Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

What "Draw-A-Scientist" Reveals about Gender Stereotypes

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
What do you picture when you hear the word scientist? Challenge scholars to put pencil to paper, draw a scientist, and then reflect on the patterns they observe. Learners read an article about a female scientist and write a story about a...
Lesson Plan
The New York Times

Where to Draw the Line: Balancing Government Surveillance with the Fourth Amendment

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The question of how to balance Fourth Amendment Rights with national security concerns becomes critical in an age of planned terrorist attacks, election interference, and fake news. Get young social scientists involved in the debate with...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

What are Reparations and Should We Enact Them?

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Young social scientists investigate recent legislative proposals for reparations for African Americans. They examine the rationale behind the proposals by viewing videos and reading related articles. To close the lesson, scholars craft a...
Activity
PBS

Presidential Leadership and the Goal to Unify | America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Traditionally, a United States President's Inaugural Address establishes the tone and vision for his presidency. It has stressed the goal to unify the country and bring the political parties together after what are often divisive...
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Living with Less Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know that California produces two thirds of the fruits and nuts consumed in the United States? That it produces almost one third of the vegetables? Did you know that scientists warn that California is facing the onset of a...
Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Ingenious: Franklin Assembles a Scientific Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Few Americans have heard of the burgeoning scientific community known as the America Philosophical society, started by none other than Benjamin Franklin. With inquiry, research, and discussion, high schoolers come to understand their...
Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Sa Hi Pa Ca (Once Upon a Time): Lesson Plan 2

For Teachers 4th Standards
What tools do archaeologists and anthropologist use to learned about what life was like in the past. After watching West of The West's documentary Once Upon a Time that details how scientists use artifacts to establish a...
Activity
National Park Service

The Young Naturalist

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects....
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Representing the People: Diversity and Elections

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
After studying statistics and reading articles about diversity in the 2018 through 2020 U.S. elections, young social scientists discuss what they believe is the impact of having more diverse elected officials. Individuals then select one...
Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Troubled Elections of 1796 and 1800

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Congress does more than create new laws. Political scientists delve into the elections of 1796 and 1800 to understand how political parties, the Electoral College, and personal agendas affected the election process. The resource also...
Lesson Plan
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Candidate Reflection Essay

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After writing about which of the 2020 presidential candidates the class has researched most closely represents their ideas, young political scientists take a 2020 Presidential Election Candidate Quiz to determine what candidate they in...
Activity
National Endowment for the Humanities

A Defense of the Electoral College

For Students 9th - 12th
Each presidential election year, the debate about the electoral college rages. Michael C. Maibach's "A Defense of the Electoral College" offers young political scientists an opportunity to examine a reasoned argument for why the...
Interactive
US National Archives

Benjamin Franklin: Politician and Diplomat

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
A scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, politician, and the founder of a nation—and that's just one person! Learners investigate the many lives of Benjamin Franklin. Using a hands-on interactive online resource, they analyze primary...
Activity
Joy Uzarraga

Famous American Research Project

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
Designed specifically for lower elementary pupils, this is a great biographical research project in which students research a famous American, and then design creative poster boards to help them "become" the famous...
Lesson Plan
Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors

A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture

For Teachers K - 12th
Packed with a wealth of information about African-Americans of note, this packet, and the links it provides to other resources, could be used as is for a month-long study of Black history or to supplement lessons already in your curriculum.
Activity
Union Elementary School District

Famous Dead People Project

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Despite the slightly off-putting title, the instructions and activities detailed in these project guidelines for researching a noteworthy figure will serve as a fantastic supplement to your next famous person research...
Lesson Plan
Pace University

Community Helpers

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Differentiate instruction with a unit focused on community helpers. A pre-assessment levels scholars into three groups. Learning contracts offer participants the choice of activities to complete and show what they know about specific...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: A Parody of Broken Promises

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Parodies of political figures are the lifeblood of the editorial cartoons in a free press. North Korea's nuclear threat provides young political scientists an opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills as they analyze a...
Lesson Plan
Michael Hunter and Fiona Kisby

Robert Boyle and Medical Reform in the 17th Century

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Introduce pupils to the work of Robert Boyle and his influence on medical practice through a series of informational texts and discussion questions.
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Our Shared Humanity

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Ann Shin's award-winning documentary, My Enemy, My Brother introduces viewers to Zahed Haftlang and Najah Aboud, two child soldiers on opposite sides during the Iran-Iraq war. After viewing the film, class members are asked to...
Worksheet
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

A Lesson on the Nature of Science

For Students 7th - 12th
If you are looking for a great way to present natural selection in humans, look no further. This handout is intended to accompany the 14-minute video The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans, which can be found on the...
Lesson Plan
Polar Bears International

Taking Action!

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Motivate young scientists to stand up and take action with this environmental science lesson. To begin, the class works in small groups brainstorming actions that support the conservation of the earth before creating and implementing an...
Lesson Plan
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Safe Drinking Water Foundation

To Filter or Not to Filter

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Drinking clean water can be taken for granted. Explore the process and high cost of filtering water with a water pollution and filtration activity. Young scientist build a filtration system to filter polluted water, examine the economics...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Those Who Have Come Before Me

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Class members are transformed into explorers as they work in groups to locate hidden items and map their journey along the way. They then leave clues for other groups of students to follow, and ultimately discover how past explorations...