Curated OER
Critter Museum
Students act as directors of a new science museum where they have decided to set up a display of animals without backbones that are found in the area. To organize their display, they need to sort and classify a collection of animals and...
Curated OER
Building Materials
Fifth graders are presented with three rocks and a variety of tools and are asked to investigate the properties of the rocks to see which rock is best for building tables and benches for a museum picnic area.
Curated OER
Are Enzymes Specific for Their Substrates?
Students discover enzyme to substrate specificity. The experiment uses samples of glucose and lactose in combination with the enzyme lactase. Students observe the reaction between the lactose and the lactase; the lack of a reaction...
Curated OER
Rate of Cooling Experiment
Ninth graders measure the insulation properties of different fabrics by immersing cans of water covered with fabric "socks" in an ice bath and measuring temperature changes. They then calculate heat loss and graph the data individually.
Curated OER
Pendulum
Sixth graders are instructed on how to create a pendulum and measure the periodicity of the pendulum, using four different combinations of string. They are asked which influences the time more- the length of the string or the weight at...
Curated OER
Erosion
Young scholars design and conduct an open-ended investigation using a variety of earth materials to answer a questions posed by the teacher: How does the erosion of sand compare with the erosion of gravel? After producing evidence that...
Fluence Learning
Writing an Argument: Is Electronic Communication Helpful or Harmful?
Technology has undoubtedly improved the lives of people around the world—but has it improved communication? Seventh graders read two informative passages about the rise of texting and emailing versus in-person conversations before...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Informational Text: Beyond the Beyond—Galaxies
Everyone has a different point of view, even when it comes to the enormity of the universe. Two separate text passages explain the scope of a galaxy, prompting young readers to write an essay about each author's argument and how the...
Curated OER
Roman Gladiators
Young scholars review basic Latin terms pertaining to Roman gladitorial games, print out pictures of gladiators from Internet, share photos with classmates, choose gladiator to research, and prepare in depth visual and oral presentation...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing
Use a quick bell-ringer to interest your class in the art of persuasion. They brainstorm where they find examples of persuasion in their lives and identify who is trying to persuade them. Then they either fish through magazines or look...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Literary Text: Pygmalion and Galatea
Is it crazy to fall in love with your own work, or is that the purest love of all? Compare two renditions of the classic Greek myth Pygmalion and Galatea with a literary analysis exercise. After students compare the similarities and...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Literature: What Is Happiness?
Jack London's heart for adventure has come to define the spirit of America and its frontier. Selected passages from the foreword The Cruise of the Snark take eighth graders through London's construction and voyage of his ship before...
Fluence Learning
Writing Informative Text: Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare penned some of the richest and most fascinating works of literature—or did he? Middle schoolers read three brief informative passages and conduct additional research to evaluate the claim that Shakespeare did not...
Fluence Learning
Writing an Argument: The NIEHS
Should the work of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences be funded by the government? Middle schoolers weigh in on the status of federal funding for programs that protect the environment with three text passages and...
California Education Partners
Least and Greatest
Squares can be magic. Pupils use their knowledge of addition of positive and negative rational numbers to create a 3 X 3 magic square where the sums are 1. Scholars create addition and multiplication expressions with a set of rational...
Curated OER
Layers of the Earth
Eighth graders study the earth's surface. In this planet structure lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation then draw and label the earths layers.
Curated OER
Persecution
Eleventh graders determine the causes and effects of persecution. They read The Crucible by Arthur Miller. They analyze the historical significance of persecution. They use technology to research types of persecution.
Curated OER
Project-Based Learning and the Arts
What's so great about Project-Based learning? Read to learn how projects can help kids apply higher-order thinking skills, conduct thoughtful investigations, and make cross curricular connections. This short article includes five...
Rutgers University
How the Allies Won World War II: Island-hopping in the Central Pacific
Using primary source documents, young historians explore the strategies the US used to defeat Japan during WWII. They also learn about the American military experience, and innovations that changed the style of warfare. Young scholars...
California Education Partners
Yum Yum Cereal
Design an efficient cereal box. Scholars use set volume criteria to design a cereal box by applying their knowledge of surface area to determine the cost to create the box. They then determine whether their designs will fit on shelves,...
Curated OER
The Parachute
Students discuss parachutes and write a procedure to determine the effect of different size parachutes and different masses on the time it takes the masses to fall. They record all their data from their experiment then write three...
Curated OER
Linear and Quadratic Model, Data Modeling
Students model quadratic and linear equations. In this algebra lesson, students solve word problems using equations. They create scatter plots and make predictions using correlations.
Curated OER
Exploring Number and Operation in Secondary Mathematics
Young geometers need a clear understanding of perimeter, volume, and area. This lesson provides a worksheet to help small groups of learners to calculate various measurements of objects and choose the proper units for measurement. It...
Curated OER
World of Work
Twelfth graders research want ads on the Internet or in the newspaper. They calculate the estimated weekly, monthly, and yearly pay for an hourly, salary and commission positions. They calculate a paycheck including state tax, federal...