Space Awareness
The Sun Compass of the Vikings
Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...
Space Awareness
Valleys Deep and Mountains High
Sometimes the best view is from the farthest distance. Satellite imaging makes it possible to create altitude maps from far above the earth. A three-part activity has your young scientists play the role of the satellite and then use...
Curated OER
Tilted Earth
What causes Earth's seasons? Find out through a series of anticipatory questions, an easy yet powerful activity representing the sun-Earth system, a diagram to label, and follow-up questions. Dispel the misconceptions about Earth being...
Curated OER
How Many Ways Can A Team Win A 7-Game Series?
Students discover how many ways a team can win a 7-game series (NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup) by accessing the Internet. They view sites that cover a variety of sports.
Curated OER
Traveling aroud Our Town
Learners are asked to describe to a partner how he or she walks to school or the bus stop. They are shown on the overhead an one-inch grid paper, and at the intersection of two lines on the grid paper, students are shown a house and...
K12 Reader
Basic Geometry Terms
Set your pupils up to start on geometry by teaching them some introductory terminology. Pupils learn the terms by reading a short passage and looking at examples. They then respond to five questions related to the text.
Curated OER
Solar/Lunar Eclipses and the Seasons
How do the moon, sun, and Earth line up to create eclipses? Why do the seasons change throughout a year? The answers to these questions are explained through this series of slides. This apt presentation outlines information using bullet...
Curated OER
Dimensions of the Solar System
A set of instructions that help learners draw concentric orbital arcs to scale of each planet. There is a table to complete with data and questions to check understanding of realistic orbits and relative sizes.
Curated OER
Astronomy
A broad sampling of material related to stars is covered here. You will want to review each question to see if it corresponds to your curriculum. The formatting is inconsistent, but easily corrected if you use the information to create...
Curated OER
Galaxies
Tenth graders explore the structure and content of galaxies. Through discussion, lab, and hands-on activities, they discover the general structure of the three types of galaxies as well as the effect they have on the structure and...
Curated OER
Developing Effective Study Habits
Help each individual discover what works best as he or she builds a personalized repertoire of strategies for studying effectively.
Curated OER
Cooking with the Sun
Students explore using energy from the sun for heating and cooking as they build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. This excellent two-day lesson plan has groups of students build and test a variety of solar...
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl Matilda Lesson Plans
Fifty eye-catching pages contain six lessons about Roald Dahl's novel, Matilda. Each lesson has a theme and covers a different subject—literacy, social-emotional learning, science, and geography. Scholars analyze characters, examine...
Curated OER
Making Summer School Less of a Drag
Teaching summer school is the perfect opportunity for experimenting and expanding your classroom repertoire.
Curated OER
Persuasive Essay
Next time you assign your young historians to write a persuasive essay, use this document as a starting point and support them with a rubric, tips for writing a successful persuasive piece, and a general essay outline.
Virginia Department of Education
Historical Models of Atoms
What does the past have to do with today? Young scientists find that answer as they learn more about past chemists and their significant contributions to the field. Pupils use the Internet to research historical figures...
Curated OER
Telling Time, Part 2
Compare time on an analog clock and a digital clock with a learning exercise that prompts third graders to write the given times into both clocks. An example at the top of the page demonstrates how to write the time for both clocks. A...
Curated OER
Building a Structure With Legos: Oral Communication and Process Analysis
Illustrate the importance of specific details and clear directions. Sitting back-to-back, partners take turns building a Lego structure and giving directions to their partners to create an identical structure. The subsequent discussion...
NOAA
Currents
A deep ocean current circles the globe at a force that is greater than 16 times all the world's rivers combined. Groups analyze the effects of submarine topography on deep ocean current speed. They then determine how this speed affects...
Curated OER
Terrific Tessellations
Students create to pieces of artwork using two primary colors and tessellation techniques. This is an excellent lesson that can be accomplished using standard art techniques or educational software such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft...
Waterloo Mathematics
Number Sense and Numeration: Integers - Objects Model
Here is a comprehensive task for your middle school mathematicians regarding the multiplication and division of integers. Word problems and practical problems abound, while occasional graphics make the page more visually appealing. A...
Curated OER
Waves
An incredibly colorful PowerPoint presents all the facts and definitions about waves that you could need for beginning physical scientists. There are several useful links to online animations of wave action. This may have been produced...
Curated OER
Establishing a Strong Authorial Voice
Why do some phrases contribute to a weak authorial voice? The first page of this packet explains what a strong and weak voice sound like, and it lists some common phrases that clutter writing, ultimately weakening it. The second page...
Curated OER
Green Zone Common Ground Conversation Starter Worksheets
Finding common ground and building conversation can often prove a difficult task for many. Help learners build this important social skill using this resource, which includes a Venn diagram worksheet and sentence prompts to help students...