Curated OER
Alabama Fever
Students describe life on the Alabama frontier. They identify topics important to early settlers and explain the impact of geography on development. They explore the government's role in the sale of public land.
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Life on the Canadian Prairie in the Late 1880s
Sixth graders are read excerpts of the book "Pioneer Girl" by their teacher. Using the text, they discover what life was like on the Canadian Prairies during the 1880s. They discuss why people moved west and the expansion of the railroad...
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Destination Mars!
Fifth graders view Mysteries of Earth & Mars Video on DVD and record thoughts in their online journal. They record data in a spreadsheet about each planet then form a theory of the best time to launch a space craft from Earth to land...
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the Not Forgotten - Sharing History & Archaeology
Students create a catalog of gravestones in a cemetery that includes a burial ground from the Revolutionary War. They photograph and document the grave sites, research the Battle of Bunker hill and work with community members to create...
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Exploring Electricity: Light Sculptures
Students study electricity by making their own light sculptures. In this light sculptures lesson, students review electrical loops and circuitry components. Students then plan, create, and refine light sculptures.
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Probability
Eighth graders relate real life events with probability. In this probability lesson, 8th graders investigate using coin toss, discuss NBA shooting percentages and MLB batting averages. Students also complete a worksheet.
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Cookie Mining
Students simulate coal mining with chocolate chip cookies and toothpicks. They investigate the costs associated with mining coal.
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Snow Cover by Latitude
Learners create graphs showing the amount of snow coverage at various points of latitude and compare graphs.
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Agriculture and the Environment
Students investigate the interdependence of agriculture and the environment. They research areas of interdependence and provide examples of situations where farmers are practicing conservation in the local area. Their findings are...
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Sustainable Marine Fisheries
Through a fishing simulation, environmentalists discover consequences of over fishing. Afterward, they discuss how the activity relates to the impact of real-life commercial fishing. They also consider sustainability in the fishing...
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An Era of Innovation
Research milestones from the past century. Transportation milestones have changed society, the economy, communication, and travel. Pupils research these changes in order to create a transportation exhibit showing the enhancements in...
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Ocean Impacts of an El Nino Event
Students study sea surface height and temperature and other characteristics of an El Nino. In this ocean impacts lesson students examine the factors that influence an El Nino or La Nina.
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On the Road with Marco Polo: From Hormuz to Venice
Students study the route from Hormuz to Constantinople that was traveled by the Polos. They explain the importance of Constantinople in medieval time and discuss its location, and outer wall structure.
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Wildlife Variety Show: Biodiversity In Illinois
Eighth graders write a short report in first person about any plant or animal found on a list of Illinois species. They become the character of the plant or animal and give a short report describing the plant or animal.
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The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free Country
Students describe the contents of the First Amendment while telling about an example of speech that is protected by the Constitution and that which is not. They attempt to apply the First Amendment to situations that could occur in their...
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The Aztecs - Mighty Warriors of Mexico
Upper elementary learners identify the Aztecs as the builders of a great city and rich civilization in what is now Mexico. They locate the Aztec Empire and its capital on a map and place the Aztecs in the chronology of American history....
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Pendemonium: The Great African Surfari
Young scholars discover the importance of matching verbs to their subjects through a discussion of a whimsical video on verb agreement and a read aloud of the book, "To Root, To Toot To Parachute". They practice verb agreement in...
Skyscraper Museum
Designing a Skyscraper
Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second lesson in this series begins by exploring the history of the Empire State...
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PowerPoint Prairie
students create a PowerPoint presentation to both inform and assess the knowledge of the prairie. This project must have the cooperation of the technology teacher or the teacher must be able to instruct Students on PowerPoint presentations.
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Forest Fires
Young scholars play the role of a Ranger with the Department of Forestry. For this forest fires lesson, students examine data on biomes and images to determine high risk areas for forest fires to develop.
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Case Study of Local Trends in the Carbon Cycle
Students examine the relationship between chlorophyll and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this investigative lesson plan students study the local effects of climate change.
Civil War Trust
Civil War Soldier: Experiencing the Battle of Franklin
Fighting a war over home soil makes a living nightmare even more real. Class members describe the experience of a Civil War soldier during the Battle of Franklin, poised right at a major turning point of the war, after researching the...
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
Students examine how the European voyages of discovery influence American culture even today. They map eighteenth century Europe's impact on the United States.
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Spot Jumping
Learners practice two-foot take-offs for jumping and a one foot for a hopping. They practice locomotor skill to music.