Curated OER
Wagons Ho! Hard Times! Hard Choices!
You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a lesson, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper writing, science...
Curated OER
Settlement Exploration: Then and Now
NASA has crafted an imaginative and memorable series of lessons, "NASA and Jamestown Education Module." This lesson is one of the five components. In it, middle schoolers connect history and science by comparing the settlement of...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Make a Difference!
We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...
Curated OER
Losing Ground
Students examine the Dust Bowl and the effects of farming practices in the early 20th century. They read a handout, and conduct and discuss two experiments simulating soil erosion.
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying...
Curated OER
Rubber Duckies and Ocean Currents
Learners explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. For this water currents lesson, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map and define the currents of major oceans. Learners discuss the...
Curated OER
Dirty Decomposers
Students explore the ecosystem by conducting a ziploc bag experiment. In this recycling instructional activity, students identify decomposer organisms in our environment and how they speed up the recycling process. Students utilize a...
Curated OER
Biosphere II
Students continue their examination of the existence of life on Earth. In groups, they determine the role of the water cycle and other biogeochemical cycles play in keeping balance on Earth. They participate in experiments to discover...
Curated OER
Man's Struggle for Environmental Preservation
Students examine the way all living things are connected to one another. In groups, they participate in experiments in which they analyze the chemical processes through the biosphere and explain the role of energy. They also brainstorm...
Curated OER
Water: Our Most Important Beverage
Third graders complete a KWL chart on what they already know about water and what they want to know. As a class, they participate in an activity in which they discover the amount of drinkable water on Earth and are introduced to the...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Genetics and the Master Race
How did the beginnings of genetic research influence the Nazi party? A thorough, engaging unit incorporates the work of Gregor Mendel, the study of inherited traits, and the use of racism and discrimination during the Holocaust.
Curated OER
Forces of Nature: The Challenges of River Travel
Students examine how river travel affected the Lewis and Clark expedition. They define gravity, slope, and velocity, conduct a river formations experiment, complete an activity sheet, and watch a video about Lewis and Clark.
Curated OER
Destructive Impact of Environment on Artifacts
Students recognize that artifacts are destroyed over time. In this environmental factors on artifacts lesson plan, students experiment and observe through the microscope to find the environmental impact on artifacts. Students...
Curated OER
Environmental Chemistry
Eighth graders are introduced to the topic of Environmental Chemistry. In groups, they review the steps within the scientific method and develop their own hypothesis and design an experiment. They solve equations related to the...
Curated OER
Preparing Ourselves, Presentations, and Booths for the Campaign Day
Eighth graders set up for campaign day. In this campaign lesson, 8th graders finish up a previous project to present to their campaign party (this is lesson 9 of 12). They work on language arts, science, and art presentations for...
Curated OER
What Should You Wear in Antarctica?
Third graders experiment to see what would make a good coat for being in a climate that is freezing. They test to see what material makes the best insulation for coats.
Curated OER
How Powerful is Static Electricity
Young scholars explore energy by participating in controlled electricity experiment. In this static electricity lesson, students identify the different sources that can create energy and how static electricity can be created very easily...
Captain Planet Foundation
George Washington Carver and the Sweet Potato
Learn about George Washington Carver's important contributions to agriculture by studying the sweet potato. First graders read about the inventor's observations and prepare sweet potato slips for the class garden. Additionally, they...
San Francisco Symphony
Mr. Lincoln Through the Eyes of Aaron Copland
Use Aaron Copland's symphonic piece, "Lincoln Portrait" to engage learners in a cross-curricular experience. They'll listen to the piece, watch a video, read the Gettysburg Address, and write a series of fact or opinion sentences. An...
Curated OER
100 Years of Flight
Learners investigate Bernoulli's principle of air pressure and how it
relates to the lift of an airplane. Students identify various Aeronautical vocabulary terms. Learners construct a paper glider and experiment with the control surfaces...
Curated OER
How to Catch a Fish
Learners conduct an experiment to demonstrate the effects of different fishing methods. In this commercial fishing lesson students create posters and public announcements to share their information.
Curated OER
Why Opposites Attract: Observing Magnetic Fields
Students brainstorm background knowledge and any questions they may have about magnetic fields. They investigate the role that William Gilbert had in laying the groundwork for modern experimental science. Students observe magnetic fields...
Curated OER
Bubonic Plague
Students study the history of the causes and spread of the Bubonic Plague. They determine what groups of people were affected by the disease and locate the geographic areas they resided in. Working in small groups they conduct a an...
Curated OER
Local Environmental Issues: Pollution
Third graders discuss the ways in which human interaction with the environment and production of waste products contribute to pollution. Through a pollution demonstration, they explain how various groups of plants and animals can be...