California Academy of Science
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Before Google, before Sillicon Valley, before the Gold Rush, the San Francisco landscape was a biome filled with grizzly bears, mule deer, tule elk, coyotes, gray fox, gophers, and moles. To explore the early days of yesteryear, kids...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Comparing Regimes: Critical Reading of Memoirs and Experiences from Totalitarian Regimes
Can you imagine living in a totalitarian country? Learners will read several primary source memoirs to gain a deeper understanding of what life is like under a controlled government. They'll discuss each piece in pairs, research...
Curated OER
Force and Motion Project
In this force and motion worksheet, students create a picture book and answer 7 questions on force and 12 questions on motion. There are 4 extra credit questions.
Curated OER
Pangaea Puzzle Pieces
Students i examine 10 pieces of evidence for the Pangaea theory and use them to reconstruct the super continent. They determine that land masses on Earth are slowly changing shape as a result of moving for millions of years.
Curated OER
So Little Time
Students examine the evolution of the AIDS epidemic in various world regions during the last 22 years. They research advancements, programs, and attitudes about AIDS in various world regions They compile a "global timeline" of the AIDS...
Curated OER
A Common Measuring System
Students review the units of measurement of the Metric system. They translate a standard recipe into one using metric units. One group prepares the recipe using standard measurements and another prepares it using Metric units. They...
Curated OER
Expedition Stories
Students use the Internet to research and discover information about expeditions that were formed to observe the transit of Venus. In groups, they work together to present information about the expeditions and create a visual aid.
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Learners write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson plan students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Learners research animals indigenous to the area.
Curated OER
Tangram Puzzles
Learners explore the origin of tangram. For this algebra lesson, students form different shapes and figures using tangram. They solve for the area of different shapes without using any geometric formulas, but the idea of tangram being...
Curated OER
The Peanut Wizard
Students read and discuss information regarding George Washington Carver and how the peanut became cultivated in the southern colonies of the United States. In this George Washington Carver lesson, students develop vocabulary that...
Curated OER
The Ancient Civilization of Mali
Students explore the ancient civilization of Mali and examine various historical and cultural aspects of the civilization. In this ancient civilization of Mali lesson, students examine trade with respect to geographic locations, discover...
Curated OER
Using Effective, Evocative Writing as a Model
Students study an author's style to strengthen their own writing. They read an author's account of the resiliency of the Malian people and about their culture. They examine her focus on Malian women.
Curated OER
Continental Drift
Be sure to come prepared to discuss the theory of Pangaea and the two super-continents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Collaborative learners look for fossil evidence that supports the theory that one super-continent divided into two. They...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Military Advisers in Vietnam: 1963
How did the beginning of the Vietnam War factor into the Cold War with the Soviet Union? As part of a study of American involvement in Vietnam, class members read a letter address to President Kennedy and his response in which he...
Curated OER
Great Gullah Story Telling Packet
Sixth graders examine the Creole language known as Gullah which is a form of speech comprised of a number of unrelated languages. They determine how slaves used this to communicate so that slave masters would not be able to understand...
Curated OER
Off Times of Slaves on the Sea Islands
Sixth graders explore the aspect of slave life on the Sea Islands. They explore the Gullah language, folk tales, music and games during the "off" times of slaves. Students read and interpret Gullah folk tales. They recognize music in the...
Curated OER
Gandhi’s Salt March: Nonviolence in Action
Young scholars examine the effectiveness of nonviolent protest. In this social justice lesson, students analyze the effectiveness of Gandhi's Salt March as a nonviolent protest. Young scholars jigsaw read the provided story and discuss it.
Curated OER
Working Watermelon
You're going to wish you had a watermelon for this lesson! Class members read about watermelons and make a salad in class to sample. They also perform estimates, measurements and calculations on a watermelon. They predict what percentage...
Curated OER
Hominid Diet
Students listen to an interview with Lucinda Backwell regarding fossil evidence that early hominids included termites in their diets. They participate in a discussion to investigate the significance of these findings.
Curated OER
Follow That Ship!
Learners in this exercise are introduced to the distinct ways of measuring distance (nautical miles) and speed (knots) at sea, as well as the concepts of latitude and longitude for establishing location.
Curated OER
Courage to Change the World
Students explore the life of Nelson Mandela. In this biographical lesson, students read a biography about Nelson Mandela and discuss his life accomplishments. Students watch an Internet video about Mandela and discuss examples in his...
Curated OER
Breaking the Unjust Law
Learners consider the concept of civil disobedience. In this lesson on changing unjust laws, students use primary sources to understand how Gandhi and King changed the law. Learners will then list laws that they feel are unjust and plan...
Curated OER
Cave Art: Discovering Prehistoric Humans through Pictures
Young scholars explore how people in earlier times used art as a way to record stories and communicate ideas. By studying paintings from the Cave of Lascaux and other caves in France, students discover that pictures are more than pretty...
Curated OER
Immigration in the United States
Students examine the reasons why people leave their country to live in another. In groups, they use print and electronic resources to answer questions about where immigrants came from during different time periods and advice given to...