NASA
Is It Alive?
Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
How does climate change affect you? First in a three-part series, the activity focuses on how individuals living around the world are affected by climate change. Individuals take on the role of a given character and share their...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Calculating Your Ecological Footprint
You can lower your ecological footprint by recycling! Lesson four in this series of five has individuals, through the use of a computer, calculate their ecological footprints. Through discussions and analysis they determine how many...
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 9-12
What do drugs do to the body and to the mind? What are the dangers of using drugs? How can teens respond to the pressure to use drugs? After reading a series of articles related to drug use and abuse, class members prepare a skit to...
University of Washington
Connecting Youth to Quality Health Information
Many teenagers don't have adequate access to health and nutrition information beyond a quick Internet search. Guide them into health advocacy and proficiency with a instructional activity focused on MedlinePlus as a reliable source for...
Teach Engineering
Don't Be a Square
If Parseltongue is a genetic trait, what is the probability a wizard will inherit the ability to speak Parseltongue? Scholars investigate magical and biological genetics with Punnett squares.
Kenan Fellows
The Little Stuff Can Make a Big Difference
Great things come in small packages! What better way to illustrate this point than a week-long look at nanotechnology? Earth science scholars explore water quality issues through lab activities, then research new innovations in nanotech...
NOAA
A Quest for Anomalies
Sometimes scientists learn more from unexpected findings than from routine analysis! Junior oceanographers dive deep to explore hydrothermal vent communities in the fourth lesson plan in a series of five. Scholars examine data and look...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Quotation Station: Using Quotes in the Classroom
An informative list compiled with quotes, authors, and discussion questions, along with 20 out-of-the-box application ideas, make up the collection of lessons geared to spark dialogue and creative thinking about quotations.
Virginia Department of Education
Partial Pressure
At some point, everyone has been under pressure—even Dalton! Explore Dalton's law of partial pressures with young chemists as they measure the volume of air extracted from a sample compared to its original volume. Class...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
You know global warming is real when your squirrel feeder is full of popped corn instead of kernels! Activity two in a series of five allows learners to explore climate change through the eyes of another. After briefly analyzing their...
Chicago Botanic Garden
GEEBITT (Global Equilibrium Energy Balance Interactive TinkerToy)
Students use the GEEBITT excel model to explore how global average temperatures are affected by changes in our atmosphere in part two of this series of seven lessons. Working in groups, they discuss, analyze graphs, and enter data to...
NOAA
Invent a Robot!
Wait til your class gets their hands on this! Aspiring engineers design a working robotic arm in the fifth and final installment in a series of ocean exploration lessons. Pupils learn about the use of underwater robots in ocean...
Curated OER
Fifty States
Fifth graders find each state and its capital city on a map before memorizing the information. They work in small groups after watching a modeled lesson by the teachers. They write a statement about their assigned states and capital...
Curated OER
Creating an Autobiography
Young scholars create technology based portfolios for others to use as a pattern for assessment. They make a "Personal Autobiography Page" to start the portfolio.
Curated OER
Safe Passwords
Students brainstorm synonyms for security. In this Computer Skills lesson, students compare the home security to password security. Students read an article and review strategies for creating strong passwords. Students apply their...
Curated OER
Hockey Hunt
Students use the internet to research the rules of hockey, terms used in the game, facts on the history of hockey, and facts about five different teams.
Curated OER
Details, Details, Details
Young scholars review paragraph development, use of adjectives and grammar requirements. They incorporate various details in a written paragraph describing a visual image used as a writing prompt.
Curated OER
Integrating Video in the Classroom
Students look at the use of video in the classroom to enhance lessons. Students apply the strategies that are presented in their own classrooms.
Curated OER
Reach For The Sky
Students consider alternative designs for a tall building and choose one of their designs to build. As a final step, they design and construct a model of a skyscraper.
Curated OER
Publisher Brochures
Students create brochures on subjects they are studying in Publisher. For this nonfiction writing lesson, students use Publisher to create a brochure telling all the main ideas of a topic they are studying. Students use text boxes, fonts...
Curated OER
Initial (and/or Remedial) Road Map Navigation
Students determine their location(s) on the map, keep track of which direction they are headed on which street on the map, and predict what roads they cross very soon.
Curated OER
Planning for and Surviving Earthquakes
Students work in small groups to explore the FEMA for Kids site. They take the role of FEMA officials. Student list three items they may need to survive an earthquake. They complete a worksheet and discuss their results with the rest of...
Curated OER
From Page to Screen
Young scholars consider how xerographic photocopy machines and scanners operate. They discuss and practice using scanners, and brainstorm strategies to increase the efficiency of Google's scanning project.