Lesson Planet Article
Lesson Planet

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with Earnest Research

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Incorporating research and project-based learning while celebrating Native American Heritage Month.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Up, Breaking Down

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate how rocks are modified into construction materials. In this building up and breaking down lesson plan, students explore what happens to building materials over time and how people modify natural materials. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the science and art of taxidermy, and research various biomes that could be depicted in museum displays. They synthesize their knowledge by creating dioramas that depict the diverse life forms typical of these biomes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How To Make a Mummy

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore the process of mummification through a British website. They read about why the process began and how it is done. They can follow along in the process in how to make a mummy as well.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

The Díne (Navajo) Native American Tribe

For Teachers K
Students participate in a variety of activities to become familiar with the Navajo Indians. In this Díne (Navajo) Native American tribe lesson, students understand where the Navajo tribe lived and find them on a map. Students discuss the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beautiful Butterfly Tiles

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders create a butterfly drawing that includes the elements of art and principles of design. They create artwork that can be made into ceramic tiles to be installed around the classroom doorways in our new addition.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Technically Speaking

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research how various forms of technology have changed during different time periods and the ways in which technology impacts society. They propose designs for galleries within a technology museum.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging into the Past

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental conditions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dry-Land Kalo-Growing New Plants from Stems

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore Hawaiian plants. In this Hawaii culture and botany lesson, students plant the haha(stem) of a taro plant. Students listen to Hawaiian myths about the taro plant and chorally speak a Hawaiian chant of protection. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Three Sisters Gardens

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate companion planting. In this  communtiy gardening lesson students explore the tradition of the Native American Three Sisters gardening approach. Students act as botanists, anthropologists, folklorists, and curators.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Assessing and Making Maps

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students evaluate maps using the TODALSIGs basic map analysis system, explained on the worksheet. They create a map of Alaska using TODALSIGs. Students brainstorm the elements of maps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Things Fly

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners will examine the physics of flight through using experimental inquiry. In this instructional activity, you'll introduce your students to the four forces of flight--drag, lift, thrust, and weight--through a variety of fun-filled...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Combating Corrosion

For Teachers 3rd - 10th
Students perform an experiment to show the chemical reactions that occur when metal corrodes. They apply the results of the experiment to the conservation efforts of art curators trying to restore an ancient Greek bronze. This...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Bug's Journey

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the art of John Baldessari. In this art history lesson plan, students examine Baldessari's drawing of a beetle and discuss the characteristics of these bugs. They write a story from a bug's perspective and create their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Dog's Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students get a look into the life of dogs-from their origins and basic biology, through selective breeding, and into how dogs have become intricate parts of everyday life for many people worldwide.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frogs Losing Ground

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore an exhibit through an interactive program on frogs. They can listen to the different sounds frogs make and the different types of frogs. They search for the types of frogs they find in their local area.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expedition Stories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars use the Internet to research and discover information about expeditions that were formed to observe the transit of Venus. In groups, they work together to present information about the expeditions and create a visual aid.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching about the Rainforest - Classroom Ideas

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the tropical rainforest through different ways that catch their attention such as: Visit a local botanical garden or conservatory so that students can see the variety of tropical plants in the world. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Teeth Tell Us

For Teachers K - 4th
Students view pictures of a variety of animals. They examine the animals' teeth and discuss the differences in them. They experiment with staple removers (carnivore teeth) and two flat rocks (herbivore teeth) and determine which are most...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Greatest Show on Earth: The World's Smallest Animals

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars create instruments to capture different types of insects. In this The Greatest Show on Earth: The World's Smallest Animals instructional activity, students compare the attributes of certain insects and record the data on a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Depicting Women and Class in a Global Society

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore visual arts that feature women. In this women in art lesson, students analyze "Marquise de Miramon, née Thérèse Feuillant" by Jacques Joseph Tissot and "The Milliners" by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas. Young scholars...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

Paleontology Books

For Students 6th - 12th
A list of 11 books about paleontology offers titles, authors, and a brief description of the tale.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When Art Conveys Political and Social Conflict

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders consider art as a medium to convey information and opinions on social conflict and issues. They analyze images from the Crocker Art Museum, discuss their effectiveness in raising awareness of an issue, and create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The See Family

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine photographs as primary source documents. Students are broken into groups and are given photographs of the See Family.