Curated OER
Living Things Experience Diverse Life Cycles
Second graders will study and explain the meaning of growth, development, and life cycle. They describe how plants grow and develop and observe an animal to show how it grows, changes, and reproduces throughout its life.
Curated OER
Crash Test Physics
Students design and test balsa cars. In this crash tet lesson, students design and build their own cars to specifications. They explore the physics of motion and vehicle crash safety.
Curated OER
Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw...
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All About Me
Students identify personal traits. In this autobiographical art lesson, students read the book Whoever You Are and use art supplies to create a body cut-out of themselves. Students include physical characteristics on their cut out.
STEM for Teachers
Electromagnificent
This physics pun really hertz, but this STEM lesson plan can help. The inquiry-based activity has young scientists create a testable question about electromagnetic strength; plan and implement their own experiments; and record and...
Curated OER
Laughing Matters
Is laughter really the best medicine? Middle and high schoolers discuss the truth behind this adage by reading and discussing a New York Times article about Dr. Patch Adams. They participate in a round-table debate in response to...
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Generational Geovision: People's Perceptions of Place Over Time
Students examine how perceptions of place are influenced by time, cultural setting, and experience. They write a class paragraph describing the community, develop a list of questions from the topics included in the paragraph, and...
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Physical Differences
Students examine physical differences amongst themselves. In this diversity lesson, students read the book We're Different, We're the Same. Students name things about their appearance that is different from the person next to them.
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Tree Identification to Observe Diversity of a Given Nature Area
For this tree identification lesson, 2nd graders read A Tree is Growing, discuss what makes up a forest, brainstorm characteristics of leaves, gather samples of leaves and examine their samples. Students will sort leaves and compare them...
Curated OER
Physical Differences
Students read the story The Ugly Duckling and discuss how all people are physically different. In this physical differences lesson plan, students read the book and then use flashcards and a hands on activity in order to explore people...
Curated OER
Physical Differences
Students read the book We Can Do It! and discuss how we are all physically different. In this physically different lesson plan, students read the book, discuss their differences, and participate in a smelling and touching activity to see...
Curated OER
Passport to the World Field Day
Students participate in a variety of cultural activities from around the world. In this multicultural lesson, students visit a variety of "stations", each representing a country. Students learn facts and engage in a physical activity at...
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Building Classroom Community
Students practice critical-observation and pre-writing skills as they recognize and embrace diversity. They discover how even though all people share some traits, we are also unique and name some physical traits that we all have in...
Facing History and Ourselves
Who Are We?
Sixth graders explore the diversity of communities. In this community-building lesson, 6th graders compose biopoems and create a classroom exhibit entitled "Who am I? Who are We?"
Curated OER
Mammal Morphology - Bats, People, and Other
In this physical characteristics worksheet, students compare bats and humans by putting a + sign in the chart for whether or not bats and humans have the same characteristics. Students do this for 17 characteristics and answer 3 questions.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
How does climate change affect you? First in a three-part series, the activity focuses on how individuals living around the world are affected by climate change. Individuals take on the role of a given character and share their...
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Schoolyard Biodiversity Investigation Educator Guide
In 1980, in the tropical rainforests of Panama, scientists discovered 1,200 species of beetles living in and around just 19 trees, with most of the species new to science—that's biodiversity! In the activity, learners work in teams to...
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Physical Features
Students draw physical land features using ClarisWorks or Kid Pix, write their definitions, create slideshow, and create class geography book.
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Teenage Boys: Perspectives on the Adolescent Male's Development in an Urban Setting
Students examine the effects of an urban setting on the development of male adolescence. After watching a film, they identify the problems in the relationship of the characters. They discuss the impact of becoming a teenage father and...
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Cultural Diversity In The Classroom
Students engage in a lesson that supports the fact that Asian people are part of the educational culture in schools. The lesson includes background information for the teacher. With the completion of the unit students develop a personal...
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Physics of Sound: How We Hear Sounds
Students examine the way they hear sounds. In groups, they label and identify the functions of the different parts of the ear. After reading a book by Helen Keller, they research the mechanisms of sound and how sounds are different...
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The Physics of Flight
Students discuss how the invention of flight changed the way people live today. In groups, they compare and contrast the differences between weight, lift, thrust and drag. Using these principles, they create a glider and propeller with...
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Dining Out With Fishes and Birds of the Hudson
The class will make observations to determine how environment has shaped the way particular birds and fish eat. They will view a series of photographs, read two short articles, and then consider how food availability has determined how...
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Creating Civic Awareness Through Artistic and Literary Forms
Interpret current events using editorial cartoons and other print media. Middle schoolers explore the meanings of literary and artistic terms such as satire, irony, and caricature. They visit internet sites to develop an understanding of...