Curated OER
Read More Than Words
Middle schoolers, in groups, visually read photographs from the Farm Security Administration taken during the Great Depression. They analyze the photos and present their observations to the class.
Curated OER
Heat of an Unknown Metal
Eighth graders complete labs to find the specific heat of many different types of substances, and use characteristic property to identify an unknown metal. CBL be used to determine energy lost or gained, and students complete a...
Curated OER
Earth: Land Use Picture Project
Students explore how changes in human land use are impacting local environments. They also explore some of the social impacts of various land uses in their area. They identify and discuss some social impacts of the different land uses.
Curated OER
Flow of Information
Learners examine how information follows a linear path. They identify types of sources they need to consult and where it falls in the information flow, simulate the role of historians, and generate a list of sources for a topic.
Curated OER
Mapping an Empire
How did the expansion of the Roman Empire during the first century contribute to its downfall? Using a map of the Roman Empire in 44 BC and one of the Roman Empire in 116 AD as references, class member use critical reading skills to...
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Analysis of Atmospheric Conditions for a High Mountain Retreat
Students examine the relationship between altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity at a particular location. They practice science and math in real world applications. They write reports detailing their scientific...
Curated OER
Whose God?
Students investigate religious freedom in the U.S. They watch and discuss a Bill Moyers NOW video, take a Freedom of Religion quiz, write an essay, and participate in a mock trial and debate.
Curated OER
On the Road Again
Students examine migration patterns in Africa and China. They watch excerpts from a documentary, define key vocabulary words, complete various student organizers, and create a poster.
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Colonial History: Fearless and faaithful
Students discuss reasons why early europeans immigrated to North America. Working in groups, they complete Internet activities on the PBS Website. They take a simulated voyage to the new world and rercord their actions on worksheets. ...
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Autumn Arrays
Autumn is a time for nature to get ready for the upcoming winter. After listening to the book Time to Sleep about the changes of deciduous trees in the fall, learners monitor a tree on a daily basis and view photos of fall foliage online.
Curated OER
Progressive Era: Public Pressure and Government Actions
Students read sections of the novel, "The Jungle". They identify the problems of the meat industry during the Progressive Era. They discuss food concerns of today and make connections between the two time periods.
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction
Students study Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years. They examine the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime. They investigate the complex issues of how Congress took on the role of...
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Naming New Species
Learners explore science of taxonomy and the Five Kingdoms of life,
categorize organisms into Kingdoms, and create multi-media presentations illustrating knowledge of a Kingdom. They collect data and related pictures on the Internet,...
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Newspaper Reporting and Writing
Middle schoolers will examine advertisements, explore ways to inform, locate pictures of Hemingway, read sports articles, and follow directions to create a finished project - a newspaper. their newspapers are multifaceted with not only...
Curated OER
Ultra-simple Electric Generator
Students read this article to discover the secret to making a generator. They understand that there has been lots of projects for making a simple electric motor, but not for a generator.
Smithsonian Institution
For Land's Sake: George Washington as Land Surveyor
Students discuss the importance of land ownership and the purpose of land surveying in the eighteenth century. They interpret a transcript of an eighteenth-century land survey. They survey and area of land. They create a written or...
Curated OER
Bison Gone: Appreciating Natural Resources
Young scholars examine the effects of the loss of the bison after the Europeans arrived in North America. They conduct a demonstration using beans to demonstrate the difference between the number of bison before and after the arrival of...
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The City Symphony- The Original Reality Show
Students discuss the purpose of city symphonies that were used in the past. In groups, they compare and contrast the social systems of a school and city to create their own city symphony video together. They also write what is known as...
Curated OER
In the Footprints of Lewis and Clark: 19th Century Artists -- Depictions of Native Americans
Eighth graders read excerpts of "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. As a class, they view slides of artwork from the time period of westward expansion and Native Americans, write their reactions and share them with the class. To...
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Introduction to Magnetism and Electronics
Students are introduced to the concepts of magnetism and electronics. As a class, they walk through the steps of the scientific method and define new vocabulary. In groups, they are given a bag of objects and they are to separate them...
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Questions of War and Peace: Using Case Studies to Teach the History of American Foreign Policy
Students read three case studies to focus on how the United States dealt with foreign policy issues. In groups, they read about the decision to drop the atomic bomb, the commitment of troops to Vietnam and wwhether to send troops to...
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The Time Has Come: Poetry and Drama Use in the Geography Class
Students use drama and poetry in their Geography class. In groups, they role play an interviewer or the interviewee in various plays that were presented to them. In their role, they must locate and label where the countries mentioned...
Curated OER
Teaching About the Hydrosphere
Eighth graders are introduced to the Earth's hydrologic system including the cycling of water in the atmosphere and the movement of water on the surface of the planet using the Great Lakes watershed as an example.
Curated OER
Child Labor
Students examine how how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good, and identify examples of where they fail to do so. They describe how workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they...