Curated OER
Playing with Language: Tall Tales and Codes
Learners interpret and identify the elements of folktales, with an emphasis on tall tales, in this lesson.  Students utilize brainstorming techniques to list ways people communicate.  Learners also read and create a time line and present...
Curated OER
Arsenic and Human Health
Ninth graders concentrate on arsenic poisoning as an example of the connections among health, geography, and geology as they develop a persuasive presentation about the dangers of arsenic in the drinking water, targeting a specific...
Curated OER
Sketch a Scientist
Students draw their perceptions of a typical scientist, evaluate stereotypes in their drawings quantitatively, and then discuss the origins of these stereotypes.
Curated OER
Discovering the Past Using the Future: Remote Sensing and the Lost City of Ubar
Students identify and locate specific locations on the Arabian Peninsula, the Rub al Khali Desert, and present day Oman. They identify other names for the lost city of Arabia as Ubar, the Atlantis of the Sands, Iran, and the city of towers.
Curated OER
Geologic Time: Relative and Absolute Dating
Students investigate relative and absolute dating; determine the difference between the two dating systems; and apply this knowledge by creating a geologic timetable of their own.
Curated OER
American Civilization - The Ice Age
First graders discuss the Ice Age land bridge over the Bering Straits and how it affected the population of the Americas. They construct a clay model of the land bridge and research common animals of the time.
Curated OER
Chinatowns and Chinese Communities in America
Eleventh graders recognize that Chinatown, as an example, can depict how ethnic groups in general are developed.
Curated OER
Episode # 158A
Students research the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and determine how they can contribute to community projects.
Curated OER
Find the Washer
Students examine a closed box with wires and try to guess where the washer is. They experiment by pulling out wires to determine the location of the washer. They complete discussion questions to end the lesson plan.
Curated OER
The Great Volume Exchanger...or the Magic Matter Maker ®
Students pour water into a "magic" box and examine how it comes out with a much larger volume of water. They, working in small groups, design a volume exchanger and explain its design to the whole class.
Curated OER
Palpating Pachyderms: How Do We Interpret Observations?
Students interpret a poem before completing activities to distinguish observations and interpretations. They examine how personal background can influence how a person interpreters what they observe.
Curated OER
Steller Web Spinning Mystery
Students investigate what a system is in the scientific world. They watch a video of the Stellar seals of Alaska and develop clues as to why the seals are leaving. They discover through the clues they discover, how the components of the...
Curated OER
Chicago Rhythms, Chicago Roots
Students view a video about different types of music. They examine the history of jazz, big band and rock back to the city of Chicago. They discover Chicago's music scene today and compare it to the past.
Curated OER
Thar She Blows!
Students identify the advantages and disadvantages of wind farms and turbines.  They examine how weather conditions can affect their effectiveness and how engineers are trying to solve the problem.  They discover how engineers use this...
Curated OER
Animal clues
Fifth graders use general knowledge to make educated guesses about the habitat and survival strategies of animals from Australia, Antarctica and Africa. They research to confirm and check ideas and group animals in a variety of ways.
Curated OER
Cultural and Social Transformations Since 1865
Students research cultural and social issues in the areas of Westward Expansion, Immigration, and Civil Rights. They use their research to create a PowerPoint electronic book to be used by other students.
Curated OER
A New Profession Takes Seed
High schoolers analyze a quote written on the board by John Muir.  They brainstorm ideas from the quote and discuss the interpretation of the quote and  answer questions regarding the Forest Service as a Profession.
Curated OER
Can Land Ethics Work?
Students evaluate the various purposes and issues surrounding the management of a nature preserve. They participate in discussion on whether there is intrinsic value in nature for its own sake.
Curated OER
The Chemistry of Killer Coal
Students research chemical components of coal, as well as environmental health impacts of mining and burning coal.  They discuss conservation of mass as it relates to combustion of organic compounds.
Curated OER
Scientific Theories
Ninth graders compare and contrast how different models can be used to represent scientific understandings.  They evaluate the use of data when considering scientific claims.  Students debate a variety of socio-scientific issues and the...
Curated OER
Getting Perspective In The Renaissance
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the art of photography. They conduct research using the Internet and other resources. The students use the lesson plan to create context for using analytical language for class discussion.
Curated OER
Ping Pong Vocabulary
Young scholars estimate the size of a sea turtle nest, or clutch, that contains about 120 eggs.  They decide what type of container that they are familiar with that could hold a complete nest or clutch.  Finally, students calculate the...
Curated OER
Estimating Loggerhead Hatchling Gender Ratios
Students study sea turtles and the concept of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD).  Using a specific set of temperature data, they determine the probable sex of a nest of sea turtle hatchlings and then determine the overall...
Curated OER
Homeschooling Chronicles - Impressionism
The exhibition "The Birth of Impressionism:  Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay" led us to the truth behind the "pretty pictures."