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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine conditions at state mental hospitals after World War II. They examine the treatment of patients and how to evaluate the credibility of sources. They write a short essay to complete the lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Honesty In Reporting Research

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students view and discuss a video on dishonesty. Then they have a homework assignment to apply this discussion to household products that have resulted from scientific research which was falsified in order to get the product approved for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders watch a video about Eric Carle before listening to his story entitled, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They notice how the caterpillar eats its way through the days of the week and they examine the life cycle of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Walk a Mile in Albatross Shoes

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students recognize the correlation between the trash they dispose of around their school and the environmental hazards that face wildlife, specifically the Laysan albatross. They determine three ways that they can help the albatross chicks.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solid Waste

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students examine how to use their vocabulary, writing skills, and creative thinking to address environmental concerns in this unit. They write messages to using creative writing to address the issues of solid waste and recycling.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Cities

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research the characteristics of cities in two different geographical areas. Using the internet, they take notes on the information they collect and record their observations on the two cities. They discover how the location...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Walk in the Woods

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students observe an environment, ask questions about what they observe. and design experiments to answer one question they came up with in this upper-level High School or college lesson. The lesson requires an outdoor exploration or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surveying an Environment / Ecosystem

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students visit a local ecosystem to survey the plants and animals present and identify interactions between organisms. They identify interactions that occur between living organisms and their ecosystem and present their ecosystem to the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trappers Then and Now

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study how trapping in the Illinois Territory in the 1800's effected the beaver population in the state. They compare methods, rules and regulations of the 1800s to those of today. In groups, they research a variety of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pausing to Breathe

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners identify and summarize the critical aspects of each of the four topics on air pollution. They present these critical components in an interesting and creative manner to class members.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Veterans Day Remembered

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders gather information about Veterans and create a PowerPoint. In this Veterans remembered lesson, 6th graders interview a veteran and research on the computer to create a five slide PowerPoint.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthworks

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore watersheds and take samples and analyze the data from a watershed in the area.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's in the Garbage

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars analyze how studying garbage relates to methods of archaeology. They examine garbage to determine things about their culture and relate that to prehistoric peoples.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Market for Moving People to America, 1610-1775

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the markets that brought people to America. They identify the role of the immigrants in creating this country. They also analyze data to gather information about the time period.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Democracy, A Basic Element In Our Society

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of freedom with the context of the First Amendment. They research and take notes looking for the connections between democracy and freedom. They complete a writing assessment that includes naming all of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Berlin Wall

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students enter the classroom and observe a wall that is set up with desks, bookshelves, or anything else available. to create a barrier that they cannot cross during the class. The class then is divided into East and West Berlin with the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Poetry

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders locate the poetry section of the LMC. They produce a hand written transparency based on the poem Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Students illustrate a poem from their poetry section. It is a mystery to them what...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feedback and Flowcharts

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explain what a negative feedback system is and they distinguish it from a positive feedback system. They describe examples of how negative feedback is used in both nature and technology. , Students define homeostasis, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underwater Habitats

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students make a hydrophone and attach it to their Sea Perch ROVs. They use the hydrophones in conjunction with the underwater cameras on the ROVs to explore their local aquatic environments.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home on the Range

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use maps and mathematics to determine the appropriate panther population in a given area. In this Florida ecology lesson, students research the area requirements of male and female panther and use a map to help calculate how...
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Website
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Teaching Geography: North America

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Media-rich site that explores North America. The first part of this workshop focuses on the general human behavior in urban settings looking for and interpreting those patterns. The second portion draws attention to urban issues such as...
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Handout
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Illinois State Water Survey: Nitrogen Cycle: Human Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the impact of human activities on the environment and how those actions effect the nitrogen cycle.
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Lesson Plan
Trinity University

Trinity University: Inherited Traits Versus Learned Behaviors [4Th Grade]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this extremely detailed unit, students will learn the about innate and learned characteristics in animals and humans through a series of teacher and student-led discussions, readings, reflections, learning activities, and...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Multitasking: Brain Drain or Boost in Efficiency?

For Students 9th - 10th
Think it's a good idea to plug into iTunes, surf the Web, or watch TV while doing homework or trying to read? Many people do it and claim that jumping from one activity to another keeps their attention level up and even gives their brain...