Curated OER
Thanksgiving in America
A rhetorical look at Thanksgiving celebrations from all sides of the American dinner table.
Chemical Education Foundation
Teacher's Guide to Science Projects
Do you find the idea of having a science fair with all of your students intimidating? Use a guide that provides everything you need to know to make project-based learning manageable. The resource includes options for four...
Curated OER
The First (and Last) Words
What does "freedom of speech" mean to your class, especially in the context of Internet communications? In round-table discussion format, middle and high schoolers address the issues discussed in "State Legislatures Across U.S. Plan to...
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Paying for College: Understanding Financial Aid Options
With many options to pay for college, middle schoolers learn about each possibility and that continuing their education is worth the investment. They discover the difference between a grant and a loan and that some expensive...
National Security Agency
Are You Ready to Call the Guinness Book of Records?
Learners design questions that can be answered by collecting data. In this line-plot lesson, pupils collect data and graph on a line plot on world records. An abundant supply of teacher support is provided in this resource.
Curated OER
Shame on You!
Should public humiliation be an acceptable consequence for a crime? Have your middle schoolers engage in a round table discussion about the recent resurgence of the use of public humiliation as a punishment for crimes in the United...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Machines
What do science and dance have in common? Simple machines, work, and force! First, children discuss machines, wheels, inclined planes, and wedges. They create inclined planes with their bodies and make up dances about wheels and wedges....
Curated OER
Laughing Matters
Is laughter really the best medicine? Middle and high schoolers discuss the truth behind this adage by reading and discussing a New York Times article about Dr. Patch Adams. They participate in a round-table debate in response to...
Curated OER
The Movement of Water
Here is an excellent lesson plan on the water cycle and the states in which water exists. Learners identify the features of the water cycle, describe how water changes form, and look at ways that people affect the natural movement of...
Curated OER
Lab Experiments in Nutrition
Looking for authentic hands-on nutritional experiments? High schoolers will perform experiments to test for the presence of vitamin C in several solutions as well as the effect of caffeine on Daphnia. They will also consider the...
Curated OER
Gaining Perspective
Discuss race in the United States. Start by having each learner read a copy of Martin Luther King Jr's famous speech, "I Have a Dream." Then, have them read the article "Shared Prayers, Mixed Blessings" about a church in Atlanta,...
Curated OER
Open-Ended Problem Solving - Math
If you are looking for an end-of-the-year math assessment, then this lesson could be for you! Your mathematicians are assessed on their ability to solve difficult, multi-step word problems that take quite a bit of thought and...
Science 4 Inquiry
Edible Plate Tectonics
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
Curated OER
Cloning Around
Review concepts of cloning and genetic engineering and participate in a round-table discussion based on the ethics and potential of cloning with your class. Each learner then writes a formal essay on the topic, stemming from the debate.
Curated OER
Making Money and Spreading the Flu!
Paper folding, flu spreading in a school, bacteria growth, and continuously compounded interest all provide excellent models to study exponential functions. This is a comprehensive resource that looks at many different aspects of...
Center Science Education
CO2: How Much Do You Spew?
Split your earth science or environmental studies class into groups and give each a scenario card. Scenario cards describe the lifestyles of 10 different fictitious families, focusing on their energy usage. Carbon dioxide emissions are...
Curated OER
Deadly Lesson
Students read "Shooting at School Leaves 2 Dead and 13 Hurt" in the New York Times online. They explore their own thoughts and emotions about school violence in the wake of the March 5, 2001 school shooting in Santee, California.
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Tsunami Attack!
Students examine how earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides can trigger tsunami waves. They determine how engineers use sensors to detect the dangerous wave, and how they help design building that will survive the wave force and water.
Curated OER
Scanning
Students examine how to scan textual material. They identify and circle key words, phrases, and synonyms in the table of contents and the index of a classroom text.
Curated OER
Magazine Project
Groups of students create magazines that contain stories and images of one aspect of the ocean, and ocean life. The expectations for the final products are quite high, so this lesson will require some effort to properly implement. A...
Japan Society
Changing Times, Changing Styles: New Japanese Literary Styles of the Late Nineteenth Century
Focusing on Doppo's "Unforgettable People" and late nineteenth century Japanese literature, this resource also leads to discussions of form being dictated by content. Explore the development of new literary styles first-hand by...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Sky High
How are skyscrapers built? What does it take to make a structurally sound building? How can one work within a budget to complete a building project? These guiding questions will be investigated and answered within a hands-on lesson....
Curated OER
Unit Planning For Social Studies
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the skill of unit planning. They practice developing multiple lesson plans based upon one unifying theme that becomes the unit. They practice a Jeopardy Game lesson plan to model the...
Curated OER
Egging It
Sixth graders discover scientific processes by conducting an experiment in class. In this osmosis instructional activity, 6th graders utilize eggs, cooking ingredients, string and plastic cups to create an experiment in which they watch...