Curated OER
Yerbas y Remdios: A New Look
Students explore human health by participating in a medicine class activity. In this herbs instructional activity, students identify plants which Native Americans used throughout history to cure illnesses. Students research specific...
Curated OER
Decoys: Fair or Foul?
Students discover and articulate reasons for cultural change and public policy through study of historic artifacts and testimony using the waterfowl decoys collections in Harvesting the River Online exhibit.
Curated OER
Can You Dig It?
Students investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.
Curated OER
Forest Activity: Forest Layers (Grades 1-6)
Students use the Museumlink Forest Module to view landscape paintings and discuss the names and functions of the forest layers. They paint or draw a landscape of a forest with the layers and explain them.
Curated OER
Comparison of Political Life
Young scholars research and compare and contrast the political leadership of three cultures.
Curated OER
Creating a Leaf Collection and Herbarium
Students gather and identify leaves for a collection. They discuss how a leaf's form reflects its adaptation to its environment. They press the leaves in a book and glue them on construction paper.
Curated OER
The Rocks Under Illinois
Students examine the rock layers in Illinois. They draw the many rock layers using the Geology website. They discover the arrangement of strata of rocks.
Curated OER
Butterfly/Moth Poster
Students learn how to identify which species of dragonflies or butterflies are found in their County by learning to read the Odonata or Lepidoptera checklist to find the scientific names; they also search field guides and the Internet...
Curated OER
County Butterfly/Moth Poster
Students discover how to identify the butterflies or moths found in their Illinois County. They use the Lepidoptera database list to find the scientific names, searching field guides and the Internet for the common name.
Curated OER
Forest Activity: Interpreting a Graph
Students research forest growth online. They analyze the parts and contents of a graph, then summarize in narrative form the changes in the forest over time.
Curated OER
Collecting Rocks
Students investigate how rocks are formed, how they are used, and how to collect them by listening to a read aloud of Roma Gans, Let's Go Collecting Rocks.. They discover background knowledge of rocks.
Curated OER
Using the Software Program "Kid-Pix"
Students create a slideshow using the software program Kid-Pix. They use the differences in rocks and minerals for their presentation. They also demonstrate different ways to import and save pictures using the program.
Curated OER
Mussel Identification Activity
Students participate in an activity in which they identify mussels by choosing a set of characteristics. They review the parts of a mussel before and after the activity. They complete a worksheet to finish the activity.
Curated OER
Insects Preserved in Amber
Students examine and discuss amber and fossils in amber. They simulate the preservation of an insect in amber using glue, a dead insect, and food coloring, listen to a poem about amber, and view real amber under a magnifying glass or...
Curated OER
Illinois County Dragonfly Poster
Students identify the dragonflies found in their Illinois County by using the Odonata database list to find the scientific names, searching field guides and the Internet for (1) the common name (2) description (3) life habits and (4) a...
Curated OER
Beyond the Tap
Students explain the basic properties of a watershed including how water flows from higher to lower elevations and how watersheds are interconnected. They comprehend how the placement of buildings, roads, and parking lots can be...
Curated OER
Mussel Identification Activity
Students identify given species of animals, such as various
mussels, by sets of physical characteristics as they use a key. They also read about mussels on the Illinois River and look at mussel species in the online database. Finally,...
Curated OER
Exhibit Scavenger Hunt
Students fill in a worksheet from a scavenger hunt about submarines. A tour guide has to stamp it to make it validated. They have various questions to answer ranging from when the first underwater vessel was created, who created it,...
Curated OER
Sorting Rocks
Students develop a rock word web during a large group discussion. Using the categories generated during that discussion, they sort their rock samples accordingly.
Curated OER
How Things Fly
Students research the mechanics of flight and create a slideshow with one slide dedicated to each of these topics: lift, drag, thrust, and weight. They create a short quiz regarding the material that they presented and give it to their...
Curated OER
Exploring Fish Anatomy and Commercial Fishing Gear
Students investigate commercial fishing by exploring the technical methods. In this environmental lesson, students identify the fish that are most commonly consumed by humans and trace their path from ocean to plate. Students examine...
Curated OER
Curious Curators
Students write a theme statement for a collection of diverse objects. Using the internet, they research and write descriptions of various artifact. They role play the role of a museum curator and produce a museum style exhibition. ...
Curated OER
Sounds of the Heart
Middle schoolers investigate the sounds of the heart, construct a stethoscope, and explore the workings of valves.
Curated OER
Inquiry Lesson About Color
Students investigate the color choices artists make in their work, and to practice the scientific process of predicting, observing, inferring, and interpreting. This activity's purpose is to prepare students for a museum visit.