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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lewis and Clark: The Language of Discovery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students replicate some of the trailblazing methods of Lewis and Clark on a fifteen-minute "writing journey" through the school or neighborhood.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Encounters

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use their visualizing and interpreting skills to produce original writings and artwork.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Things Fly

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students observe photographs of selected twentieth-century aircraft at the National Air and Space Museum and note differences in the design of aircraft wings, fuselages, and engines.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Things Fly

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students, by drawing on their own experiences, discuss and examine the basic physics of flight. They participate in a variety of activities regarding flight.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of the Wrights' Flight

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Pupils examine and compare primary and secondary source accounts of the Wright brothers' first flights on December 17, 1903.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rocky Shore

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Pupils compare a realistic landscape painting with a photograph of the same place.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spy on a Spider

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students view slides or live specimens to name and describe the distinguishing features of groups of arthropods, especially spiders and insects. They complete worksheets, observe webs and then search for and record where spiders can be...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creatures from Planet X: Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students are given a description of some fascinating animals from "Planet X". They follow the descriptions given to illustrate one of these animals paying careful attention to introduced vocabulary such as 'appendages', 'receptors', and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Facts, Feats and Folklore: Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students review and discuss a variety of sayings, folklore and superstitions about spiders. They discuss this information and choose either an interesting fact or appealing foklore tradition to illustrate.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baga Drum

For Teachers K - 6th
Students examine a Baga Drum in order to explore the history of the Baga people of West Africa. In this art history lesson, students recognize figures used in Baga Drum design that represent aspects of Baga culture. They also design and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hall of Fame

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students create a Hall of Fame. They discuss and study established Hall of Fames such as baseball. They participate in mock nominating and voting process for the hall of fame.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Catch a Dream

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students apply the concepts of air pressure, the Bernoulli Effect, and angle of attack to build their own model planes out of paper, plastic, wooden rods, and drinking straws.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Achievers Club

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students research a person, present or past, who has accomplished great goals. They report on their person to the class.
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Handout
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Zoom Inventors and Inventions

For Students 3rd - 8th
This site has an alphabetized list of inventions and inventors throughout history. You can also explore by era, topic or nationality.
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Handout
Other

Black History From a to Z

For Students 3rd - 5th
Students will enjoy exploring this colorful site during Black History Month, or any other month! Follow the timeline of famous African American women and inventors, or just click on a letter of the alphabet to find brief pieces of...
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Lesson Plan
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Hedy Lamarr

For Students 6th - 8th
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today's WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
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Lesson Plan
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Inventive Women Part 1

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will learn about female inventors and their contributions to American technology.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Innovative Lives

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from the Smithsonian Institute you can explore the world of invention by learning about inventors and their inventions. Searchable by name or subject, it is a great way for students to learn about science and technology.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Special Feature: Forgotten Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
This fascinating site from PBS features seven inventions from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with information about the men and women who created them. Click on one of the small photos to learn more, or scroll down through the...
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Madame c.j. Walker

For Students 3rd - 8th
At this site from the MIT Program you can read how Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker, or Madame C.J. Walker, and Marjorie Joyner "founded beauty schools for blacks" and changed the lives of African-Americans.
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Handout
Other

California State Polytechnic University: Women Inventors: Sarah E. Goode

For Students 9th - 10th
The hideaway bed was originally invented by a former slave and furniture store owner, Sarah E. Goode.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Spark!lab: Inventor Profiles: Charlotte Cramer Sachs

For Students 3rd - 8th
Charlotte Cramer Sachs held the patents on many inventions. She invented quick baking products such as Joy muffin mixes, as well as accessories for dogs and musical games. One invention was a precursor to the retractable dog leash. A...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Forgotten Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is an accounting of a few inventions, most of which were invented in the 1800s, that often are overlooked. Find out about how the can opener was invented as well as that clothing staple, the denim jeans.
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Unknown Type
My Hero Project

My Hero: Madam c.j. Walker

For Students 9th - 10th
In this student-written article, read about Madam C.J. Walker, the pioneering entrepreneur who started the first hair-care products line for African-American women.