American Chemical Society
Joseph Priestley, Discoverer of Oxygen
Do you want to hear a joke about nitrogen and oxygen? NO. We all know there is oxygen in the air and that plants produce oxygen, but how was it discovered? Scholars read a handout, answer questions, and analyze material in the...
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast
Following an online activity, scholars listen to a read-aloud of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma. Pupils discuss their family traditions and complete a T-chart comparing the holiday then and now. Collages are made to...
Little 10 Robot
Geography Drive USA™
A trivia-style virtual road trip in which the player's car is moved from state to state as questions are correctly answered. Ideally, a player would learn about different states by reading the simple brochures available in the...
National Constitution Center
Abraham Lincoln's Crossroads
History enthusiasts participate in an interactive website that brings Abraham Lincoln to life as he shares his personal experiences between 1854-1864. Scholars listen and read carefully to form their own opinions and discover if they...
PBS
Lessons in Leadership, Roosevelt Style
It's easy to criticize those in power until you're sitting at their desk, faced with the same decisions. A history lesson plan prompts secondary learners to research the Roosevelt presidencies through the lens of leadership and...
Boston University
South African Short Stories: Apartheid, Civil Rights, and You
How are short stories from South Africa connected to issues of civil rights in the United States? A unit plan uses South African short stories to discuss issues such as apartheid, colonization, and civil rights. Questions and activities...
Reed Novel Studies
The Trumpet of The Swan: Novel Study
What lengths will one go to for love? Louis, a swan in The Trumpet of The Swan, struggles to gain the attentions of a girl because he cannot trumpet. Thankfully, his father creates a plan that may work. Scholars discover Louis's attempts...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Family Traditions
Honor family traditions with a instructional activity that examines the variety of winter celebrations. Class members discuss their family's traditions then complete a cut-and-paste practice page in which they match a picture to the name...
Balanced Assessment
Books from Andonov
To examine mathematical functions in a modeling situation pupils combine quadratic and step functions to represent a presented scenario. They both graph and write a function to represent data shown in a table.
American Museum of Natural History
Talk to a Titanosaur
Learn all about the Titanosaur with an engaging website that delves deep into the large reptile's physical traits, family history, discovery, and fossil reconstruction.
Curated OER
What's Your Brand?
Students explore the history of branding livestock and discover it began as early as 2000 BC. They discuss reasons for branding and then design their own brand from pipe cleaners. Students dip their brand into paint and print it on...
Curated OER
In My Dream
Students listen to recordings of early jazz and identify examples of ostinato and syncopation. They discuss important personalities from jazz cultures and take a quiz on aspects of jazz.
Curated OER
Myth-Conceptions
Pupils examine the myths and misconceptions surrounding early European colonists in the New World. They analyze images, artwork, and media relating to the early colonists and discuss their accuracy.
Curated OER
Working Watermelon
You're going to wish you had a watermelon for this lesson! Class members read about watermelons and make a salad in class to sample. They also perform estimates, measurements and calculations on a watermelon. They predict what percentage...
Curated OER
Everything was Up to Date in 1628
Students examine the life and lifestyles of New England colonists in the year 1628, and then investigate what life was like in their own area during the same time period. They watch segments from the PBS hands-on history series COLONIAL...
Curated OER
Who is Harriet Tubman?
Second graders read A Picture of Harriet Tubman, by David A. Adler. In this Harriet Tubman lesson, 2nd graders explore the concept of slavery and discover how Harriet helped free slaves in the past. The book is read out loud. They...
Curated OER
A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues
Learners examine the history of blues music and discover how it relates to the music of today. As a class, they listen to the drum songs of Africa and compare it to the use of drums in pop music today. Using the internet, they research...
Curated OER
Pioneer Homes
Pupils compare and contrast Native American dwellings with pioneer homes. They identify the progression of these homes and locate examples on a frontier map.
Curated OER
A Priceless Collection
Students read about and discuss life of Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, define terms related to field of genetics, complete worksheets, conduct seed experiments, observe and record results, and locate seed banks on world map or globe.
Curated OER
A Priceless Collection
Students read and discuss the background of plants, seeds, and gene banks and grow seeds on their own. In this seeds lesson plan, students also use maps to identify seed banks and research plant farmers.
Curated OER
Introduction to the Great Depression
Eleventh graders participate in a discussion on the causes and economic events of the 1929 stock market crash. In this stock market lesson plan, 11th graders use this as an introduction to the Great Depression.
Curated OER
Home: The Ties That Bind
Students read two novels, The Human Comedy and A Separate Peace and an autobiographical memoir, Farewell to Manzanar. They focus on the difficulties faced by the teenage protagonists in order to set up a connection between adolescence...
Curated OER
Primary and Secondary Documents for Colonial Times
Students investigate the Colonial Era by completing a template on their computers. In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss the differences between primary and secondary sources and identify several different sources as one or the...
Curated OER
The Roanoke Mystery
Fourth graders hypothesize about what happened on the island of Roanoke. In this South Carolina history instructional activity, 4th graders use primary documents to draw conclusions about what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. This...