Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Molecules to the Max!—Teacher's Discovery Guide
Molecules to the Max! refers to a movie released in 2009 about the world of atoms and molecules. A helpful discovery guide provides five posters on science topics typically covered at the middle school level. It also explains the...
K12 Reader
Context Clues: The Meaning Is There!
Learning how to use context clues is helpful for both reading comprehension skills and to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words. As they read ten sentences with underlined words, learners choose the most...
Curated OER
The Counting Caterpillar
A daily counting routine builds a caterpillar with 100 body segments (marked with symbols to indicate 2s, 5s, and 10s) by the 100th day of school. Provides structured repetition as part of the morning routine so that by 100th day,...
Teach Engineering
Biological Processes: Putting Microbes to Work
Is there such a thing as useful microbes? Get ready to perform experiments on applying microbes for wastewater treatment. The first installment of the three-part unit provides background information to prepare young engineers for two...
Curated OER
By Dawn's Early Light
Fourth graders explore the history of the "Star-Spangled Banner". In the process, they explore how the lyrics of a song can be a form of poetry and the principles of cause and effect. After a class discussion, 4th graders complete a...
Curated OER
The Star of My Show
Students recognize how they are stars in their own rights. In this language arts lesson, students consider their personal achievements as they make a star mobile that includes written life event highlights.
Curated OER
Heavens Above
Students study the stars and their positions. In this astronomy lesson plan students see how scientists can predict the positions of the stars and can tell how they would have appeared in the past.
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What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
Curated OER
Constellation Creations
Fourth graders puncture holes in black paper to represent stars in constellations. They glue white paper behind the black to show the stars. They create several constellations and keep them to use as study guides.
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Night Sky
Students discover why stars can only be seen at night. They participate in a read aloud of, "Night Sky" by Carole Stott and, "Switch on the Night" by Ray Bradbury. Using the sky objects described in the readings, they brainstorm and list...
Curated OER
How Do We Know...?
High schoolers identify and explain how various inventions and astronomers have improved our appreciation of the universe. Students identify at least two constellations in the sky and discuss how they were used in ancient times to tell...
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Rehearsal and Sightreading Techniques
Eighth graders prepare the two pieces "American Celebration" and "Patriotic Bits and Pieces" for an upcoming performance. This lesson is a forty-five minute lesson geared towards a middle school advanced band (8th Grade). National and...
Global Publishing Solutions
Exploring New York City
Your class members will get up close and personal with the Big Apple in this fantastic lesson plan, which introduces learners to not only the concept of a city, but also provides a thorough overview of New York City itself and its unique...
Curated OER
"No News Like Ancient News"
Want to know more about Ancient history? Young historians will read a minimum of two web sites to complete the chart "Residents of Olympus". They choose one Greek god or goddess to research. This could be a small group activity or...
Curated OER
The Arkansas State Flag
Young historians take a look at the history of the Arkansas state flag. Pupils color, cut, and paste together their own versions of the flag. They learn about the meaning of the flag's colors, and what the various symbols on the flag...
Curated OER
The Life of Harriet Tubman
A well-designed lesson teaches about the history of Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and the issues of civil liberties. Young historians watch a video, access Internet resources, and engage in cooperative activities which should...
Curated OER
Investigating the Change
Sugar crystal growth is observed as an example of physical change and cabbage juice pH indicator is used to demonstrate chemical change. The crystal growth is tracked over five days. The cabbage juice experiment is involved and can also...
Curated OER
Milky Way Galaxy
Pupils simulate stars in the Milky Way Galaxy using newspaper prints. In this space science lesson, students compare the number of 'stars' on their page to familiar things. They calculate how many pages they need to have the same number...
Curated OER
The Quiz Game
Students are split into teams. Students travel to the stars lesson on a given web site and gather information about stars. Students then choose a category for the tag board that the teacher has made. The teacher asks a question and...
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The Universe
Students recognize that the stages of evolution a star goes through are determined by the size of the star. They conduct research to draw a set of diagrams illustrating the stages in the evolution of three sizes of stars.
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TOTAL LITERATURE SERIES
Fifth graders listen and react to the book Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. They write in their journals every day approximately one page or more as a reflection on the reading.
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World War II
Sixth graders read Under the Blood Red Sun (UBRS), V is for Victory (V), and Number the Stars(NS). They examine WWII through the eyes of Japanese, Danish, and American students and complete at least two projects: a radio broadcast and a...
Curated OER
Red, White, and Blue Fun
Students cut out red, white, and blue stars and create different patterns with them. For this patterns lesson, students can make stamp patterns, number patterns, color patterns, and more!
Curated OER
Master Artist Star Book
Pupils research a famous artist. They create a star book in which every fifth page must contain information about the artist in an envelope they made.