Mr. Nussbaum
Civil War
Test scholars' reading comprehension skills with a practice that focuses on the Civil War. Participants read an informational text then answer 10 questions.
Literacy Design Collaborative
The Lottery
Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" provides middle schoolers with an opportunity to hone their close reading and literary analysis skills. After annotating their copy of the story, writer's craft an essay in which they analyze...
Into the Outdoors
Into the Outdoors: Black Bear Biology
Presents information about the black bear. Watch the accompanying video to learn how this omnivore's adaptation allows it to survive and reproduce. Site also includes lesson plans about the black bear. [10:22]
Library of Congress
Loc: Everyday Mysteries: What Is Gps?
Where are you and where are you going? Visit this site and learn the discovery and purpose of GPS, Global Position Systems.
Library of Congress
Loc: Everyday Mysteries, Who Invented Frozen Food?
Everyday Mysteries uncovers the mastermind behind the concept and process of frozen foods.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Lift Every Voice and Sing
Explore and analyze "Lift Every Voice and Sing" , a poem by James Weldon Johnson, which was set to music and is considered the "Black National Anthem."
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Personal Stories and Primary Sources
Young scholars will explore the value of personal stories and first-hand accounts when exploring history, in this case, the events of the early twentieth century, which included World War I and the Great Depression. Through this...
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Migrant Workers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange
Using song lyrics and Dorothea Lange's photographs, students will explore the hardships migrant workers faced during the Great Depression.
NASA
Nasa: Building a Winogradsky Column [Pdf]
NASA teacher's guide to building a Winogradsky Column to study microorganisms. When this guide was first released, students were invited to participate in two webcasts with NASA scientists. The conversations from those webcasts are...
Emory University
Emory University: Odyssey Online: Egypt
Site contains a wealth of information on the ancient Egyptians and their way of life. Among the things discussed include ancient Egyptian mythology, their daily life, death and burial rituals, Egyptian writing, plus much more!
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: On This Day With Lewis and Clark
This website provides excellent lesson plans that detail any aspects of Lewis and Clark's expedition, from analyzing maps to studying diaries. There are links to the PBS website that will provide primary sources for the students to...
Federal Reserve Bank
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia: What Is the Federal Reserve? [Pdf]
Questions like "How does the bank hold reserves?" or "How do banks make deposits?" are examples of what is explained through this banking simulation lesson plan to illustrate the purpose of the Federal Reserve.
eSchool Today
E School Today: Elements, Compounds, Substances and Mixtures
Learn about the classification of matter based on whether the chemical composition is pure or a mixture. Understand the definitions of elements, compounds, substances, and mixtures, and what the differences are between them. Five types...
eSchool Today
E School Today: What Is an Ecosystem?
Learn about all the different levels of ecosystems, from the living things under a rock, up to a rainforest biome. Explains the levels of organization within an ecosystem, the different types of biomes, food chains and trophic levels,...
eSchool Today
E School Today: Your Cool Basics on Water Shortage
Despite seventy percent of the world's surface being covered with water, there is a potential shortage of this natural resource. Only a small percentage is fresh water and much of that is inaccessible or threatened. Learn about fresh...
eSchool Today
E School Today: Your Cool Basics on Forest Preservation
Learn about the different kinds of forests, how forests are structured, their importance, deforestation and its impact, forest degradation, and what individuals can do to protect forests.
eSchool Today
E School Today: Renewable Energy Sources
Learn what renewable energy is, the different types, and why it's important to conserve energy.
eSchool Today
E School Today: Your Cool Facts and Tips on Air Pollution
Looks at air pollution, its causes and impact, common pollutants, and what individuals and governments can do to combat it.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Lesson 2: People and Places in the North and South
Lesson explores the causes of the Civil War and the basic disagreements between North and South through the use of primary source documents, photographs, and census information. Includes two detailed student activities and resources for...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Not Everyone Lived in Castles During the Middle Ages
Forget the romantic view of the Middle Ages. What was it really like? Lesson plan focuses on exploring the lives of the peasants, craftsmen, and monks. Hyperlinks lead to great illustrations.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Robber Barons and Captains of Industry
A very thorough lesson plan from EDSITEment that explores the role of the robber barons in American industry in the 19th century. It explores the question of whether the robber barons were harmful or "Captains of Industry." You'll find...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Nisqually Glacier at Mount Rainier
Observe the Nisqually Glacier at Mount Rainier in this video segment from NatureScene. [4:07]
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Igloo 101
Learn what it takes to build an igloo from the best kind of snow to the most effective tools and other little-known facts about these traditional Canadian Inuit structures in this interactive activity from NOVA.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Mystery Mud: Exploring Changes in States of Matter
Join a group of middle-school students on a visit to a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they experiment with "mystery mud" and learn about the relationships between magnetism, particle motion, and changes in...