“We the people . . .” Thus begins the Preamble to the Constitution. Using a close reading approach, class members examine an excerpt from Linda Monk’s article that traces how the interpretation of these words has evolved. Some of your...

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is a literary masterpiece as well as a timestamp of the formative mid-nineteenth century in America. Using a primary source set of photographs, letters, and portraits, readers discuss the ways...

What is a KWL chart? Here is a well thought-out lesson that has learners use KWL charts to gain historical perspective. Your class examines primary sources about historical events and identifies what they know, want to know, and,...

Students complete inquiry projects. In this historical perspectives lesson, students conduct their own research on topical historical questions their instructors suggest. Students then locate historical evidence and analyze it to learn...

Sixth graders research the theories on the extinction of the dinosaurs. In this dinosaur extinction instructional activity, 6th graders view a video clip about scientific inquiry. They work in groups to research the two theories on...

Sixth graders choose from a list of researchable inquiry questions. They engage in all phases of inquiry/research process.

The Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva is a piece that represents characteristics, meanings, and ideals common to those who practice Buddhism in Japan. Learners fully analyze this piece, then take a virtual trip to examine the Buddhist...

Young scholars research and examine the lives and culture of western mountain guides during the early to mid 1800s. Students write reports about a guide they research, do a simulation of the guide by keeping a journal, managing money...

Students complete a study guide using a website which is an animated primer on DNA, genes, and heredity. The Web site is organized around key concepts. The web links and study guide are included.

Learners create questions they want answered while they show what they comprehend about endangered and extinct species. They categorize photos of living things onto a contunum with the main points for use as a formative assessment.

With global temperatures on the rise faster than ever recorded, the effects of a heating planet could be devastating. Allow learners to discover just what the world is in store for if the warming continues through a series of videos, a...

Third graders are introduced to the steps in the inquiry process. Using this method, they locate and identify at least seven Native American tribes in Montana. In groups, they use the internet to research the culture of the tribes and...

Students discuss the importance of having good observational skills. Using artifacts, they discuss what can and cannot be told about previous cultures. They use their observations to write a paper about the culture and use the internet...

In groups of six, middle school space scientists create an imaginative travel brochure for attracting visitors to the planet Mars. Information must include surface features and atmospheric conditions. Although time-consuming, this is a...

Students examine several photographs of famous early aviators. They discuss the details of the photographs and generate questions that they would like to research as they begin a unit on early aviation.

During an inquiry-based lesson plan, scholars decide which variable to test and then design an experiment to determine the needs of producers. After two weeks, they complete a full analysis and research paper.

Students read aloud novel Hoot, by Carl Hiassen, choose endangered animal, complete individual research projects related to their interest, prepare persuasive writing piece, and compare and contrast two endangered animals.

Students apply the process of scientific inquiry to explore how living things are dependent on one another for survival. They match animals with their generalized food source. Students predict what happens to the organisms when their...

The Secret Life of Bees provides high schoolers an opportunity to connect the events in the novel to events in America’s history. After choosing a topic from a provided list, individuals research how the event affected the Civil Rights...

Note-taking is an essential study skill, and it needs to be taught! In the context of a research project on energy sources, learners find multiple sources, evaluating, paraphrasing, and citing them correctly. Two lists with note-taking...

This is your brain on drugs ... literally! Your neuroscientists-in-training examine the evidence of drug use on the human brain and how neurons change their connectivity when altered by drugs. They then work together to create testing...

Critically Evaluating Alarming News students use a guided reading strategy to explore news articles about the Washington-area sniper attacks, and conduct a roundtable discussion to investigate public reaction to the case. October 17, 200

Students observe a planaria without a microscope and with a stereoscopic microscope. They draw the planaria and describe its motion and eating habits. Students research planarias various body systems and behavior. They design an...

Young scholars use this worksheet with the videodisk from Video discovery titled Evolution: Inquiries into Biology and Earth Science.Written because there is no computerized control program available, it is to be used with a standard...