Annenberg Foundation
Becoming Visible
The television and interstate highways both came of age in 1950s America. Scholars use film, text, and discussion to explore how these and other cultural icons shaped the literature of the time. Pupils also create a family history...
Annenberg Foundation
The Search for Identity
Discover how writers express identity in their writing. Learners explore how issues of identity surface in the literature of minority writers. Scholars watch a video, read and discuss biographies, conduct research, engage in creative...
Curated OER
Study Guide for Where the Red Fern Grows
One of the best fourth grade books of all time is Where the Red Fern Grows. Provide your class with interesting background on the book and the author as well as worksheets for every five chapters of the novel. The first part of the guide...
Academy of American Poets
Women in Poetry
Imagine linking poetry to technology! Thirty-three lessons comprise a 6-week "Women in Poetry" unit for high schoolers. Class members research women poets, learn how to respond electronically to discussions, write their poems, create web...
Curated OER
The Human Geonome Project Structured Controversy
Students debate government funding of the Human Genome Project. In this ethics lesson plan, students use the stuctured controversy framework to research the opposing viewpoints regarding project funding.
Curated OER
Authors on the Internet
Fifth graders write a list of their favorite authors and illustrators before deciding on ways to learn more about them. They examine print and Internet resources as a way to answer questions they have. They complete an Author Scavenger...
Curated OER
Authors Slide Show
Students conduct Internet research about an author. They complete a title slide for that author which includes a picture of the author and a recording of the student's voice introducing the slide. All slides then be compiled into a class...
NASA
Lunar Plant Growth Chamber
Would astronauts be able to grow their food on the Moon? Teams research plant growth in order to design and build a growth chamber that will function on the lunar surface. They narrow down plant choices based upon their strengths and...
Curated OER
Survival of Native American Culture
Students research the five tribes of the Iroquois Nation focusing on housing, food, clothing, transportation, religion, and language. They research using Internet sources and book mark sites for reuse.
Curated OER
Mildred Taylor: Understanding the Author of "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry"
Middle schoolers complete various activities related to the analysis of the novel "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry." They create a collage of words and images of what it was like to live in the South in the 1930's, conduct Internet...
Curated OER
Publication Project
Ninth graders publish a magazine during a ten week marking period. They make individual contributions to the group project that is based on career choices. They write and publish articles, poems, entertainment pieces, and a play that...
Curated OER
Negro Leagues Baseball Card Project
Students discuss impact of Negro Leagues on society, research Negro Leagues baseball players, paraphrase and summarize information, and present pertinent information in baseball card format.
Curated OER
WorldWatcher Project: Global Warming Project
Students conduct lab activities, computer visualizations, and other various forms of research in preparation for a role-play activity in which they assume the identities of advisors to various heads of state on the subject of global...
Curated OER
The Research Paper - Searching for a Subject
Students research a website to look for potential topics for a research paper. They develop a narrowed prioritized subject list on an index card (3X5) using word processing program.
Curated OER
Author Study
Sixth graders complete a research paper on an author of their choice. After selecting an author of interest, 6th graders use internet and traditional resources to gather information from at various sources. They use their information to...
Curated OER
Disease Research Project
Ninth graders explore the human body and how disease affects man. After using the internet and other reference materials to complete research, 9th graders write a paper on the cause and effect of a selected disease. In preparation for...
Curated OER
Ecozones Project
Students examine, detail and produce a display about a particular ecozone in Canada. They produce a detailed wall map, written report and a summary sheet.
NASA
Creating a Space Exploration Infrastructure
What will it take to explore space? Teams of pupils determine the needs of a lunar outpost and research the required systems. The pupils then learn about the past space exploration vehicles. The third and final lesson challenges project...
Curated OER
American Imperialism
Critical analysis skills can be built in a variety of ways. Using editorial cartoons (both domestic and foreign) learners will consider how American Imperialism was perceived during the late 19th century. Critical thinking questions,...
BioEd Online
Skeletal Structures
What better way to study the structures of organisms than by creating a new being? After considering different types of skeletal supports (exoskeleton and endoskeleton), budding biogeneticists work together to create their own animals -...
Baylor College
It Begins with the Heart
Aspiring anatomists label a photograph of a human heart by comparing it to a colored diagram on the same page. The video that is mentioned in the procedure does not seem to be available, but the overview provides plentiful background...
Google
Need Six Authoritative, Relevant Sources? Before Sunrise?
Is your class beginning a project? Here's a template that shows researchers how to use the features of Google Scholar. Directions for how to use Advanced Search, Operators, and Bibliography Manager, as well as how to locate affiliated...
PBL Pathways
What Should Have Happened on Gilligan's Island?
"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale ..." Gilligan's Island is a classic that spans generations and offers a problem-solving opportunity for scholars. Take a project-based learning approach to examine the population of the island....
Purdue University
The Represented World: Recreational STEM
How are forces and motion important to a swing set? Scholars explore the concepts of force and motion using swing sets. In preparation for their own STEM design project, individuals take surveys and data from peers, complete labs on...