Curated OER
Global Warming: Writing and Editing a Research Report
Bring environmental issues into your classroom! Practice writing and peer editing research reports on global warming and the greenhouse effect. Middle schoolers can work on their research skills, their writing skills, and how to...
Michigan State University
Researching and Compiling Survey Information
Bring Internet research and social issues to your language arts class in this activity. After investigating the topic "Media Violence and How It Affects Teenagers" on the Internet, middle schoolers work in groups to compile their...
National Constitution Center
Writing Rights: The Bill of Rights
Where did the cherished ideals enshrined in the Bill of Rights originate? While history gives the Founding Fathers much of the credit, laws in colonial America influenced the Bill of Rights. An interactive web-based activity allows...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Spanish–American War
The Spanish-American War propelled the United States to the world stage and helped create the modern super power. Using web-based primary sources and a WebQuest format, young scholars consider the causes and outcomes for the war. Working...
Curated OER
Far-out Astronomy in a Suitcase
Ninth graders engage in a web-based research activity. They use a teacher provided worksheet to guide their research through the website. This instructional activity provide a excellent opportunity to showcase Canadians astronomy and...
Curated OER
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage: Grades 6-8
To gain a better understanding of Hispanic heritage and culture, as well as to build informational comprehension skill, learners explore facets of Hispanic American History. They engage in a class discussion, research three facts, and...
Curated OER
Designing a Web Page
Young scholars utilize educational software to create their own websites. In this web design instructional activity, students collaborate in groups to create web page designs based on workers and figures from their community. Young...
Curated OER
Faith-Based Initiatives: Separation of Church and State
Students examine the role of religion in everyday life. In this religion and ethics lesson plan, students investigate the use of government funds to support faith-based initiatives. The lesson plan calls for students to conduct research,...
Curated OER
Web Project
Want to engage your pupils in a Web project? Just follow the step-by-step directions listed on this one-page worksheet. Once the site is established, class members create their own folders in which they insert information and images for...
Curated OER
Who Were the Samurai?
Students research Samurai using the Internet. They compare and contrast the research information with each other.
NOAA
Seafood and Human Health
Whether your young biologists realize it or not, humans play a significant role in marine ecosystems. To help them understand this fact children first create graphical representations that show homo sapiens' place in marine food chains,...
NOAA
Animals of the Fire Ice
When the sun's rays can't reach the producers in a food web, where does all the energy come from? Extreme environments call for extreme food sources. Young scientists investigate creatures that appear to get their energy from methane...
Curated OER
Ecosystems
A critical look into the structure and function of ecosystems is here for young learners as a series of lessons and worksheet activities. Topics covered include land-based and marine ecosystems, connections to the water cycle, food webs,...
Curated OER
Mining the Web
Students complete searches using a directory, search engine, and meta-search engine. In this Internet research lesson, students complete Internet searches using a directory, basic search techniques, advanced search techniques, and a meta...
Curated OER
Evaluating Web Sites
Middle schoolers study the six criteria for evaluating Web sites, identify Web sites with accurate, relevant, and current information on a given topic. They use those criteria to locate three sites that provide good information and three...
Curated OER
Writing a Research Paper
Pupils work through the steps of writing a research paper in this lesson. They define their problem and decide what sources of information to use. They read, take notes, and organize the collected data. Finally, they write the...
Curated OER
Food Webs
Students research rainforest animals and use that information to make a flow chart to show the order in which energy is transferred through several organisms. They label the producers, consumers, and decomposers in their chart.
Curated OER
River Research
Students use the internet to research the streams and rivers found in Illinois. Using the information, they identify and describe the rivers and streams along with the physical characteristics of a river ecosystem. They share what they...
Curated OER
Aquatic Ecosystem Exploration
Students visit a local stream, pond, creek, or river and collect macroinvertebrates. They sort macroinvertebrates and identify each species using a dichotomous key. Students decide on trophic levels and construct a possible food web for...
Curated OER
Deformed Frogs! - The Parasite Hypothesis
This project provides learners the opportunity to investigate parasites as a possible cause of the observed frog deformities. It asks students to view web-based evidence and interpret whether it supports the parasite hypothesis. Learners...
Curated OER
Planets in Our Solar System
Each member of a four-student group takes on a specific aspect of an assigned planet to research. After gathering information, the team works together to create a travel brochure and a presentation intended to convince other classmates...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Weather or Not
What is the difference between weather and climate? This is the focus question of a lesson that takes a deeper look at how weather data helps determine climate in a region. Using weather and climate cards, students decide if a statement...
National Wildlife Federation
Spider Sensations
Know that feeling when walking into a spider's web? Feel it from the other end! Scholars learn about the body parts of a spider and the specific spiders known as orb-weavers. Groups play a game to figure out how a spider finds its food...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Diseases
During a cholera outbreak, scientists presented two theories; one theory was based on miasma and the other on germs and contaminated water. The lesson looks at the scientific process for finding the real culprit.