National Academy of Sciences
Lights at Night Webquest
Help learners find ways to become more efficient energy consumers. To start, individuals research how different countries address energy efficiency and then analyze their own carbon footprint. They use their research to identify ways to...
National Academy of Sciences
Infectious Diseases: Bird Flu Today
Understanding how viruses spread has never been more important. A well-designed WebQuest lesson has young scientists research viruses, how they spread, and how they are treated. They also consider the trends in common viruses in the world.
Missouri Department of Elementary
The Quest for Magic Minutes
A "Magic Minute" activity asks class groups to develop a commercial to advertise a way to turn a time-waster into a time-saver. Ad groups begin by brainstorming time-wasters and then problem-solve was to turn them into time-savers. After...
University of Waikato
Water Issues
Water may be everywhere but it is not always drinkable. Pupils research water issues, first in a local setting and then with Papua New Guinea and Australia to get a larger world perspective. Teams use the Internet and other resources to...
Judicial Branch of California
Faces of Citizenship: Jury Duty
An interesting middle school instructional activity focuses on the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Academics choose a civic project to complete, such as an oral history or photo essay. They then conduct interviews with members...
Nemours KidsHealth
Conflict Resolution: Grades 6-8
Conflicts happen, conflicts grow, it's how to handle them that middle schoolers need to know. Introduce tweens to a problem-solving approach for handling anger with a series of activities that has class members read articles, research...
Teaching Tolerance
Journalism for Justice
Roll the presses! Or at least have your class members participate in the time-honored tradition of the student press by creating their own newspapers or journalist pieces on a social problem. After conducting research and collaborating...
Radford University
Modeling Statistical Data
Can people predict the number of future divorces? Scholars research and analyze data on the number of divorces and teenage pregnancies in Virginia over time. They use the data to create graphs, determine the best-fit equations, and make...
Radford University
Temperature Math Activity
Warm up to a vacation-finding activity. After choosing a location for a vacation, pupils research the average monthly temperatures for the locality. They create scatter plots of the data and then determine the equations of the best-fit...
World History Digital Education Foundation, Inc.
COVID-19: Comparison with the Influenza Pandemic of 1918
A timely lesson uses documentation from the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 to compare it to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Scholars watch a short video, analyze sources, complete a worksheet, and write a claim with supporting...
Curated OER
Preserving the Memory
Young historians explore ways to help preserve historic battlefields and artifacts. Designed for secondary scholars, the resource focuses on Civil War battlefields and the National Registrar of Historic Places Application. Pupils also...
Curated OER
Gettysburg 360
An interactive site allows scholars to explore the Gettysburg battlefield up close, read soldiers' accounts, and view images of the event. In addition, enrichment activities enhance young historians' experience with Gettysburg 360. Â
Teaching Tolerance
My Voice, My Voter's Guide
Class members may be too young to vote, but that doesn't mean their voices are silent! After researching key information, such as policies for registering to what to expect at the polls, young scholars create and present election guides...
American Battlefield Trust
Creating Civil War Multimedia
What was it like to live through the Civil War? Learners investigate the question by creating multimedia presentations. With a scaffolded approach that includes research, creating a biopic poem, storyboard, and then polished multimedia...
American Battlefield Trust
Preserving Battlefields
Save that site! Budding historians go on a rescue mission to save important Civil War battle sites using a project-based lesson. After carefully researching the importance of critical engagements and evaluating current threats, learners...
BrainPOP
Famous Historical Figures Lesson Plan: Who Am I?
History detectives select a famous person to research, fill a bag with items associated with their subject, then ask class members to guess the historical figure represented by the artifacts.
PBS
Who Knows Best
Finding an expert in a given field when conducting research can be a challenge. This guide provides step-by-step directions as well as links to resources that help young sleuths find the authorities and experts they need. As a bonus, two...
PBS
Predicting/Making a Hypothesis
As an introduction to the hypothesis and testing method of investigation, young history detectives engage in a special investigation of a family artifact. After watching a short video that demonstrates the method, they develop a...
National Wildlife Federation
How Do You Feel About Water?
Less than one percent of the water on Earth is usable in people's homes. As pupils consider this fact, they reflect on their own water usage before designing a survey to collect information on water usage by others. They then analyze...
Radford University
Regression Analysis Activity
Don't let your knowledge of regression analysis regress. Pupils take part in three activities to learn about regression curves. They research and collect data to predict how long it will take a basketball to hit the ground, find a...
Curated OER
Chancellorsville 360
Experience a Civil War battlefield up close. Chancellorsville 360 allows scholars to explore the battlefield in an interactive format. The site demonstrates the layout of the battlefield, strategies, and key events. Created for high...
PBS
Document This
Being a historian requires serious sleuthing. They examine primary source documents and look for evidence, for clues that reveal who wrote the document, when, and why. After watching two historians model the process, young history...
National Wildlife Federation
Links in the Chain of Life
A small little ant can have a large impact on its ecosystem. Young researchers explore the different species that live in a plains ecosystem. They find the characteristics of several species and then compare species to determine how...
National Wildlife Federation
Planning Your Research
Make it a great proposal! Class members play the role of marine scientists and choose from a variety of whales considered endangered they would like to study. Scholars then create applications for permits to conduct research of the...