Curated OER
Political Traditions
Middle schoolers compare and contrast the political institutions in Greece, Rome, and the United States. In groups, they take this information to determine the influences on James Madison when organizing the republic. They develop a...
Curated OER
George Mason and the Constitution
Learners read various articles about the political beliefs of George Mason. In groups, they describe the major events of his life that formed his beliefs and values. They also analyze his contributions to the Constitution and the Bill...
Curated OER
Motor Voter Registration Trends
Learners read an article about new voter registration trends throughout the country. In groups, they identify new patterns when it comes to registering to vote and develop their own solutions to get more people registered. They present...
Curated OER
United States -- Soviet Cooperation
Students examine the competition between the United States and Russia to put the first man in space. In groups, they use the internet to identify areas in which the two countries cooperated with one another to promote space exploration....
Curated OER
Water Testing
Students work together to design their own experiment to test developed hypothesis about the minerals in water. As a class, they discuss the main components of water quality and describe the chemistry behind the hardness assay. They...
Curated OER
"Sum, Sum, Sum It Up!"
Students are provided with a model of how to better comprehend text through using a summarization rubric which includes: deleting trivial information, deleting repeated information, substituting easy words for lists of items, adding a...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Investigating Friction
Young learners explore friction. They view a video or DVD (bibliography provided) and define terms related to friction, and work in groups to experiment with the effects of friction on speed and motion using ramps and toy cars.
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 3-5
Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...
Curated OER
Our Town
With the songs "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen and "Allentown" by Billy Joel, learners examine external versus internal conflict. When they have finished the first part of the lesson, they create their own poem (or song) about the...
Curated OER
Bats
Third graders replace a common KWL with an anticipation activity. In this bats lesson, 3rd graders use radio buttons to record their answers to questions at the beginning of a bat lesson. Students view a website to read about...
Curated OER
Drug and Alcohol Prevention
Seventh graders investigate the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. They prepare a written report on the chosen topic related to drugs and/or alcohol. Students utilize technology to share the information about alcohol and/or drugs with an...
Curated OER
League of Nations
Ninth graders examine the purposes and mandate system of the League of Nations. They watch a PowerPoint presentation on the mandate system and complete a fill-in-the-blank worksheet, and participate in a "pick your side" activity.
Curated OER
Calculating Volume
Students evaluate mathematical problems using the formulas for volume. They recognize "perspective" in different shapes including cubes, pyramids and cylinders. Students practice on brainstorming all the different shapes and how they can...
Curated OER
Pirate Etiquette
Students conduct research into the lives of pirates and create a personal skit based upon the research as inspiration. The use of imagination is a key component to the type of writing to be done during the class.
Curated OER
Neurology Lessons
High schoolers create a model of a neuron using household items. They bring these items to school for model construction. Students utilize the Internet and other sources to categorize assigned chemical/neurotransmitter. They also...
Curated OER
A Pixie Biography Report
Students practice biographical writing after completing research on the subject. In this journalism activity, students read a story of an important person's life and discuss the important moments along the way. Students...
Curated OER
Decidedly Different
Fifth graders inquire as to why scientists use observable characteristics, how they sort the characteristics, and why they do so. They write journal entries to be used throughout this unit.
Curated OER
Optical Illusion
Students practice creating optical illusions as well as discerning how perception of information may change its characteristics. They distinguish between an equilateral triangle, endpoints, vertices's, and segments of triangles. The...
Curated OER
Measurement Scavenger Hunt
Students review estimation, measurement, fractions, decimals while familiarizing themselves with a new classroom at the beginning of the year.
Curated OER
Egyptian Hireroglyphs
Fifth graders identify the aspects of Ancient Egyptians and Heiroglyphs. They compare and contrast Egyptian Hieroglyphs with the decimal number system. Students recognize the decimal number system and compares to bases other than ten.
Curated OER
Dashboard of the Future
Students design dashboards for vehicles in 2020. After researching past and current trends in vehicle design, they sketch alternatives and select one to draw with computer-assisted design software (CAD), labeling all the components. With...
Curated OER
Math: Designing a Playground
Sixth graders design and draw a model playground to scale. They configure the layout to include a sandbox, slide, baseball field and other equipment. Their design includes adaptations for students with disabilities. Their designs are...
American Chemical Society
Color Changes with Acids and Bases
Getting back to the beginning of the unit, learners use reactions with red cabbage juice to determine if solutions are acidic, neutral, or basic. This is a straightforward and classic investigation, but what you will appreciate is the...
Curated OER
Watershed Documentary
Students research and produce an iMovie documentary about the human and natural history of a stream basin (watershed).