Curated OER
Carl Sandburg's "Chicago": Bringing a Great City Alive
Carl Sandburg composed poetry that conveyed a time and place in American Literature and history. Learners identify the literary techniques he uses to describe the historical and cultural context of living in Chicago. They define the...
Curated OER
Unit 2: Global to Local: Understanding My Place in the Hydrosphere
What does the ground around your home have to do with water pollution? Young ecologists learn about their local watershed and create their own cause-and-effect models of the hydrosphere.
Curated OER
Unit 3: Scientific Writing
Write-on! Demonstrate a writing model and support learners as they write an informational essay on a water resource issue of your (or their) choosing. The lesson plan provides a well-scaffolded summative writing experience that wraps up...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Causes and Effects of Climate Change
Wrap-up a unit on global climate change with a lesson that examines the causes and effects of climate change. Learners fill out a chart that represents what they think causes climate change—natural and human-based—and what they think...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Is Measuring an Art or a Science?
Not only do future engineers learn the difference between accuracy and precision, they also get some hands-on experience using different measuring tools.
Curated OER
What Is the True Story of the Three Little Pigs?
Cozy up and listen to a recording of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Three Little Javelinas. Then, lead your class in a compare and contrast of the two stories by creating a Venn diagram.
Curated OER
WebQuest: Thrills and Spills- Pick Your Park!
Students participate in a WebQuest in which they must determine which amusement park is the "median priced" park. Students visit park websites to accumulate prices for parking, activities, restaurants, and gift shops.
Curated OER
Mayflower and Speedwheel Trip to the New World
Fourth graders compare the voyage of the Speedwell versus the Mayflower. In this historical voyages lesson, 4th graders analyze the differences between the two voyages, learn about the conditions sailing aboard the Mayflower, and sing a...
Curated OER
Gray Whales
Explore the majestic grey whale while deepening your understanding of animal adaptations. Grey whales from head to toe are specifically designed to fit their environment. Learners will examine the ways in which the flippers, head, body,...
Curated OER
Food Pyramid Mobile
Third graders study the food pyramid. In this diet lesson, 3rd graders discuss healthy foods, food servings, and food groups. Students cut out a few pictures from magazines representing each food group and create a mobile of the food...
Curated OER
Jack and the Beanstalk Math
Students listen to Jack and the Beanstalk and determine what they think are the most common words. In this Jack and the Beanstalk lesson, students reread the story, count the words they chosen and graph those words. Students graph the...
Curated OER
Maniac Magee Lesson Ideas
Here are ideas and activities to include in a "Maniac Magee" novel study.
Curated OER
Activity 2: Salinity & Tides
Students explore the effects of tides and salinity on an estuary. In this salinity and tides lesson plan, students complete 3 activities which help them understand estuarine systems. They study the tides in the Chesapeake Bay, they study...
Curated OER
Percussion Instruments and Pitch
Learners play string instruments to discover how the pitch changes on various string instruments. In this pitch lesson, students listen to video clips and play an online music game. Learners become familiar with music vocabulary.
Curated OER
Variable Skies
Learners examine factors which affect a vortex and create model tornadoes. They identify variables, pose a testable question, and perform an experiment using the scientific method. After they collect their data, students write a complete...
Curated OER
1st Grade - Act. 11: Fairy Tale Riddles & Puppet Shows
First graders put on puppet show and retell fairy tales.
Curated OER
Farming in Space
Students research, design, and run plant growth experiments online. They explore websites, design an experiment using an animation-based building block program, construct a soda bottle hydroponic production unit and a cardboard plant...
Curated OER
Red Tail Ridge Wetland Study Project
Fifth graders use a real life scenario of the wetlands to gather information on creatures of the habitat. In this wetlands activity, 5th graders research the interdependence of organisms in a healthy habitat. Students collected samples...
Curated OER
Talking About the Future
Students investigate how to communicate about the future using the proper verb tense. In this communication about the future activity, students talk to a partner about future plans. They fill in an associated chart about the present...
Curated OER
Huck Finn Chapter Questions
Students answer chapter questions to evaluate the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Continental Differences
Middle schoolers break into groups and closely investigate primary sources associated with the seven different continents. After deciding which continent their primary sources relate to, representatives from each group present their...
Learning to Give
Your Place in the Community
Learners identify their beliefs and values and compare how these values relate to those of their community. They then determine how their values affect the roles they play in different situations. A quiz about values and beliefs...
Curated OER
Understanding Bernoulli's Principle
Fifth graders explain why we fly. In this space science activity, 5th graders discuss Bernoulli's prinicple and its relation to flight.
Curated OER
Moccasins are Made for Dancing
Students perform a traditional Native American dance. In this cultural dance lesson, students research two Native American dances. Students discuss the relationship between the dances and Native American culture. Students use their...