Curated OER
Rat-ional Pet Concerns
Students explore a recent salmonella outbreak in young students linked to pet rodents. They create pamphlets to help assist and inform pet owners about the disease and necessary health precautions.
Curated OER
Fantastic Foods
Students explore the health benefits of dark chocolate. They research other foods which they consider to be both healthy and delicious for a "classroom pantry."
Curated OER
Fish Stories
Young scholars conduct background research about a Pacific Rim country to develop a premise for a documentary film about the fate of traditional fishing industries in the area.
Curated OER
Prescriptions for Disaster?
Students share opinions about prescription drugs and prepare public service campaigns to inform peers and adults about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. Their ads also offer prevention techniques and possible methods of treatment.
Curated OER
Crime Watch
Students analyze the recent rise of homicides in some American cities, create and share posters, and write reflective essays in the form of letters to community leaders.
Curated OER
Our Robots, Ourselves
Students imagine how they might use a robot in their daily lives, explore advancements in artificial intelligence, investigate robotic technology under development, and prepare posters that show how robotic technology might be...
The New York Times
Researching the Researchers
Young scholars match scientists with their major discoveries, choose one figure to research further, and co-author articles profiling the scientist and his or her achievements.
Curated OER
A Tale of Two Wars
Students create Venn diagrams comparing and contrasting the Vietnam and Iraq wars. They write informed letters to their senators expressing their opinions and possible solutions to the war. They also create mock bumper stickers...
Curated OER
Exit to the Left
Learners share their own thoughts about the United States' involvement in Iraq. They read an article about what the Democrats would do if they were in charge. They develop a poll for members of their community to take and analyze the...
Curated OER
Be Our Guest
Students share their own opinions about proper and poor etiquette in school. After reading an article, they discover matters of etiquette and conflict that occur during holiday rituals. They role-play the potential conflicts and...
Curated OER
Summer Bummers
Brainstorm popular summer activities and their risks after having your class read an article. They will discover the risks of sun overexposure and in groups develop public service announcements for young people. They also propose a media...
Curated OER
DNA-B-C's
Students review what they already know about DNA. After reading an article, they discover a new technique to map the course of evolution. In groups, they create ways to present this material to younger children and research DNA's uses.
Curated OER
Gunshots by the Numbers
Learners analyze the incidence of gun injuries among children and what can be done about it by reading and discussing the article "Keeping Guns Out of Children's Hands." They convert statistics about gun injuries into visual...
Curated OER
Team Works
Students define "group" and list American social and political movements throughout history. They examine one model of a successful team and positive group mentality by reading and identify the traits of a successful group and those of...
Curated OER
A Nobel Cause
Students research the lives and accomplishments of Nobel Prize-winning scientists and compose stories about what the world would be like without the accomplishments of these scientists.
Curated OER
Does Free Speech Exist in School?
Students examine their own First Amendment rights as students. They read and discuss a news article, discuss the Supreme Court case Frederick v. Morse, take an online quiz and conduct Internet research, and create a brochure outlining...
Curated OER
Magnetic Polls
Students explore the New Hampshire primaries and the polling process by analyzing polling information, examining the effects of polls, and creating graphs that represent polling data.
Curated OER
Putting the Truth in Writing
Students define "nonfiction" and describe what they view as the best pieces of nonfiction writing. They determine criteria to evaluate whether or not a piece of nonfiction writing is good, and list categories of nonfiction writing.
Curated OER
Seeing Stars
Students explore the history of planetariums and the features of the Hayden Planetarium as a springboard to planning, developing and displaying their own planetarium exhibits.
Curated OER
A Shot in the Dark?
Learners ask and answer their own questions about smallpox and the smallpox vaccine. They create outlines for an informative CD-ROM that could be distributed to health care professionals.
Curated OER
Different Strokes
Young scholars explore a Maine community in which a sudden influx of Somali immigrants has resulted in tension between the Somalis and the local residents. They create a handbook explaining aspects of the Somali culture to an American...
Curated OER
It All Adds Up
Students brainstorm reasons for politicians to expand recycling programs and find statistics to support recycling programs. They design posters, displaying a compelling statistic about recycling, to convince students at their school to...
Curated OER
Playing By Different Rules
Learners explore the concept of American imperialism by researching and analyzing historical examples of American imperialism. They draft a set of laws that would govern the actions of powerful nations in other countries.
Curated OER
A Burning Desire to Move?
Students consider the dangers of living around active volcanoes. They develop media campaigns to encourage different groups of residents around Mount Vesuvius to consider moving.