit
Seventh graders use the Internet to gather information about a disease. They also discuss in groups how diseases are a worldwide problem and brainstorm ideas they can help. They create an informational packet on the disease they researched.