Weber State University
The Sun and the Seasons
Why is there more daylight in June than in December if you live above the equator? How does the angle of sunlight shift throughout the year? Answer these questions and more with an interactive article about the sun, its path through the...
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...
Discovery Education
Weathering Cubes
Weathering is not necessarily a result of the weather. Scholars conduct an experiment to explore the effect of surface area and volume on the weathering process. They create their own sugar cube rocks using the same number of cubes—but...
Purdue University
Benefits of Connecting with Nature
Feel the healing effects of nature. Individuals learn about the benefits of nature using imagery. They begin by defining words to express how they feel emotionally and then practice using those words with hands-on activities. Once they...
Las Cumbres Observatory
Plotting an Asteroid Light Curve
Data can tell us a lot about celestial objects that are just too far away to study otherwise. Learners examine data on the brightness of an asteroid to predict its rotation rate. Graphing the data reveals a periodic pattern that allows...
Las Cumbres Observatory
The Cosmic Distance Ladder: Parallax
Scientists don't have a ruler long enough to measure to the stars, so they rely on math. Scholars learn to calculate the distance from Earth to a star using the parallax method. They use angle measures from different perspectives to...
Exploratorium
A Splash of Color - Is Pure Water Colorless?
What makes the ocean blue but a glass of ocean water nearly colorless? Investigators prepare tubes of water to examine the color of water. Scholars discover the relationship between light absorption, color variations, and water depth as...
NASA
Behavior Over Time: Analyzing Seasonal Soil and Air Properties
Moisture can affect air temperatures and so much more! An analysis of NASA soil moisture data allows pupils to make connections between climate and weather features. They first review general data and then select a specific location to...
Teach Engineering
Cosmic Rhythm
Young engineers turn poets with a hands-on activity that challenges them to apply the concept of rhythm to crafting a poem.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Look Who's Coming for Dinner: Selection by Predation
What happens when a new predator comes to town? Learners analyze an experiment that studies the effect of predation on selection. They use real data to draw conclusions about the impact a new predator has on a prey species.
Curated OER
The Legend of the Blue Bonnet
Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book The Legend of the Blue Bonnet. For this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer...
Curated OER
Racquetball With Math
Learners explore physical education by participating in a game with their class. In this number sense lesson, students utilize their motor skills while performing a music version of racquetball. Learners utilize math skills by...
Curated OER
Water - The Transporter
Students discuss the role of water in transporting sediments and dissolved particles. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students read about how water transports sediments and changes the landscape. They complete a variety of...
Curated OER
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: Shemini Atzeret-Simhat Torah
High schoolers explore Jewish traditions through Jewish art. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students research art by Moshe Rynecki, Chaim Goldberg and Emmanuel Levy. High schoolers replicate the artistic styles in their own pieces.
Curated OER
Who Is Family? Analyzing Family Photos
Students examine families through photography. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine photographs of families and discuss the attributes of families. Students select family photographs to analyze in writing.
Curated OER
Reflections of Hunger and Poverty: the Works of Lange, Kollwitz, and Orozco
Students explore the Great Depression depicted in artwork. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students analyze artwork by Dorothea Lange, Kathe Kollwitz, and Jose Clemente Orozco. Students create brochures that feature details regarding...
Curated OER
The Gulf Oil Spill in the Classroom
Learners explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students investigate the media response to the Gulf oil spill as they examine live streaming video, interpret data, and share their personal...
Curated OER
The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Sixth graders write a historical fiction narrative. In this interdisciplinary lesson, 6th graders read the historical fiction Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy. Students write a piece from the point of view of the main...
Curated OER
Out of Old England in the 1630s-Flat Me Project
Students write letters to penpals. In this geography/literacy lesson plan, students become penpals with a classroom in England to learn about customs and society across the ocean. Flat Stanley by Will Holton is read aloud, and students...
PBS
Looking for Lincoln Throughout His Life
Young historians gather information about Abraham Lincoln through a variety of activities. They match vocabulary words with pictures to create a timeline. Additionally, learners read books and articles that teach them...
Curated OER
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere: Fact, Fiction, and Artistic License
Students examine The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. In this visual arts lesson, students study the historical significance of the event as they examine the Grant Wood painting and primary sources regarding the event.
Curated OER
Global Breakfast
Students explore different cultures. In this global interdependence lesson, students discuss how food is produced and distributed. Students discuss different cultures and foods they eat. Students search the National Geographic website...
Curated OER
Career Connections
Students research the characteristics of specific occupations with personal career interests and aptitudes. In this career exploration lesson plan, students select three careers to explore and consider their own interests and aptitude....
Curated OER
Permit Trading
Emerging environmentalists work in groups and pretend that each is a power company generating electricity for a community. They consider the costs of building a renewable electricity generator that will increasingly replace generating...