California Academy of Science
Discovering Rainforest Locations
How many rainforests are there, where are they, and do global factors effect their locations? These are great questions that have great answers. Children in grades four through eight use several different maps to determine why...
Curated OER
Selecting the Tap: Water Safety
Examine water as a scarce natural resource instead of taking it for granted. Middle schoolers identify the traits of potable water, and research local water sources to determine if they are impaired or not.
Ms. Catsos
Ancient Rome Map Worksheet
It wasn't just the great leaders of ancient Rome that shaped their civilization—the geography of the region played a major role as well. After first identifying major land masses, bodies of water, and city states on a map of Europe,...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Take young geologists on an exploration of the collection of rocks and minerals that we call Earth with an upper-elementary science instructional activity. Through a series of class discussion and hands-on investigations, students learn...
Kate Stickley
Reading the World: Latitude and Longitude Lesson latitude and longitude, maps, coordinates on a map, prime meridian, reading maps, equator, globes
Find five activities all about longitude and latitude! Use oranges to show the equator and prime meridian, plot birthdays on a map using coordinates, and plan a dream vacation.
Scholastic
Study Jams! A Day on Earth
It's good thing that it isn't up to RJ to spin the earth on its axis; he can't even keep a basketball spinning! In this video animation, he and viewers learn about Earth's movements in space. One thing to consider before you use this...
California Academy of Science
Guess That Spice
From medical treatments to cooking, people have been using herbs and spices for thousands of years. Perform a blind smell test of household herbs and spices to engage students in learning about ancient spice trading. Research the history...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Plants without Seeds
Non-vascular plants do not develop seeds in order to reproduce. There are also some vascular plants that do not put out seeds. By viewing and reading through these six slides, green thumbs learn about mosses, liverworts, and ferns. They...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Vertebrates
Your back will be covered when you use this presentation to introduce beginning biologists to phylum chordata, the vertebrates. Five classes are defined: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals throughout the eight vibrant slides....
Scholastic
Study Jams! The Senses: Smelling
It makes sense to sniff out a good lesson on the sense of smell. Here is a six-slide presentation that can be a strong component to that lesson! With photographs and expository graphics, life scientists find that smell is the detection...
Curated OER
Oral Presentation
Practice public speaking in this oral presentation lesson. Middle schoolers list the characteristics of a powerful speaker. They watch a video of two speakers, compare them and discuss the qualities of a good speech. Afterwards, they...
Common Sense Media
Cyberbullying: Be Upstanding
Peers discuss cyberbullying and how they can defend their friends that may be bullied online and offline. They discover the value in showing empathy for those who have been cyberbullied. Class members then generate multiple solutions for...
Common Sense Media
Identifying High-Quality Sites
Use a Huffington Post article focused on false pictures of Hurricane Sandy to launch a discussion about the reliability of online information. Groups compare and contrast how print and broadcast media regulate data gathering with the...
Curated OER
Fruit or Vegetable?
Watermelon is a vegetable? A tomato is a fruit? Believe it or not, this debate is decades old. Groups examine rulings by the US Supreme Court, the USDA, and state statutes before developing their own criteria to use when labeling the...
Curated OER
Lesson One: Characterizing Philanthropic People
Familiarize your class with philanthropy and involve individuals in philanthropic activities. First, determine the traits of philanthropic people. Class members attach sticky notes with character traits written on them to each side of at...