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Landscape Observation: How Portland Has Changed
Students read The Lorax and discuss how populations change the environment. Using given photos, students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the Portland of yesterday to present day Portland. They write a comparison paper and...
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Money Talks
Students move from fact finding to interpretation as they examine paper money from the time of the American Revolution. In the final exercise, they use the issue dates of the bills to construct a chronology of political changes during...
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The Rocky Shore
Students compare a realistic landscape painting with a photograph of the same place.
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Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
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An Ad for an Element
High schoolers prepare an ad for an element, including properties and uses, in an attention getting format such as that used in the advertising business.
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Into the Pond
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
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Geographic Landscapes and Interstate Freeway Development
Students investigate the topography of the United States through a discovery lesson. They create a hypothetical route for a highway across the United States. Students also conduct research major landforms and define geographic terms.
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Day and Night
Students discuss why day and night occur after visualizing a teacher-led demonstration.
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Focusing Event to Electricity
Students explain how electrical charges behave. In this electricity lesson, students determine how far away lightning is when it strikes. They research how fabric softener reduces static electricity and share their findings in class.
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3-D Posters
Students work in small groups to create 3-D posters to discourage throwing trash away and encourage recycling.
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Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire
Students discuss the invention of barbed wire and how it affected various groups of peoples in the U.S. after its invention.
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Colonial Settlement and Environmental Problems
Pupils work together to develop a chart showing the relationship between the settlement of the United States and environmental problems. Using this information, they identify the human activities responsible for damaging the environment...
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"Tsunamis"
Students visit a PBS Website about tsunamis to consider their causes, effects and steps countries have taken to try to defend against them. They answer questions and create a brochure explaining tsunami facts and procedures to survive a...
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Plants in Texas: Then and Now
Seventh graders discuss continuity and change, identify various plant materials, and compare and contrast ways in which early people used plants in Texas in prehistoric times with ways that modern man in Texas uses plants today.
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Make a Rain Stick
Students create a rain stick to imitate the nature sounds in a rainforest habitat. In this rainforest habitat lesson plan, students create a rain stick to mimic the cultural tools used in the South American rainforest. Students use paper...
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Wheel & Axle Tractor
Students design and build a tractor using LEGO materials. They write and draw their designs.
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Volcanic Violence
Students complete activities to study volcanic activities. In this volcanic activities lesson, students read an article about violent volcanoes. Students complete discuss questions and volcano projects for the lesson. students also take...
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Let's Get To the Core!
Students practice analyzing ice core samples to discover climate changes. Using the samples, they identify and graph the gas amounts. They use these numbers to determine their effect on global warming. In pairs, they complete a...
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The Human Memory
This is a well-designed, creative lesson to help young scholars learn more about the human memory. Working in pairs, students complete tasks and gather data. Excellent websites for resources are also provided.
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Telling Our Own Stories
Explore online profiles and social media with your middle and high school classes. Use blogs to inspire your class to craft a well-written, thoughtful response to a prompt you give. A few example prompts are given.
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Immigrating to America
Coming to America as an immigrant can be an emotional and difficult process. This lesson has learners explore what it means to be an immigrant, listen to real life accounts, and visit an online museum. This is a wonderful discussion...
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People Who "Think Different"
Students conduct Internet research on one famous person to explore his/her important contributions to society.
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Programs
Students discuss programs designed for people with disabilities. In this language arts and social studies lesson, students discuss programs started by the Kennedy family and create posters in order to share their findings.
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Does Shape Affect Drag?
Pupils study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky. In this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag.