Colorado State University
Why Do Raindrops Sometimes Land Gently and Sometimes with a Splat?
A mouse can fall from large heights without injury! Air resistance is a large influence on small falling objects. In an exploratory lesson, young scholars build a raindrop bottle to compare the falling rate of different-sized objects.
American Psychological Association
Using Psychological Perspectives to Answer Questions on Behavior
Perspective is everything when it comes to assessing human behavior. Class members examine a series of statements and identify the perspective represented by each to demonstrate their understanding of different psychological perspectives.
C-SPAN
Student Symposium and Resulting Action
Your class may not be able to vote yet, but that doesn't mean they can't feel like they're part of the presidential election! The resource creates a symposium where pupils debate about a selected topic in current events during an...
Federal Reserve Bank
The Story of the Federal Reserve: High School Lesson Plan
Is there a bank for the banks? Pupils analyze the complexities of the Federal Reserve system by breaking it down into easy-to-understand sections. Step-by-step investigation using flow charts and graphs of how the monetary system works...
Social Media Toolbox
Ethical Decision Making
When faced with a dilemma, how do journalists decide how much news to use? Social media scholars explore the philosophies of ethical resolution in the first of a 16-part Social Media Toolbox series. Partnered pupils use a Potter Box to...
University of North Carolina
Working with Your International TAs
Colleges and universities attract a diverse group of pupils, and sometimes that includes teaching assistants (TA) from other countries. Using a handout on working with international TAs, scholars find tips to use when listening and...
Smithsonian Institution
War of 1812
Luckily for those who aren't history buffs, anyone can guess that the War of 1812 happened in ... 1812. But how to cover the rest of the story? The resource does just that with effective direct instruction that includes statistics,...
NOAA
The Incredible Carbon Journey: Play the Carbon Journey Game
Class members explore the carbon cycle in the final installment of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They play a simulation game where they walk through the steps carbon takes as it cycles through the different layers of...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Reproduction
Attracting the right mate is as important for humans as any other species. An interesting lesson teaches individuals about several strategies that animals and plants have adapted to attract their mates. From colorful nests to powerful...
Workforce Solutions
Workforce Solutions 4-5 Lessons
Four lessons focus on job opportunities in Texas. In the first instructional activity, scholars examine the geography of Texas in preparation for analyzing data that showcases the economy of different regions. Lesson three challenges...
Curated OER
Diversity Day
Eleventh graders explore a variety of different cultures and their traditions. They complete an evaluation and short reflection of the day on the following prompts: I learned I... and I wish I... Each student then observes and talks with...
Curated OER
Acting Out Respect
Fifth graders explore, analyze and study interacting with others in ways that respect individual and group differences. They assess how to exhibit mutual respect and compromise in relationships through a teacher and counselor scenario...
Curated OER
Teach Peace Now
Help your learners discover empathy and understanding by investigating two sides of a situation. In this humanities instructional activity, pupils examine different pairs of shoes and hypothesize about who may have worn them. Discuss...
Curated OER
Including the Disabled Student
Students read and discuss the history of special education in public schools related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Students work in groups to design ways to modify classroom activities based on the needs of a...
Curated OER
Who Is It?/Who Done It?
Students conduct an experiment that allows them to assess individual differences in random DNA sequences and apply those differences when solving a forensic problem. After discussing the polymerase chain reaction and its use to identify...
Curated OER
Exploring Descriptive Language With Different Parts of Speech
Students practice experiencing writing with appropriate language and incorporating the eight parts of speech. They assess that many words have multiple functions when used in different contexts. Each student free writes in response to a...
Japan Society
Individual and Society: Natsume Sôseki and the Literature of the Early Twentieth Century
Combine literature and history by examining the work of Japanese writers after the Russo-Japanese war. This resource is for advanced classes with an interest in how literature reflects and reacts to societal change. Activities outlined...
Charleston School District
Volume of Rounded Objects
How much can different shapes hold? The answer varies depending on the shape and dimensions. Individuals learn the formulas for the volume of a sphere, cone, and cylinder. They apply the formulas to find the volume of these...
Chymist
Landfills and Recycling
Examine the nature of landfills through experimentation. Scholars build miniature landfills and monitor changes over a six-week period. Observations allow individuals to draw conclusions about the different types of trash and their...
EngageNY
Differences Due to Random Assignment Alone
It takes a lot of planning to achieve a random result! Learners compare results of random assignment, and conclude that random assignment allows results to be attributed to chance. They also realize the set of random means are clustered...
NASA
Exploring the Colors of Mars
Minerals on Mars are not that different than those on Earth. Using mineralogy concepts and satellite images, individuals use color to highlight the different surface minerals on Mars when creating a model of the planet. They enhance...
University of Minnesota
Caeno-WHAT??
Can you feel that? Can you smell that? Since pupils can't ask worms about their sense of smell and touch, they design and complete an experiment to answer these questions. Individuals expose nematodes to different stimuli using their...
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Simple Machines
Simple doesn't mean useless. Individuals learn how simple machines benefit the user by changing the amount of effort. A seven-lesson unit begins with an overview of simple machines and then incorporates activities that allow the user to...
National Wildlife Federation
Call of the Wild: Grades 5-8
Teach animal lovers how to decipher frog speak. Classes learn about the different calls using audio clips. They then imitate the calls as a group and make a recording. The challenge is to try to recognize individual sounds—can they do it?