Curated OER
Hungry for History
Students examine what their diets would be like without the inclusion of staple crops such as corn, wheat and sugar, and discover the value that chocolate had for the Mayan people. They create display boards for a food festival.
Curated OER
The Eyes Have It
Students explore the health risks associated with wearing decorative contact lenses. They research other cosmetic modes of expression that can pose health risks and debate whether these practices should remain legal.
Curated OER
Sense-itive Issues
Students consider the difficulties of adapting to the loss of different senses. They work in small groups, each developing a fictional superhero who experiences a loss of one of sense and must compensate for it with his or her other senses.
Curated OER
Performance Poppers
Students examine the controversies surrounding the use of performance-enhancing supplements in sports by interviewing athletes and writing feature articles that compare the skills required to compete in different sports.
Curated OER
Organic Feud
Students examine possible pesticide exposure in their fruit and vegetable consumption. They compile fact sheets exploring various organic food issues and interview their parents about the food choices they make for their Students.
Curated OER
Healthy Hearts
Students focus on advanced technologies used to treat disease impacting the cardiopulmonary system; they then reflect on the experiences of having and overcoming illnesses.
Curated OER
Hall Monitors
Students investigate the incidence of different types of violence that occurs in their schools through reading, discussion and interviews. They question local authorities about the best ways to reduce school violence.
Curated OER
In a Class of Their Own
Students explore taxonomy and how birds are classified in this scientific system. They use this knowledge to create entries for a field guide to birds that can be used to identify different species.
Curated OER
Cooking Up an Explanation
Students pose scientific questions about food items and research their explanations. They then create recipe cards with the answers and present their findings in a cooking show format.
Curated OER
Technically Speaking
Young scholars research how various forms of technology have changed during different time periods and the ways in which technology impacts society. They propose designs for galleries within a technology museum.
Curated OER
Shedding New Light
Students consider why photographs in space might not show stars and research the importance of light in this phenomenon. They research other scientific processes related to light or its absence and create "How It Works" posters about them.
Curated OER
Think Small
Students explore current applications of nanotechnology in various industries, including medicine, space development, environmental protection, and defense.
Curated OER
Growing Pains
Students compare common food items with the parts of a plant. They grow their own plants to assess the difficulties in assisting a plant's growth and reproduction.
Curated OER
Industrial Light and Magic
Students investigate early mass production in various industries, and then create presentation posters outlining how a typical 19th-century factory, mill or refinery worked.
Curated OER
Euro Cent Trick
Students investigate the positive and negative aspects of the currency switch to the euro in eleven European countries as of January 1, 1999. They research the previous currencies of the eleven countries and create posters illustrating...
Curated OER
Has Peace Finally Settled in the Middle East?
Young scholars evaluate the changes made in the Palestine National Council charter and their potential impact on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations. They write a brief essay focusing on an article from an Israeli or Palestinian...
Curated OER
Clearing the Smoke About Cigarettes
Students explore the many causes and effects of cigarette smoking in order to create anti-smoking campaigns geared towards other students.
Curated OER
Species for Sale
Students explore wildlife conservation by investigating animal species that are near extinction due to their value as commodities. They defend the protection of an endangered species researched in class by creating an informational poster.
Curated OER
Is the Internet A Web Of Deceit?
Students become more savvy Web surfers by evaluating the various elements of a Web site to determine its credibility. They conduct a two-part investigation of a Web site, focusing on how one determines if a Web site is credible in...
Curated OER
Both Home And School On The Range
Students investigate the notion of home-schooling and the use of technology as an instructional tool while comparing these ideas to their own school experiences. They develop and conduct a survey centering around home-schooling and...
Curated OER
Being Too Hard on Microsoft?
Learners compare the antitrust case against Microsoft with other historic antitrust cases. After exploring the notions of capitalism, monopolies and trusts, students examine the current case against Microsoft.
Curated OER
Give a Little, Get a Lot
Learners research a specific charitable organization on the Internet, focusing on the organization's history, services, and importance in society. They develop an outline for a charitable organization with a mission statement.
Curated OER
Internet Filter Infiltration
Learners explore the effects of Internet filters in schools. They work in small groups to survey different types of people in the school community about their views on school Internet filters and draft an Internet policy based on their...
The New York Times
A Worker's Compensation
Middle schoolers read about the history of Labor Day in a newspaper article. They discuss difficulties American employees of the past had to face, learn about labor rallies, and conduct Internet research. Part of the intention of this...