Curated OER
Learning From Leaves: A Look at Leaf Size
Students measure and analyze leaves from various environments. They discuss the environments, and make inferences about environmental variables that could have contributed to the differences in leaf size and texture.
Curated OER
Natural Resources: Getting a Fair Share?
High schoolers explore the impact of human behavior on key components of the environment, examine how theirn own personal decisions have added to the problem, and explore possible solutions to the current ecological crisis.
Curated OER
I've Got You Under My Skin
Students examine bark beetle galleries, discuss interdependence between insects, trees, and people, and research to determine causes of other tree damage.
Curated OER
Architecture Makes An Imprint
Fifth graders explore architecture of the world, uses of buildings and discuss architecture as a career. They work in cooperative groups and present their findings to the class. This instructional activity can be expanded to include a...
Curated OER
Water Wise
Students calculate their family's water consumption. In this water usage lesson, students discuss the water they use in their homes. Students complete the 'water wise' worksheets to tally their family's use of water. Students answer...
Curated OER
The Lines in Timelines
Young scholars are introduced to the concept of sequence by creating their own personal timeline. As a class, they put the events of the last week of their lives into the correct order and determine what information should be used for...
Curated OER
Infusing Equity by Gender into the Classroom: A Handbook of Classroom Practices--See What We've Done
Students research a leader or achiever, prepare a poster, and participate in a panel discussion and role play. In this contributions by people of diverse backgrounds lesson, students choose a leader and find three resources about...
Curated OER
Jacksonian Democracy
Students determine how technological advancements have formed history. In this Jacksonian democracy lesson, students research innovations of the era and then compare them to the technological innovations of today. Students also debate...
Curated OER
Farming as a Way of Life
Sixth graders research the development of various agriculture techniques. Using this information, they determine how this led to the domestication of plants and animals and how other occupations were considered. They discuss the...
Global Oneness Project
Exploring the Creative Process
Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the...
Consumers Energy
The Cost of Electricity
How much is your toaster costing you every day? Young environmentalists calculate the monetary costs of household appliances based on their average consumption of wattage.
Virginia Department of Education
Measuring Mania
Conversion immersion — it's measuring mania! A set of four activities teaches scholars to convert between customary and metric units. Resource covers unit conversions in length, temperature, weight/mass, and volume.
College Board
The Departure
Scholars learn about the Hero's Journey as they read Ray Bradbury's "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." They analyze the story's structure and narrative techniques. Finally, they write summaries of the text's central idea and use their...
California Education Partners
Lashelles Garden
Let knowledge grow bountifully like plants in a garden. Given a diagram of a rectangular garden split into plots, scholars determine the area of the entire garden and the areas of the individual plots. As a culminating activity, they...
Curated OER
Monitoring Energy Expenditure
Students use heart rate monitors and complete a swimming and running test. These tests allow students to obtain personal data, to manipulate the data through calculations of various parameters, and to graphically represent the data.
Curated OER
Classified Information - Part 1: Shapes
Third graders investigate how and why scientists use classification. They discuss classification strategies using animals, and as a class fill in a flowchart with their responses. Next, in small groups they cut out a variety of shapes...
Curated OER
Rock of Ages
Students use a video, the Internet and hands-on activities to explore how to determine the age of rocks and fossils based on radioactive decay data.
Curated OER
Earthquake!
Students gain an understanding of earthquakes. They examine vocabulary associated with earthquakes, how earthquakes happen, and preventive measures taken to diminish damage or harm in the event that an earthquake should happen.
Curated OER
Oxygen Factory
Fourth graders examine the interdependence of the oxygen and carbon dioxide cycle in an ecosystem through a laboratory investigation. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders complete the lab in groups.
Curated OER
The Cell
Tenth graders explore the parts of a cell. In pairs, classmates construct a model of a eukaryotic cell, detailing its morphology and function. With the use of computer technology, 10th graders create cell book for middle schoolers. ...
Curated OER
Glucose Factory
Fourth graders determine, through laboratory activity, the presence or absence of glucose in a variety of plant leaves and stems. They work in groups and perform a three part laboratory which shows them how plants convert sunlighht to food.
Curated OER
Prescription Stimulants
Learners study ADHD and how prescription drugs can help. In this behavior therapy and drug abuse instructional activity students read articles and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Not A Drop To Drink
Fifth graders discuss ways that humans pollute our natural water supply. They observe a video about water pollution. Students identify eight different ways water is contaminated. They investigate an oil spill by conducting a hands-on...
Curated OER
My Family Tradition
Students examine different family traditions to further explain social patterns. They complete a graphic organizer using educational software.