Curated OER
Looking Upwards: Greenroofing & Rooftop Gardening
Students explore the role of green roofing and rooftop gardening in contemporary architectural design. They then conduct collaborative research to learn about the history, process, science, and environmental impact of green roofing....
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances
Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history activity, students learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the...
Curated OER
A Phylogenetic Perspective for the Cladistically Challenged
Students observe the structures of skulls as presented in drawings, and determine which are most closely related to the skull of the mosasaur.
Curated OER
Putting a Spin on Current Events
Students discover propaganda. In this Greek mythology activity, students discuss meanings of ancient art work with their class. Students investigate the dishonesty behind propaganda.
Curated OER
Neoclassical Influences
High schoolers analyze neoclassical art. In this art history lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the art produced during the Enlightenment.
Curated OER
Objects of Adornment
Young scholars examine the portrait of two historical princesses. In this art history lesson, students define the term "adornment" and discuss the characteristics of each painting. Young scholars compare and contrast the objects worn by...
Curated OER
Working in Photographs
Students analyze illustrations of workers in the 19th and 20th centuries. In this social science instructional activity, students examine photographs of workers and identify the types of work that were available in the 19th century...
Curated OER
Historic Cemeteries: "History Written in Stone"
Students examine grave markers in their local community. They identify how past generations contributed to life in their town. They discuss their feelings about death and how one is to act at a cemetary.
Channel Islands Film
Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 4
West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man introduces viewers to the remarkable finds on Santa Rosa Island. Archaeologist have discovered on this small island that is part of the Channel island chain, human and pygmy mammoth...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
A Sense of Belonging
In order to understand how the land changes over time because of the people who live there, learners interview an elderly person about the past. Children ask an older family member to describe what the local area was like when they were...
Curated OER
Mammoth Extinction
Students explore various hypotheses concerning the extinction of the woolly mammoth.
Curated OER
Classifying Shells
Pupils observe and classify different types of shells. They compare and contrast an exhibit they created with one that already exists in a musuem. They discover the different characteristics of shells.
Curated OER
Butterfly 1: Observing the Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Students observe and identify the characteristics of the life cycle of a butterfly.
Curated OER
Rock On And Carve Off
Sixth graders work in groups of four to create one subtractive relief bust out of clay. Team results are shared and discussed to analyze the degree of planning and skillful manipulation of materials necessary to complete a limestone bust.
Curated OER
AIDS, HIV and other Microbe Matters
This series of lessons contains sensitive material. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. It begins by discussing what microbes are. Scholars are then asked to review a few online resources and answer...
Curated OER
To Tell The Truth
Pupils create a faux ivory napkin ring using art supplies and knowledge gained from in-class discussions and teacher supplied information in this art instructional activity easily adaptable to a Social Studies or Language Arts classroom.
Field Museum
The Case of Darwin's Finches
One of the most striking pieces of evidence for Darwin's Evolution of Species was his observations of finches and how their beaks differed from island to island, depending on their primary food sources. So what would happen to the theory...
Curated OER
The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
Curated OER
How Things Fly
Students observe photographs of selected twentieth-century aircraft at the National Air and Space Museum and note differences in the design of aircraft wings, fuselages, and engines.
Curated OER
I Can Sing a Rainbow....
In this Blakesley Hall Museum gardens worksheet, students view eleven pictures of garden flowers and learn the words to a garden song.
Curated OER
What's In A Name?
Students create a binomial system of nomenclature for classifying organisms they encounter in a field trip to a natural history museum or from pictures in library books. They work in small groups to create accurate drawings and place...
Curated OER
Geology of Connecticut
Learners examine the geology of Connecticut, including plate tectonics, glaciation, and fossil formation.
After reviewing past lessons, they write essays about what life may have been like in the Mesozoic Period. Following a field...
Curated OER
University of California Botanical Garden Field Trip
Students explore plant species and the climates and conditions in their environment. They explore this living museum on the Garden's thirty-four acres to encounter over 13,000 plant species from around the globe.
Curated OER
Pollen Tracks
Learners participate in an artificial dig investigating imitiation rock samples that contain "pollen" from ancient plants. Students determine which plants the pollen samples came from.