Curated OER
One, Two, Three...and They're Off
Students make origami frogs to race. After the race they measure the distance raced, collect the data, enter it into a chart. They then find the mean, median, and mode of the data. Next, students enter this data into Excel at which time...
Michigan Sea Grant
Water Quantity
It may be tricky for a young mind to conceptualize that less than 1% of all water on earth is useable for humans to drink. Simulating the amount of fresh water available on earth by removing measured amounts of water from a five-gallon...
Curated OER
Activity 1 Up, Up, and Away: Building a Hot Air Balloon
Middle schoolers investigate the question: "How does a hot air balloon work?" They build small hot air balloons ans then lauch them. Students discuss how they think a hot air balloon floats. Pupils are introduced to the use of models...
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
Radiation and Color
Tenth graders explore the relationship between color and heat absorption by measuring the temperature change of water in differently colored test tubes as they are exposed to a heat lamp. They work in small groups to collect data and...
Curated OER
Diffusion
Students design and carry out an experiment according to the scientific method. The experiment must test the effects of time and concentration on the rate of diffusion of potassium permanganate into potato cubes. After performing the...
Curated OER
Old Solutions - New Solutions
Students examine descriptions of a mining company's land-reclamation project. They share information to analyze the environmental impact of the project. Independently, they answer questions on environmental and economic issues...
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Jelly Bean's Galore
Young scholars investigate the origins of the Jelly Bean. They complete a Scavenger Hunt using the jellybean website. Pupils create a bar graph using information collected about jelly beans. Students discuss the time of year that Jelly...
Curated OER
Technology Blackout Day
Students describe the impact of modern technology inventions on daily life. They create a graph of the class's favorite item of technology and draw a picture of their favorite piece of modern technology.
Curated OER
Legendary Myths Verses Modern Life
Students discover that some of the influences ancient myths have had on the way of life still practiced today in a Spanish speaking country they have chosen. They work in small groups to devise their own essential question, research...
Curated OER
Only Skin Deep
Students examine and compare notions of beauty in cultures around the world and explore the connection between what is deemed 'beautiful' and cultural history. They Develop a "Beauty Around the World" collage representing beauty...
Curated OER
Pulleys and Gears
Students analyze an engineering problem. They contrast paper and pencil mastery of concepts with hands-on mastery. They present their design and rationale behind it, whether it works or not.
Curated OER
Robots All Around Us
Student work in design teams to research robots, create a drawing of a robot they want to make, build a prototype of their robot, present their prototype and research, and write a descriptive paragraph about their creation.
Curated OER
Testing Your Water
Students perform several water quality tests on groundwater from their area. They use test strips to determine the pH, hardness, alkalinity, nitrates, iron and chloride levels.
Curated OER
Creeping Sheets of Ice
Students conduct scientific investigation in which they observe glacial
effects on landscape, develop and explain their own theories of how glaciers change land, and demonstrate understanding and explain basic motion and force principles.
Curated OER
Viewing Guide for The Ponder Heart
Learners conduct research through library and Internet resources. They research in a multidisciplinary fashion, and make creative leaps in their analysis and interpretation of the novella.
Curated OER
Start Book
Students review their notes, drawings, photos and writing from the field trip to share with the whole group. They make a fiction or nonfiction storybook as a group. They include writing from all students and can include artwork and...
Curated OER
California: Land and People
Fourth graders research information about some of California indigenous tribes to find out as much as possible about the first people found in the four regions of California. They research the history of a selected tribe and their...
Curated OER
Flights of Fancy?
Students reflect on the dynamics of human flight and how objects fall through the air and how science principles are used in flight.
They create a How-It-Works poster diagramming the science behind one method of flying. In addition,...
Curated OER
Airing Our concerns: I Can See Clearly Now
Middle schoolers research specific answers to questions about air pollution. For this air pollution lesson, students share information to fully understand the causes of air pollution. Middle schoolers role play individuals from different...
Curated OER
A Country Recovering from Crisis--Kenya
Students explore Kenya. In this Kenya lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the political and economic issues the country is facing. Students compare life in Kenya to life in the United States.
Curated OER
The Great Debate: Internationalists vs. Isolationists
High schoolers examine the opposing arguments of the isolationists and internationalists in 1941. In this debate instructional activity, the students are divided into two opposing groups representing a position in a live, in- class...
Curated OER
Brown Bagging with Short Stories
Students participate in a study of short story elements, applying their knowledge and understanding to a selection of short stories. In this short stories lesson, students read five short story selections, identifying conflict, plot,...
Curated OER
Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...