US House of Representatives
Women Pioneers on Capital Hill, 1917–1934
As part of a study of the women elected to Congress from 1917 to 1934, groups research and then design a museum exhibit that describes the life and the congressional service of one of these women.
US House of Representatives
Recent Trends Among Women in Congress, 1977–2006
After reading the contextual essay, "Assembling, Amplifying, and Ascending: Recent Trends Among Women in Congress 1977–2006," groups select a female senator or representative and research her background and contributions.
US National Archives
WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Iwo Jima
Of the images that have permeated history to define American courage, perseverance, and patriotism, the 1945 photograph of United States Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most well known. After researching the pivotal...
Curated OER
Delayed Gratification
Word problems are great for engaging critical thinking skills, and word problems involving money increase a child's financial literacy. Boost your critical and financial thinkers with a multi-step word problem involving money and problem...
Curated OER
Puberty
A simple cloze activity gets learners developing a comfort level with sexual development terminology. For Activity 1, they use 12 terms to fill in 11 blanks in an informational text, including sperm, eggs, sex hormones, puberty,...
Curated OER
The Looking Glass: Artwork of Robert Harris
A series of 4 activities foster critical thinking, careful observation, and creative expression with the work of Canadian artist Robert Harris. Learners respond to half a painting and then to the whole picture while listening to a poem;...
Curated OER
Erase the Quiet
Learners recognize how music, theater, dance, and the visual arts can be combined to contribute to their own active learning. They work in small groups to research and use critical thinking skills to identify ways in which the arts could...
Curated OER
Bullying and Homophobia
Having difficulty in class broaching controversial issues? This lesson offers several linked online tools to get students engaged in discussion about bullying and homophobia. Coastkid.org offers an interactive scenario activity, which...
Curated OER
Hans Krebs and the Puzzle of Cellular Respiration
Spark your biology buffs' critical thinking skills by assigning these questions about Hans Krebs and his work on biochemical processes. The first question refers to a respiration lab apparatus used in class, so you will want to precede...
Curated OER
Sima Qian: Records of the Grand Historian
Print this resource and activate prior knowledge about Ancient China. This page includes a quote from Sima Qian and two critical thinking questions related to the dynastic system in China.
Novelinks
The Book Thief: Cubing Strategy
Whether used to review prior to a reading assessment or as a way to generate ideas for an essay, this activity is sure to encourage critical thinking about Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Kids create a six-sided question cube with each...
Curated OER
Thinking Skills: Connecting shapes
In this thinking skills worksheet, students draw a line connecting each blue figure without touching any other color. Students connect 4 figures.
Curated OER
Worksheet 10: Which Word Doesn't Belong?
This critical thinking activity is a great way to get learners thinking about the association between words. In this short activity students identify which word does not belong in 10 questions.
Curated OER
Learning About Inventions
This site contains a variety of worksheets and activities to supplement the on-line problem-based learning activity about how imagination and how inventions are created. TheWright Brothers are used as a case study. The links and...
Artgig Studio
Mystery Math Town
You know you have stumbled on something interesting when you launch this app. You are suddenly taken into a world of mystery and intrigue, and of course, math-skills practice.
Curated OER
Book Project Lesson Plans
Long term book projects can help engage students and enhance their critical thinking skills .
Curated OER
Preschoolers and Science Skills
You can encourage critical thinking and problem solving by allowing young children to participate in hands-on science activities.
Curated OER
Area of the Lawn Project
Students calculate simple area calculations in real-life situations. They determine simple wage computations. They use critical thinking skills. They demonstrate their ability to use writing in order to express mathematical thoughts and...
Curated OER
Fishy Frequencies
Tenth graders demonstrate that natural selection is an agent of evolution. They quantitatively apply the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to an imaginary population of fish. They utilize math and graphing skills, collecting and analyzing data,...
Curated OER
Population Vs Consumption: Which is a Bigger Problem for the Environment & Who is Getting the Lion's Share of the World's Resources?
Students develop critical thinking and awareness about the complexity of natural resource use, wealth distribution, population densities, poverty, and the environment. They think about people living in different parts of the world and...
Curated OER
Vanishing Verbs
Students analyze recent media trends, and develop critical thinking skills by summarizing main ideas, extracting details, formulating opinions, drawing inferences, and comparing and contrasting attitudes. They also practice paraphrasing...
Curated OER
Island Survival
Students participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They work with their group to develop an island survival plan and summarize it in a journal. Students use a worksheet and challenge cards to earn points. They will be...
Curated OER
Stacking the Deck on Nutrition
Students explore classification. In this science lesson plan, students arrange a variety of foods into their proper food groups. This and other related activities will aid in the development of the students' critical thinking skills.
Curated OER
Splatter Spread
Young scholars assemble a potato cannon following directions. In groups, they analyze the spread pattern of paint soaked projectiles and discover the relationship between scatter and distance. They role play the role of a forensic...