Curated OER
California's Golden History: 1848-1880
Using a variety of online resources, learners study life and society in California during the gold rush. They use a map to identify area where gold was located, explore pre-selected websites, describe mining practices, and create an...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Scientific Themes in Personal Genetics
Humans can be tested for the presence of the BRCA gene, whose presence is an indicator that they have a greater chance of acquiring breast cancer than someone without the gene. Viewers have an opportunity to explore how genes and...
Curated OER
Geography/Current Events Project
Using the Balkan region as an example, fourth graders review the five themes of geography as a class. They identify the physical and human characteristics of a region before labeling the countries and landforms on a map. They then...
Curated OER
The Great Depression and Everyday Life
Examine everyday life during the Great Depression, as well as the effects if the Depression on American population, society, and economy. Learners write who, what, where, when, and why summaries of a person who relocated to California...
Curated OER
You Need How Much Food When? Where?
Ninth graders explore how human activities shape the earth's surface. In this awareness lesson, 9th graders create pictographs showing the relations of food, people, land, and resources. Students complete worksheet.
Curated OER
Comparing mtDNA Sequences to Learn about Human Variation
This computer-based instructional activity will enable students to test their notions of "racial" similarity and difference by comparing mtDNA sequences as the students do in the first episode of RACE - The Power of an Illusion.
Curated OER
The Causes and Course of the First World War
Use this twelve-day lesson plan to teach about the causes and courses of WWI. Each day scholars attend lectures, complete creative activities, and hold round table discussions on what they've learned. Web links and resources are...
Curated OER
A Tree Is More than a Street Name
Eighth graders discuss the role of trees as one of the most important natural resources. In groups, they examine how the forests nearby helped to shape their urban city. Using the internet, they research the use of the forest in early...
Curated OER
On the Brink
High schoolers view a film about environmental issues. They discover how environmental degradation can lead to disease. They identify the relationship between population growth and the environment.
Curated OER
Volcanic Panic!
Students begin with an overview of the Earth's interior and how volcanoes form. They learn how engineers predict eruptions. In a class demonstration, students watch and measure a mock volcanic eruption and observe the phases of an...
Curated OER
Don't Use it All Up
Students observe the way that a sponge absorbs liquids and discuss how we our use of natural resources affects the environment around us. They discuss the need to conserve resources so we don't run out of what we need.
School Improvement in Maryland
Demographic Investigation
What are the factors that influence voting patterns? How do these factors influence government funding? Is participation the squeaky wheel gets the grease? Class members interpret graphs and analyze trends to determine what demographic...
ProCon
Vegetarianism
What do Mike Tyson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Paul McCartney have in common? They're all famous vegetarians. Using the resource, scholars learn about the pros and cons of eating a vegetarian diet. They read a fascinating history of...
School Improvement in Maryland
Smart Growth
New roads, new businesses, new developments, new mass transit systems. All growth has both positive and negative effects on communities. Government classes investigate the principles of Maryland's 1997 Smart Growth program and the...
Curated OER
Mussel Movements
Students consider the impact of invasive species on local environments. In this ecology lesson, watch the video, Arizona Wildlife Views, which focuses on invasive species. Students develop vocabulary, relate to meaningful comprehension...
Curated OER
Images of Gary: An Ideal Place to Live?
Students examine photographs depicting historical scenes from the US Steel Photograph Collection. They develop criteria to analyze or judge an image's representation. They assess photographs according to the criteria.
Curated OER
City Animals
Students identify some of the most important native and introduced species of animals in the United States. They describe how animals populations of cities have changed over time, outline the benefits and problems associated with...
Curated OER
Dare to Care for a Grizzly Bear
Students examine the relationship between humans and grizzly bears. In this biology lesson, students research about the bear's habits and living environment. They write a letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service petitioning them to...
Curated OER
How Does the Loss of Ozone Affect Our Climate
Students explore the greenhouse effect and what it does to the environment. They discuss if and how human behavior contributes to global warming and test natural materials for carbon content.
Curated OER
Modeling Natural Disaster with Mathematical Functions
Ninth graders investigate the functional relationship of different environmental phenomena. In this math lesson, 9th graders create models of various natural disasters. They use logarithmic and exponential functions to interpret...
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Cultural Rituals
Fifth graders explore cultural rituals. In this cultural rituals lesson plan, 5th graders discover different cultures way of celebrating rice. Students gain information about festivals in the US, Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan. Students...
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Discovering the Local Community
Third graders create a mini-atlas of the human and physical characteristics of their local community, which includes landforms, climate, vegetation, population, and economics. They use nonfiction map-related resources to obtain ...
Curated OER
What's The Plan?
High schoolers identify how the human activities in the state of Maryland have changed/ evolved over the last 50 years. They evaluate a land planning document and prepare a fictitious planning document for a given area of land.
Curated OER
Impace of Humanities growth on the Surrounding Animal Population
Fourth graders read books about endangered animals. Using Kidspiration software, 4th graders create a presentation illustrating the plight of endangered animals. They identify problems, develop a graphic organizer, and explain the origin...