US National Archives
WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – End of the War
You are Winston Churchill, and on May 9th, 1945, you receive millions of grateful cards and telegrams. How do you respond? High schoolers put themselves in the Prime Minister's chair with an activity that prompts them to respond to a...
US National Archives
WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Japan and the Atom Bomb
Though the scientists who developed the atom bomb did not believe it should be used to end World War II, American President Harry S. Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were of like mind in their decision to drop the bomb...
Discovery Education
Market Research and Design: The Headphone Challenge
Watch augmented reality bring classrooms to life. Scholars work in groups to design, build, and market a new pair of headphones meant for children under three. They use an augmented reality app to show their headphones in action as they...
NOAA
The Climate Team: Make a Solar Heat Engine
Learners investigate how solar energy is converted into heat in part two of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They build and test homemade solar cookers to boil water and cook rice. Pupils consider the impact of heat...
PBS
Predicting/Making a Hypothesis
As an introduction to the hypothesis and testing method of investigation, young history detectives engage in a special investigation of a family artifact. After watching a short video that demonstrates the method, they develop a...
American Chemical Society
Evaporation Sensation
Where did the water go? Learners conduct an experiment to see how the difference in temperature affects evaporation rates. Scholars continue to investigate evaporation by comparing water and alcohol evaporation rates. Pupils experiment...
American Chemical Society
Heat - Energy on the Move
Turn up the heat. Individuals conduct two experiments to observe the difference between heated water and air versus cold water and air. Using food coloring, pupils observe the movement of the molecules in the two temperatures of water. A...
American Chemical Society
Heat Up and Cool Down
Don't be so dense! Using food coloring, pupils conduct two experiments with the difference in densities of hot and cold water. In the first experiment, learners add dyed hot and cold water into room temperature water and observe how the...
US House of Representatives
Hispanic-American Members of Congress in the Civil Rights Era, 1945–1977
Debates around immigration in the news are not new, but they are a defining feature of the Hispanic American experience throughout the twentieth century. Looking through the lens of Hispanic Americans in Congress, class members explore...
American Chemical Society
Float and Sink
We're not talking about the kitchen sink. Learners explore what types of objects sink and float in water in an inquiry-based lesson. With experimentation, they find similarities between materials that float and those that sink.
American Chemical Society
What Makes it Rain?
Clouds come alive when curious minds create rain in an action-packed activity. Scholars view a video of rain and analyze an image of water uses to generate a class discussion leading into a hands-on exploration. Using a set of...
Pfizer
Stress Lessons Toolkit
A unit plan that is over 50 pages in length offers lessons and activities that define stress, practice breathing techniques, bring awareness to triggers, refocus worries and fears, and offer practical problem-solving strategies. The unit...
Curated OER
Health Related Fitness Portfolio
Young scholars develop and implement a fitness station. Students base their exercise stations upon flexibility, muscular strength, and endurance. They complete a health related fitness portfolio. Young scholars design and take a fitness...
Curated OER
Garden Variety Geometry
A home improvement plan can help adult learners preparation for the GED exam. They review vocabulary, prepare diagrams, complete a worksheet, calculate perimeters and analyze how to approach a story problem. They identify many geometry...
Curated OER
Michelle Kwan: Heart of a Champion
Who is a champion to your class? Elementary and middle schoolers think of a role-model from their lives. Then, in their journals, they write evidence of that person's perseverance. They identify the character trait of perseverance with...
Curated OER
Using the Internet to Challenge Young Writers
Designed as a professional development exercise to introduce teachers to the Internet, the activities in this resource ask novice web surfers to access a series of sites, bookmark them, and answer question about information found on the...
Curated OER
Balloon Trolley
Students use a physical activity in order to improve hand eye coordination and teamwork. They stand close to each other with balloons between them and stay together without holding the balloons with hands. This requires trust and...
Curated OER
Orienteering Lessons - Overview
Welcome to the Orienteering lesson plans page. There is a short introduction to the topic and links to the ten lessons in this unit. There is also a linkto the unit home page. This orienteering unit is worth taking a look at.
Curated OER
Sports and Hobby Math
Explore math concepts as they relate to real world situations. Young analysts consider a personal hobby or favorite sport and list three ways math is involved in the hobby. They create several related math story problems and write a...
Curated OER
Introducing Communication Talent with "Casey at the Bat"
Analyze the poem "Casey at the Bat." Your team of analysts will read the poem and complete a variety of activities, including describing how Casey looks and acts, describing how he feels before and after he strikes out, and sharing...
Curated OER
Writing Prompts for High School
Are you teaching a high school language arts class and stumped for writing topics? Five pages of writing prompts for all kinds of writing should help you out. Many of these prompts refer to texts that are not included in this resource,...
Echoes & Reflections
Survivors and Liberators
The end was just the beginning. The period immediately after the end of World War II and the Holocaust is often called "The Return to Life" as survivors looked to reunite and recreate broken families and shattered lives. A two-lesson...
PBS
Democracy in Action: Freedom Riders
This is a must-have resource for every social studies teacher covering the civil rights movement. Through an engaging video and detailed viewing guide, young historians learn about the Freedom Riders, and discover how everyday...
Curated OER
Food for Spaceflight
When astronauts get hungry in outer space, they can't just call and have a pizza delivered. In order to gain an appreciation for the challenges associated with space travel, young learners are given the task of selecting,...