Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

A Farmer’s Challenge to Breed to the Greatest of Grapes

For Teachers 7th Standards
What does your class know about GMOs? Are they savvy to selective breeding? Challenge young minds to engineer the greatest crop of all time using a hands-on genetics unit. Learners discover the good and bad details of selective breeding,...
Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

Middle School Checks and Balances

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Seven video clips reveal how the checks and balances built into the constitutional framework of the United states' government are designed to keep any one branch from becoming too powerful. After watching each clip, groups identify the...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Specialization and the Decathlon

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Michael Phelps, the economist? Scholars research the economic advantages of specializing in one kind of service, and how it relates to athletes doing the same in their respective sports. They evaluate absolute advantage, production, and...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

The Big Meltdown

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore the world (our world) of melting ice caps. Why are these caps melting? What is the effect of melting ice caps? Dive into the ever-present issue of global warming with a resource that has learners looking at data and participating...
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

The Powers of the Executive

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are executives as powerful as they sound? High schoolers find out about the US president and executive branch. A variety of activities include scaffolded reading sections, research assignments, and collaborative group work.
Activity
Sharp School

Horror Fiction Multimedia Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"There comes an end to all things" and ending a study of horror fiction with a multimedia project is "like starting a stone. . . away the stone goes, starting others. . ." In this case, groups start with a question generated by Dr....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Big 6

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Before beginning the process of research, go through the steps necessary to procure information. "The Big 6" teaches learners to find, use, apply, and evaluate information according to their needs. Help learners not be overwhelmed by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reporting from the Front Lines

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine the battle of Gettysburg as they write news articles. In this Battle of Gettysburg lesson, students become familiar with the job of the news reporter as they report on the events of the Battle of Gettysburg as they...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Fibers, Dyes, and the Environment

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Nanofibers can be made through electrospinning or force spinning in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Pupils study the role of fibers and dye on the environment through a series of five hands-on activities. Then,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Asking Research Questions

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Using discoveries and inventions as the focus, learners complete a research project. First, they come up with research questions. Then, they conduct research on the topic. Finally, they write a research paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students conduct research in order to create an understanding of The Eerie Canal and its place in history and the world. students use a variety of primary and secondary resources to aid in the research process.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Color Purple: K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners can chart what they know, what they would like to know, how they plan to learn, and what they have learned from Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Using questions about women's rights, kids study the themes of the novel...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Muscular and Skeletal Systems

For Teachers 5th Standards
How do muscles move bones? Find out using a built-in-class model. Pupils construct a hand model with paper and string, then follow a series of directions to explore the movement process. Discover additional information about the muscular...
Lesson Plan
Tracy Pendry

Cardiovascular/Circulatory System

For Teachers 5th Standards
Explore the circulatory system with a cardiovascular pump activity that promotes discovery and discussion as class members create a functioning model of the heart. Continue the learning process through a web quest showcasing the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Secret Life of Bees Research

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Secret Life of Bees provides high schoolers an opportunity to connect the events in the novel to events in America’s history. After choosing a topic from a provided list, individuals research how the event affected the Civil Rights...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where is the Science?: Design as an Introduction to the Scientific Method

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students work to create a design that will protect an egg from being dropped from a one story floor. They test their prototype after it is completed. They write clear instructions and link aspects of the design process to the scientific...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Hamlet Research Paper: Find, Evaluate, and Select Appropriate Research Sources

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Help young researchers find credible sources online. Modeling with a Google search for information about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, use a computer projector or Smart Board to show class members how weak the top three search results are....
Lesson Plan
PBS

Think Like a Historian: A Viewing Guide

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Calling all junior detectives! Scholars use the tools of investigation to determine the causes and impacts of the American Civil War. Using viewing guides, videos, group research, and written resources, they discover what it takes to...
Lesson Plan
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Candidate Position History Research

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Climate change. Assault weapons ban. Death penalty. And the list goes on. So many issues are part of a US presidential election that it can be hard to determine a candidate's position on a particular topic and whether their position has...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Designing the Future of Technology

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Conduct research focused on improving a current technology by having students work in groups to investigate improvements that could be made to a particular piece of technology. They list the current problems and attempt to develop...
Lesson Plan
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Maryland Department of Education

The Concept of Diversity in World Literature Lesson 3: Igbo Culture

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
What cultural concepts must readers understand in order to connect to Things Fall Apart? As part of their study of Chinua Achebe’s novel, class members research Nigeria and the Igbo culture to create a collaborative, web-based,...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications One

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Someone finds a time capsule 100 years from now, and it includes your family photo album. What would the photos tell that person about you and your place in history? Scholars investigate how artifacts tell stories. Using photos, maps,...
Unit Plan
PACER Center

The Peer Advocacy Guide

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Teasing, mocking, and disrespect can be the hallmarks in the life of those with disabilities. Disrupt the cycle of abuse with a toolkit designed to turn peers into advocates for all those who are bullied. Everything needed to create a...
Activity
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Teach Engineering

Incoming Asteroid! What's the Problem?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Oh, no! An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth!. Class members must rise to the challenge of designing a shelter that will protect people from the impact and permit them to live in this shelter for one year. In this first lesson...