Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
You know global warming is real when your squirrel feeder is full of popped corn instead of kernels! Activity two in a series of five allows learners to explore climate change through the eyes of another. After briefly analyzing their...
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 9-12
What do drugs do to the body and to the mind? What are the dangers of using drugs? How can teens respond to the pressure to use drugs? After reading a series of articles related to drug use and abuse, class members prepare a skit to...
Curated OER
Developing Soundproofing Materials
Eighth graders investigate the acoustic properties of materials in order to develop soundproofing products. In this soundproofing lesson students research different resources, design and perform experiments and fabricate, test and...
Curated OER
Recycled Racers
Pupils research automobile operating systems in relation to racing. They design and construct vehicles from recycled material which they race to study the concept of propulsion.
Curated OER
Attributes of Accuracy
Young scholars explain necessity in using accurate instruments when measuring, and how measurements can be checked for accuracy. They make a six-inch ruler, design, test, and evaluate a system to measure work, and produce a table and...
Curated OER
Design A Community Program
Students read a short story and state the main idea. Using their community as an example, they brainstorm a list of problems they notice. They use the internet to investigate community projects and write a proposal for a project in...
Curated OER
Who Needs What?
Students identify the physical needs of animals and if plants need the same things as animals. They conduct an experiment to see if plants need light and water to grow. They compare the growth of the plants exposed to the different...
Curated OER
Engineering: Which Roof Is Tops?
Students determine regional climates by examining photos of house roofs. They observe teacher-constructed examples of roofs and make predictions as to which style is best for snowy climates. After evaluating the examples, they record...
Curated OER
One Person's Garbage, Another Person's . . .?
High schoolers list many, different and unusual items that could be constructed out of refuse and found objects.
Common Sense Media
Cyberbullying: Be Upstanding
Peers discuss cyberbullying and how they can defend their friends that may be bullied online and offline. They discover the value in showing empathy for those who have been cyberbullied. Class members then generate multiple solutions for...
National Wildlife Federation
I’ve Got the POWER! Solar Energy Potential at Your School
Should every school have solar panels? The 19th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars research the feasibility of using solar panels at their school. They begin by gathering data on the solar energy in the area before estimating the...
National Wildlife Federation
Why All The Wiggling on the Way Up?
Some of the CO2 emitted by burning fossil fuels is removed from the atmosphere by natural sinks, such as the ocean. The fifth engaging lesson in the series of 21 examines the CO2 data from three very different locations. It then makes a...
National Wildlife Federation
Ghost Town
Around 93 percent of the reefs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have been bleached, and almost one quarter of them are now dead. Scholars research the sea temperatures, especially around the areas with coral reefs, to make connections...
National Wildlife Federation
Stifling, Oppressive, Sweltering, Oh My!
Looking for a hot date? Pick any day in August, statistically the hottest month in the United States. The 15th lesson in the series of 21 instructs pupils to investigate the August 2007 heat wave through NASA data, daily temperature...
National Wildlife Federation
Climate Solutions – A Call to Action!
The final lesson in the 21-part series on climate change focuses on energy solutions to the consumption problem. Using data specific to their school, pupils make recommendations, follow up on actions, and carefully track progress....
National Wildlife Federation
Quantifying Land Changes Over Time Using Landsat
"Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and [volcanic] eruptions ..." Paul J. Crutzen, a Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist. Using Landsat imagery, scholars create a grid showing land use type, such as urban,...
National Wildlife Federation
The Tide is High, but I’m Holding On… Using ICESat Data to Investigate Sea Level Rise
Based on the rate of melting observed from 2003-2007 in Greenland, it would take less than 10 minutes to fill the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. The 17th activity in a series of 21 has scholars use the ICESat data to understand the ice mass...
National Wildlife Federation
It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's...CARBON!
An interesting instructional activity takes pupils on a trip through the carbon cycle. A reading passage allows scholars to take notes and make choices about what happens to the carbon on its journey. This third instructional activity in...
Curated OER
Design an Egyptian Playground
Students are broken up into four groups. Each group will use their knowledge about Egypt to originate a playground for Egyptian children. This will involve brainstorming ideas on paper, building a prototype with Legos or other material,...
Curated OER
Using Technology To Learn Independently
Students explore learning strategies that may be incorporated into a classroom. In groups, they prepare a role play that demonstrates a specific learning strategy. students discuss necessary materials,l take notes on the learning...
Curated OER
Best Practices of Technology Integration
Students are introduced to the functions of state and local government. In groups, they research Michigan as their home state and one other state given to them and answer questions given to them in a packet. They discuss their answers...
Curated OER
Science: Designer genes
Students engineer new organisms using biotechnology. In small groups, they write procedures, list benefits and drawbacks, and explain how their new organism might affect the environment. After creating their new organisms, they present...
Curated OER
Using technology to engage students in science through inquiry research
Students study animals and their behaviors. For this animal behavior lesson students divide into groups and collect data and research animal behaviors.
Curated OER
Find It!
Students analyze the basic concept of Global Positioning Systems using triangulation and measurement on a small scale in the classroom. They describe a satellite and how it helps in locating a person on Earth. They explain how...