Curated OER
Vietnam War
Eleventh graders explore the United States’ displeasure with the Vietnam War. In this American History lesson, 11th graders research the concept of Vietnamization. Students discuss the impact of the United States withdrawing...
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Designing Your Professional Portfolio
Students identify the performance categories of a professional portfolio, select items to include in each category, and complete a reflective entry.
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Rock, Paper, Scissors
Students explore the concept of dominant and recessive genes by examining the dominant and recessive characteristics of a game of rock, paper, scissors. In small groups students play the game and explain how one move is dominant over...
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Foreign Stamps
Eighth graders convert the price of US stamps to those of a number of foreign currencies. They use conversion charts to make the changes.
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Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students recognize that they haven't seen a dinosaur because they no longer exist. For this dinosaur lesson, students view videos and understand what the dinosaur habitat was like. Students role play dinosaurs. Students explore dinosaur...
National Endowment for the Humanities
James Madison: Madison Was There
Madison was there! Scholars go on a journey to discover the person behind the founding father label as they explore James Madison's role in the formation of the United States government. The culmination is a writing assignment and...
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Why Is Evolution Controversial?
Young scholars explore why evolution has always been a controversial topic. They use scientific process to determine patterns and to critically analyze alternative explanations for natural phenomena.
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How Does Evolution Work?
Students pretend they are a scientist like John Endler in this Web activity. They visit his pools, from hypotheses, and test them out. In the process, the explore about natural selection and sexual selection. They are able to explain the...
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Limiting Factors/Evolution Game
Young scholars play a board game with provided cards which help them realize that limiting factors may restrict an organism in its development and productivity and direct evolutionary pathways.
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The Short Answer
Students examine the discovery of the Flores man. In this anthropology lesson, students discover details about the Flores man and the work of anthropologists. Students are challenged to create their own stories that explain Flores man.
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Adaptation and Mimicry - Biology
Students compare and contrast adaptations involving camouflage, warning coloration, and mimicry. They explain the relationship between adaptation and ability for survival and reproduction. Students define Batesian and Mullerian mimicry...
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Scavenger Hunt: Simulating Natural Selection
Students simulate natural selection using pinto beans. In this biology lesson, students identify the factors affecting organism evolution. They record data from the experiment and formulate a conclusion.
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Evolution and Antibiotic Resistance
Students investigate the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance in such menacing diseases as tuberculosis and influenza. They take on the role of staff at a public health agency who are trying to communicate the problem to the public.
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The Process of Speciation
Students illustrate the results of natural selection by identifying conditions that could lead to the development of new species (speciation) based on a given description of environmental conditions and description of variation within a...
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Evolution Simulation
Students simulate the process of evolution. Using index cards, they copy a drawing. Each subsequent drawing is sent around the room. The results are compared to the original drawing.
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Happy Birthday, Earth!
Students visualize the Earth's ecosystem at a specific time period and how Earth has changed over time. They create a detailed journal entry for a specific time period and create a birthday card to Earth.
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Evolution: The Great Debate
Students discover how research and questioning are things that must be done in order to form a valid opinion. In this critical thinking instructional activity students answer questions and provide evidence to support their...
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Comparison of Human and Chimpanzee Chromosomes
Students actively engage in the careful analysis of chromosome banding patterns and identify examples of inversion in homologous chromosomes.
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Time and Earth History Socratic Questions
Students develop a sense of geologic ("deep") time and the ways in which Earth scientists construct the geologic time scale. They study he major events that shaped Earth, including the origin and evolution of its lithosphere, atmosphere,...
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Using the Senses as a Means of Observation
Students use their senses in various situations to determine their accuracy. In this senses lesson, students use different senses to explore common objects. They find that their senses are not always accurate.
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Internet/World Wide Web Resources for Evolution and Molecular Biology
Students utilize the Internet and all its web access in this instructional activity. They research all they can on Evolution and related subjects. The journey they begin on leads them into an exhaustible point of possibilities for...
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Using A Winogradsky Column to Analyze Microbial Communities
Students use easily obtained materials to study ecological succession in a microbiological community. This investigation is appropriate for a variety of age groups. Elementary Students be fascinated by the changes occurring over time...
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Natural Selection
Students use discussion questions, handout information and research topics to explore several issues related to natural selection and evolution. They examine Darwin's research on the finch and antibiotic resistance.
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The Opposable Thumb
Learners participate in an activity which helps them realize the importance of the opposable thumb through trying to live without it. The goal of this activity is for students to understand the physical importance of the opposable thumb.