Curated OER
Insect Investigation
Investigation is a brilliant way to spark scientific inquiry. First graders will identify, research, and report what they have learned about a mysterious bug found on the playground. They will use multimedia resources for research and...
Curated OER
Becoming A Career Detective (Part 1)
Third graders are reminded of the "investigation" of the world of work that they have been conducting since kindergarten. They are asked: "Where have you gathered information about careers?" and Where else might you obtain information?...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Early English Settlements History Detectives
Young historians play the role of history detectives as they investigate some primary source texts and images related to the early colonization of America, The Jamestown Settlement, and the Mayflower Compact.
Teaching for Change
History Detectives: Voting Rights in Mississippi, 1964
Promises made and promise broken. Spies and activists. Voting rights in Mississippi are the focus of a lesson that has class members research the history of the struggle in Mississippi. Learners take on the role of voting rights...
Curated OER
Mock Investigation
Students explore detective investigations. In this introduction to mysteries lesson, students role play eye witnesses and investigators related to a "crime" committed in their classroom. Students collect evidence and record information,...
Curated OER
The Game is Afoot - A Study of Sherlock Holmes
Mystery is an exciting genre for young readers to investigate. The plots are so intriguing! Here is a series of lessons featuring Sherlock Holmes stories that invite learners to enter the world of the mystery genre. Based on what...
Curated OER
Forensic Detectives: Archaeology at Work
Dig in! Middle schoolers learn about archaeology by exploring the remnants of the Chiribaya bodies found in Illinois. Compare archaeological investigations, and then write a mystery detailing the discovery of a body! Consider bringing in...
PBS
Crack the Case: History's Toughest Mysteries
Young sleuths don their trench coats, tip their fedoras, and grab their notepads to investigate one of four famous unsolved mysteries. After examining multiple primary and secondary sources related to their cold case, they propose a...
Curated OER
Detective Fiction: Focus On Critical Thinking
Turn your 6th graders into detectives while growing their love of reading. Using critical thinking skills, they will be able to describe the five basic elements of detective fiction, read detective novels, make predictions, use the...
Smithsonian Institution
Be a Food Detective
What are packaged food products really made of? This lesson will prompt your learners to consider and investigate the source of ingredients in their food. They begin by breaking into groups and analyzing food labels by identifying...
Curated OER
Investigating Plant Pigments: A Guided Inquiry Laboratory Experiment
Students participate in a three-part lab in which they investigate plant pigments. Part I is designed to teach basic laboratory techniques of column chromatography, in Part II students design an experiment to separate the components of a...
NOAA
Lost City Chemistry Detectives
In 1977, scientists discovered hot springs in the middle of deep, cold ocean waters near the Galapagos Islands. Scholars research the chemical reactions that explain what scientists found at the Lost City. A discussion connects many...
Curated OER
The Student Detective: A Textbook Investigation
Students identify factual information using their textbook as a source of inquiry.
They become aware that a social studies text can be an object of historical investigation and develop a sense of questioning evidence as presented in...
Curated OER
Detectives in the Landscape
Fourth graders explore landscapes. In this landscape lesson plan, 4th graders investigate different elements of landscapes. Students design a visual presentation using photographs taken during a nature walk.
K20 LEARN
Show and Tell Museum - Investigating Primary Sources: Read and Interpret Primary Sources
Scholars become detectives in a instructional activity that focuses on primary sources. Learners practice their observational skills by examining the teacher's artifact and visiting the Show and Tell Museum that highlihgts items...
PBS
African American History: Honored as Heroes
To gain an understanding of the treatment of African American soldiers during World War I, class members watch an excerpt from the History Detectives film, Our Colored Heroes, and then examine three recruitment posters from that...
American Institute of Physics
Historical Detective: Edward Alexander Bouchet and the Washington-Du Bois Debate over African-American Education
Young scientists meet Edward Alexander Bouchet who, in 1876, was the first African American to receive a PhD in Physics. This two-part instructional activity first looks at the debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois about...
Curated OER
Detective Digis and the Computer Caper
Mathematicians participate in an hands-on activity to investigate the binary number system and write messages in binary code and have classmates decipher the messages. A said video on the topic does not seem to be available, but the...
Curated OER
Investigate Pine Creek!
Young scholars are invited to become detectives in this Web-Integrated Science Environment (WISE) as they explore a local creek, its environment and ongoing status. Students participate in field trips, acquisition of data through water...
Curated OER
Doctors as Detectives
Students consider the investigative and detective work that goes into disease control. They research specific diseases and simulate a doctor-patient diagnosis situation.
Curated OER
Investigating Nonprofits
Young scholars detect and explore local and national nonprofit organizations. In this research project, students explore nonprofit mission statements, activities and career opportunities. Young scholars complete a research question...
Space Race
Sensory Detectives
Test your learners' sensory awareness with three hands-on activities that ask pupils to use their other senses to identify and describe everyday objects hidden from sight.
Curated OER
Hands-On Investigation!
Students read, analyze, and solve a mystery using problem-solving skills. They explore the History Detective website, discuss the difference between clues and red herrings, complete a dot-to-dot sheet, take notes in a detective...
Curated OER
Investigation of Immigration
Students assume the role of a crime scene detective and examine the lives of various immigrant groups. In this immigration instructional activity, students examine evidence, websites, and pull from existing knowledge to determine which...