Council for Economic Education
The Silk Road
The Silk Road connected the European, Middle Eastern, and Asian worlds. It also helped create the modern trade world. An analysis activity makes the importance of this Chinese innovation clear by asking participants to evaluate trades...
Council for Economic Education
The Neolithic Agricultural Revolution
What effect could one person's invention have on the human race? In the case of the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution, small improvements in farming methods led to increased food production. The human population began to boom, leading us...
Council for Economic Education
Out of Africa: Why Early Humans Settled around the World
Why would someone want to leave home? The age-old question is at the center of a thought-provoking activity. Scholars consider why humans move around the world both during pre-historical times and today using a PowerPoint, reading on...
Council for Economic Education
What Makes an Entrepreneur?
What do the founders of Wendy's and Virgin Airlines have in common? They are both entrepreneurs! Key definitions and case studies help learners brainstorm their own definitions of what it takes to succeed in business. A series of...
Council for Economic Education
Christopher Columbus, Entrepreneur? Queen Isabella, Venture Capitalist?
What did it take to embark on a journey to unknown lands? Perhaps ambition, but also money! Christopher Columbus had to approach more than one European monarch for financing before he could sail the ocean blue. A read-along play and...
Council for Economic Education
Why Didn't China Discover the New World?
Who was Zheng He and why haven't we heard of him? Scholars consider the question as they compare his vast expeditionary force to that of Christopher Columbus. Young historians then ponder the intersection of science, economics, and...
Council for Economic Education
Wages and the Black Death
While the Black Death wiped out a third of Europe's population during the Middle Ages, its destruction paved the way for better wages for workers and even an early form of modern capitalism. The relationship between the cataclysmic event...
Council for Economic Education
Athens and Sparta-Imagine the Possibilities
Both Athens and Sparta made choices to survive in ancient Greece. Those choices were, in essence, economic ones about how to direct resources. A Venn diagram activity and reading ask class members to examine the connection between...
Council for Economic Education
Entrepreneurs in Mesopotamia
While ancient Mesopotamia didn't have the TV show "Shark Tank," it was a time of entrepreneurship as workers began to specialize. Both individual workers and the societal structure encouraged individuals to consider how they could...
Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning
MedMyst Mission 4: Malady In Mabuufo
An outbreak of malaria requires your help to stop its spread. To discover the pathogen that causes malaria and multiple ways to fight the illness scholars play games, answer short quizzes, and learn scientific concepts with the fourth...
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Balancing Human Rights
Everyone appreciates human rights, but what happens if the rights of an individual conflict with the rights of the larger group? Scholars explore real-life scenarios and debate when to limit rights and when to strictly enforce them. The...
Equality and Human Rights Commission
How Do Human Rights Work?
Do human rights apply to children? Scholars learn of three children asking for help to determine their rights and how to handle specific situations. Class members must research any laws pertaining to the requested right and how the...
PBS
Regional Patterns of Climate: Pacific Northwest
Climate systems involve sunlight, ocean, atmosphere, ice, land forms, and many other factors. Scholars explore each of these variables related to the Pacific Northwest rain forest. They use an online interactive to investigate the polar...
PBS
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Earth's surface constantly changes thanks to a variety of geological forces; in fact, Australia currently moves faster than GPS technology. Scholars connect the idea of continental drift to earthquakes and volcanoes with the help of an...
PBS
Coastline Change
Continental drift happens over millions of years, but new perspective shows much faster changes. An informative resource offers a short term perspective using a series of satellite images. Viewers observe major changes to a coastline in...
California Academy of Science
Your Hidden Water Footprint: Defining a Problem to Find a Solution
One 17-ounce bottle of Cola requires around 46 gallons of water to produce. How is that possible? Young scientists learn about the hidden water used to produce everyday items. They research, discuss, and look for ways to reduce water...
PBS
Rain Shadows
Satellite images from NASA help scholars focus on the similarities on the planet rather than the differences. The photos from the installment of a larger PBS series exploring weather and climate compare geological formations in the...
PBS
Mountains and Rain Shadows
Scholars use an online interactive to learn just how different the other side of the mountain actually appears. They use satellite images, graphics, and videos to compare the impact of winds, oceans, clouds, precipitation, and more on...
American Statistical Association
Bear Hugs
Scholars research arm span to determine who gives the best bear hugs. They use data from a national study to find the standard statistics for arm span. It includes mean, median, quartiles, spread, standard deviation, and more.
American Statistical Association
Happy Birthday to . . . Two?
How many people do you need in a room before two likely share the same birthday? Scholars consider this puzzle by analyzing a set of data. They ponder how to divide the data and determine the proper size of a group for this event to...
Smithsonian Institution
War of Independence
Want to explain the War of Independence without using just a textbook? The resource, an online exhibition, provides direct instruction to scholars. It discusses what led up to the war, the time of the war, and the legacy left behind long...
American Psychological Association
Top 20 Principles from Psychology for PreK–12 Creative, Talented, and Gifted Students’ Teaching and Learning
Who knew getting a better grasp on learning and psychology requires understanding only 20 principles? The resource, especially ideal for high school Psychology, discusses 20 important principles that debunk common myths and provide...
Smithsonian Institution
New American Roles
America has dealt with its fair share of hardships in contemporary history. The resource discusses the events of the Gulf War, September 11th, the Afghanistan War, and The Iraq War. Scholars click on artifacts to learn more information,...
Smithsonian Institution
Vietnam
What do Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and communism have in common? They all have something to do with the Vietnam War. Scholars engage in readings, view related images, and read about important artifacts on the website.