Curated OER
The Chesapeake Bay in Captain John Smith's Time
When Captain John Smith visited the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 1608, what types of animals and habitats did he encounter? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents to answer this question, as well as compare the...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Seed Dispersal
Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!
Curated OER
Grid Frame Mapping
Students map and describe small area of the schoolyard and discuss habitats.
Curated OER
BIG Pumpkins!
How big is the biggest pumpkin you've ever seen? Did it weigh over a ton—literally? Young learners view pictures of some record-breaking pumpkins, including some that weighed over 1,300 pounds, before answering five word problems about...
Curated OER
Graphing Groundhog Predictions
Learners create a bulletin board graph illustrating Punxsutawney Phil's past predictions. Students also perform research about past predictions. The learners also graph the predictions and answer questions about the data.
Curated OER
Making a Rainstick
Young scholars construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Young scholars express their feelings about the...
Curated OER
Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
Curated OER
Honing in on Hummingbirds
Students explore ruby-throated hummingbirds. For this cross-curricular hummingbirds lesson, students listen to the book The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds and choose related topics to research with a partner. Students draw or write...
Curated OER
Oyster Morphs: Adaptations to the Environment
Students demonstrate how organisms adapt to their environment. They examine prey and predators, natural selection, and adaptations by representing oyster morph.
Curated OER
Writing a Historical Poem
Students work together to research a historical event. They create their own poems based on their research. They share their poems with the class and discuss the historical event further.
National Security Agency
Are You Ready to Call the Guinness Book of Records?
Learners design questions that can be answered by collecting data. In this line-plot activity, pupils collect data and graph on a line plot on world records. An abundant supply of teacher support is provided in this resource.
Curated OER
Pedometer Activities to Enhance Cross-curricular Learning
Students complete different activities involving pedometers such as writing a creative story, calculating step averages, researching pedometers, calculating calories, and much more.
Curated OER
Clean Sweep
Students organize and conduct a cleanup of a local beach, lake, or stream. They keep track of the types and amounts picked up and analyze this information in the classroom.
Curated OER
Place Value of Decimals to Hundredths: Diving for Decimals
Constructing decimals correctly is a crucial concept for elementary learners to grasp. Here, have the young mathematicians in your class explore standard and expanded form while comparing decimal values. This unit is taught while...
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 2 - Grades 4-6
Class members will dig this activity that has them trying their hand at recovering artifacts. Groups are assigned a section of a sandbox, carefully uncover the artifacts in their section, and then develop theories about who might have...
Curated OER
Hopi Culture: Parts of the Corn
Students identify the parts of the corn stalk in English and Hopi. They discuss the significance of corn to the Hopi culture, and examine a diagram of the corn stalk. They discuss the purposes of the parts of the corn stalk, then label...
Curated OER
History Close to Home: Creating Your Own Special Museum
Students create their own museum exhibit. In this museum creation lesson plan, students research their local history so they can decide on a theme for their exhibit and what objects they will use in order to design a museum exhibit. A...
Curated OER
Animal Masks
Students design and make animal masks. In this research and application activity, students use a computer to research what a panther eats, select an animal mask they want to make and then use the materials provided to create their...
Curated OER
Conflict Mediation - Part 2: Practice
Fourth graders work in small groups and try the mediation process, taking turns as mediators and disputants. They discuss and review the handouts over the concepts of mediation. Students volunteer to participate in the class role-play.
Curated OER
Recycled Greeting Cards
Students create greeting cards from recycled products. They research how paper is recyled and the history of paper. They write free verse and create their own recycled paper. They use Microsoft Word to write their final drafts of verse...
Curated OER
Health Related Fitness Portfolio
Students develop and implement a fitness station. Students base their exercise stations upon flexibility, muscular strength, and endurance. They complete a health related fitness portfolio. Students design and take a fitness survey.
Curated OER
Conflict Mediation - Part 1: Getting ready
Fourth graders (two) enter the classroom arguing loudly. They are asked to tell what they observed. Students look through the mediation packet and begin to brainstorm answers to "What is conflict?" They discuss various conflict scenarios...
Curated OER
The Human Memory
This is a well-designed, creative lesson plan to help learners learn more about the human memory. Working in pairs, students complete tasks and gather data. Excellent websites for resources are also provided.
Curated OER
Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence
Students become familiar with body changes during puberty. In this stages of human development activity, students review the stages of development from 1-5. Students read an article called I'm Growing but Am I Normal? and discuss the...