Curated OER
Plants in Texas: Then and Now
Seventh graders discuss continuity and change, identify various plant materials, and compare and contrast ways in which early people used plants in Texas in prehistoric times with ways that modern man in Texas uses plants today.
Curated OER
An Ad for an Element
Learners prepare an ad for an element, including properties and uses, in an attention getting format such as that used in the advertising business.
Curated OER
Attenuation of Light in Water
Students explore what happens to light intensity as depth increases using a light intensity logger. They construct a PVC model to hold water and identify what factors could influence the amount of light attenuation.
Curated OER
University of California Botanical Garden Field Trip
Students explore plant species and the climates and conditions in their environment. They explore this living museum on the Garden's thirty-four acres to encounter over 13,000 plant species from around the globe.
Curated OER
Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Students research when and why Route 66 was started and how mom and pop businesses fit in with Route 66. Students associate what they've learned with the song.
Curated OER
Best of the Solar System
Students visit a site which provides images to be analyzed. Notes are taken and planets are named based on observed features and observations. Using peer review, they try to determine the identity of the planets. They are free to browse...
Curated OER
Yeast Cells and Their Environment
Middle schoolers create their own experiment in which they have yeast cells growing in liquid environments. They examine the relationship between humans and microorganisms. They also practice using the scientific method.
Curated OER
Ansley Wilcox House
Students complete activities that go along with the study of and possible fieldtrip to the Ansley Wilcox House (T. Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site) in Buffalo, NY. They trace the background of a historical building in their...
National First Ladies' Library
Birds of a Feather: Parrots, Pigeons, Parakeets, and More
High schoolers investigate the concepts related to the extinction of birds while conduct research using the internet and a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create a class presentation or set the context for class...
Curated OER
Bats Online!
Second graders read books and other resources to learn about bats. In this bats lesson plan, 2nd graders read books and research the internet about bats. Once students learn about bats, they will take an online bat quiz.
Curated OER
The Day the Water Ran Out
Students explore ecosystems by researching desert characteristics. In this drought lesson, students identify the potential impacts of a drought on their home state and interview people who are familiar with water studies. Students...
Curated OER
The Moon
Third graders identify the phases of the moon. They use the internet to see the different phases of the moon on different dates. They form their own opinions from the information they have read and justify their opinions to their...
Curated OER
Guidebook
Students create a book about plants they observe after identifying and researching them.
Curated OER
Just How Small is a Nanoparticle?
Students determine the size of a nanoparticle. In small groups, they calculate the actual size of a particle shown in a photo, and discuss how they arrived at their answers.
Curated OER
The Brown Pelican Experts
Fifth graders compare and contrast adaptations of brown pelicans and examine how they survive in different environments. They also make predictions of some adaptations that could be needed in certain types of ecosystems.
National First Ladies' Library
Pandemics: The Swine Flu of 1918
Students study pandemics through the investigational research of the 1918 swine flu. They apply the information by choosing a current virus and role-playing a member of the Centers of Disease Control (CDC).
Curated OER
Chemical Element Interview
Students interview the chemical elements. They research information about their element, such as: stable isotopes, valence electrons, number of subatomic particles. They create a yearbook page for their element, and a format to present it.
Curated OER
Designing Our Own Inventions
Third graders use research from a previous lesson to design their own inventions. In groups, they brainstorm a product they would like to see built and share them with the class. They must explain how each one would serve a purpose or...
Curated OER
Can Diseases be Prevented?
Students write a research paper on a disease based on their internet or library research. They are asked to create a Public Service Announcement. Students must comprehend as much as possible about diseases that have affected society in...
Curated OER
Adapting to the World
Middle schoolers consider dog breeds that are helpful to humans and their hereditary link to wolves. In this biology lesson, student research a dog breed for traits that make it useful to humans. Students write a report of how these...
Curated OER
Burp Under the Ice
Students examine the impact of climate warming on Arctic methane deposits. They identify natural methane processes and describe how this contributes to species extinction. They write reports on their findings.
Curated OER
Archaeology as a Career
Fourth graders read about archaeology as a career. They develop a list of questions they would like to ask an archaeologist and then actually interview an archaeologist on the future of archaeology as a career.
Curated OER
Observation
Students practice observation skills by discussing physical attributes of family artifacts. They determine what characteristics of an object are considered important details.
Curated OER
"Arsenic and Old Waste": Groundwater Activities Using Modeling
Students develop models of groundwater and pollution flow. They research information using the Internet and develop models of groundwater flow in Stella and Excel.