Curated OER
Modern Day Pyramids
Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies - six types of simple machines and combinations - are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern...
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A House is a House for Me
Students evaluate the impact climates have on the building of structures. They research the different types of materials used to build houses in various climates and build small models of houses which are tested against different climates.
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People Movers
Students investigate how transportation has evolved through the years. Students also generalize how transportation may continue to change in the future. Students work in small groups to brainstorm ideas the identify and solve a...
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Sensational Soil
Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...
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Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
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Waste Watchers
Students recognize the importance of saving energy to save natural resources. In this saving energy lesson, students complete a worksheet to find types of electricity meters in their homes. Students use meter readings to calculate energy...
NASA
Pop Can Hero Engine
Hang a soda can from a string and watch it spin by the force created by water streaming out of slanted holes. This plan provides background information, detailed materials and procedures, discussion questions, a lab worksheet, and...
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Who Works at Our School?
Young interviewers will learn more about the school staff by asking them questions and creating a bulletin board display. They will learn how to make thoughtful interview questions, conduct professional interviews, and organize...
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Snail Mail vs. E-mail: Let the Challenge Begin
Compare past and present forms of written communication with a fable to guide your pupils in discovering the benefits of various forms of written communication.
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Equipment Ad
Students create a one-minute advertisement for a piece of sports safety equipment. They define the terms ad, advertisement, and commercial and demonstrate creative-thinking and creative-writing skills.
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An Autograph Book from Yesteryear
Students explore a school autograph book from the 1880s and create a contemporary version of it. They imitate the style of the autograph book entries as they write thoughtful text and rhymes.
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Melba Pattillo and Ruby Bridges: Two Heroes of School Integration
Learners put themselves in the shoes of students who integrated Little Rock High School in 1957-58. Note: The primary resources in this activity provide powerful and poignant descriptions of what those students faced.
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Spaghetti Bridges: Student Worksheet
Here is a wonderful activity that allows young engineers to try their hand at designing a bridge out of spaghetti! The activity explains the activity and also provides a graph for keeping track of the results. Very good!
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Solar Kit Lesson #3 Parts of a Solar Panel - Part I
A solar cell is similar to a rechargeable battery in many ways. Science lab groups connect each in a series circuit to run a mini motor and then compare and contrast them by answering questions and completing a Venn diagram. This is an...
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Smart Design
Share pupil responses to an interactive slide show about a design initiative intended to help the world's poor. The class works in groups to brainstorm ideas, and then prepares sketches of their own design solutions. Each rendering...
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SuperShapes, Part 1; "Tri"ing Triangles
An outstanding lesson on triangles awaits your math scholars. Learners focus on the triangle, which is the strongest of all polygons. They see the role that triangles play in the design of buildings, and learn about triangle...
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Marshmallow Design Challenge
How tall is your marshmallow structure? Using only limited supplies (including uncooked spaghetti noodles, masking tape, and one marshmallow), teams endeavor to support the marshmallow atop the tallest spaghetti structure they can build....
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Common Core Technology for K-5 Learners
K-5 teachers can blend fun and creativity into language arts curriculum when Common Core technology is involved.
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Use iPads to Enhance Your Classroom
Cut through the numerous available iPad apps to find the ones that will help you to start using this terrific tool right away.
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Quantifiers
Many people, regardless of their age, confuse similar words. Little or few, much or many, some or any...the list goes on and on! Use this online resource to test your learners' ability to choose the correct quantifier. Consider using...
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Butterflies, Butterflies, Butterflies
Transform your class into a butterfly museum! Research different types of butterflies, their habitat, and life cycle. Interactive components such as PowerPoint presentations, Claymation movies, and webpages add pizzaz to the museum...
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Fortified Breakfast
Learners reverse engineer a cereal. In this dietary lesson students identify the minerals that the human body needs to function. Learners examine how foods are fortified by food engineers. Students find the amount of iron in a cereal by...
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Connected Educators Month
Education and thought leaders join forces to provide invigorating professional opportunities online.
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A Pill with a View
Learners brainstorm a list of potential uses for micro-video technologies. After reading an article, they analyze the development of a new pill-sized camera. In groups, they create a children's book that shows them the various systems of...