Virginia Department of Education
Elements and Electron Configuration
It's electronic! Pupils uncover elements and their electron configurations as they explore mass, groupings, correct charges, and sliding theory. Young scientists learn creative ways to remember various elements and correctly classify...
Virginia Department of Education
Planet Line-Ups
Should Pluto be considered a planet or a dwarf planet? Scholars research planets in our solar system to understand their similarities and differences. It also includes memory activities related to the order of the planets.
Channel Islands Film
First Contact: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 5-6
After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the experiences of...
ReadWriteThink
Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party
It's time to party like it's 1899! Incorporate a research-based celebration of the Victorian Era into your unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After learners read the novella or view a production of the play, they craft a...
Curated OER
Piecing Together the Story of Glenn Cunningham: A Kansas Champion
Students use primary and secondary sources to conduct research about Glenn Cunningham. In this Glenn Cunningham lesson plan, students tell why he was a hero, and tell facts from what they learned.
Curated OER
Digging Into the Past
Eleventh graders research their subjects using a variety of sources and they develop a project to share their learning with their peers.
Curated OER
African Americans in the Maritime Trades
Students explore Civil Rights by analyzing U.S. history. In this African American workforce lesson plan, students discuss the history of African Americans in Baltimore and the need for steady work that formed. Students define vocabulary...
Curated OER
Forced to Flee: Famine and Plague
Students examine events the lead people to emigrate. In this Irish Potato Famine lesson, students research primary and secondary sources regarding the Irish Potato Famine and collaborate to create a classroom mural depicting the famine...
Curated OER
Who is Who in the Old West?
Learners consider the backgrounds of those who settled the Old West. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students participate in a simulation that requires them to role play miners, ranchers, Native Americans, Chinese, African Americans,...
Curated OER
Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans
Seventh graders examine Cabeza de Vaca's journal and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They, in groups, design posters that portray the culture of the Coahuiltecan Indians in Texas during the 16th century.
Curated OER
Information Sensation!
Third graders, in groups, choose a research topic and generate questions to narrow their focus. They research the answers to their questions and develop correctly cited source cards that display appropriate bibliographic format.
Curated OER
Rebellions
Tenth graders explore the causes and effects of the rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada and whether rebellion is an effective means of political change. They research and analyze the impact of the 1837-38 rebellions using primary and...
Curated OER
Essay/WebQuest Ideas
Students use the ECO Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company, the ECO database, as well as other sources identified to complete a report or essay on some aspect of Hudson's Bay Company and life in what would one day become...
Curated OER
VA Statute for Religious Freedom, III
Students analyze the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedoms and consider its implications. In this governing principles lesson, students explore primary and secondary sources regarding the document penned by Thomas Jefferson.
Curated OER
Age of Exploration: A Comprehensive Research Project
Fifth graders examine reasons for exploration, the outcomes, and various explorers. In this age of exploration lesson, 5th graders create a flipbook with timeline and images to showcase their knowledge.
Curated OER
Constitutional Convention
Eighth graders investigate Constitutional Convention debates. In this early American history lesson plan, 8th graders analyze speeches delivered by Benjamin Franklin at the convention and then research Franklin's life. Students also...
Curated OER
The Civil War in Henry County
Middle schoolers consider how the Civil War impacted their community. In this Civil War lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to research the Civil War in Henry County, Georgia. Middle schoolers use their findings to create...
Curated OER
Creating a Government of the People
Students research Penn's model for the government of Pennsylvania. Through assessment of this framework, students create a class constitution and working government.
Curated OER
Your Place in Time Scavenger Hunt
Fifth graders divide themselves into groups of 3 or 4, research 4 different generations, and answer the questions on the handout provided. They then work in cooperative groups to create a poster illustrating their generation.
Curated OER
The Making of a Spy
Students study the life of a woman spy for the Union. They study archival photographs of Pauline Cushman and examine her life. They create a key with
symbols representing her activities (e.g., a baby bottle for her birth in 1833 in New...
Curated OER
President Jackson, the Cherokee and Indian Removal
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Indian Removal Act lesson, students examine the act and discuss the implications of moving the Cherokee. Students...
Curated OER
The Origins of American Government
Young scholars create an advertising campaign to persuade the Founding Fathers to adopt a particular political philosophy. Working in groups, they conduct research about a certain political philosophy. Students create a pitch to be...
Curated OER
Town Directories: Life in Griswold during the 1870's
Eighth graders explore what the city of Griswold, Connecticut, was like in the 1870's. In this American history instructional activity, 8th graders research what the city of Griswold was like in the past and compare it to the present,...
Curated OER
Hank Williams: Still Singing After All These Years
High schoolers research the life and music of Hank Williams. They take a quiz on country music, watch a video about Hank Williams, research Williams' song lyrics, create a poster and write a bio poem about his life and work.