Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Darwin's Finches
Try a twist on the old finch beak and chopsticks activity by using M&Ms on a Twister mat. Spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks represent beaks and are randomly assigned to your little birds, who must collect as much food as possible...
ARKive
An Introduction to Endangered Species
Playing games is a wonderful way to practice skills, start a discussion, or build memory. First, the class discusses extinction and conservation, and then they play a game of bingo. The game cards are printable and include images of...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
The First Communities
These documents list essential questions and foundational concepts associated with early civilizations and farming communities in the agricultural revolution. Use this as a starting point for developing specific lessons and activities...
NorthEast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach
Ecosystems and Change
Pairs of ecologists select an animal and investigate an ecosystem from its point of view. This simple lesson involves Internet research and putting together a presentation of collected information.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Hetch Hetchy: The Story of San Francisco's Water
How did San Francisco supply enough water for its residents over the last two centuries? Learn about droughts and water conservation in California, as well as specific historical events that led to the water system today. Kids read two...
US Apple Association
Apples: A Class Act! (Grades Pre-K–3)
Discover the nutritional wonders of apples and get to know Johnny Appleseed with a plethora of learning experiences that cover subjects math, history, English language arts, health, and arts and crafts. Activities include an apple...
Curated OER
Monitoring an Epidemic: Analyzing Through Graphical Displays Factors Relating to the Spread of HIV/AIDS
Tenth graders differentiate pandemic and epidemic. In this health science lesson, 10th graders analyze how HIV and AIDS affect different countries. They construct and interpret different types of graphs.
Curated OER
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
Students use information from the U.S. Bureau of the Census to create a bar graph, a picture graph, or a circle graph showing the country of origin of U.S. Hispanics.
Curated OER
Tree of Life
Young scholars explore the importance of the tropical rain forest in different cultures. Through a cooperative game, they locate countries that are known for their forest resources. Students discuss the similarities and differences of...
Curated OER
Math: Skyscraper Comparison
Students examine skyscrapers by conducting Internet research and by creating and interpreting graphs. After reading the book, "Skyscraper," they discuss reasons why the structures are built. Once they have researched the tallest...
Curated OER
Confronting Two Challenges-One Physical, One Intellectual
Students examine how the author confronted the challenges of a new language and a new culture. They examine how the author's penchant for running featured in his adjustment to the culture of Fuling and in his learning of the Chinese...
Curated OER
The Rigors of Learning a New Language
Learners consider the immensity of the the task the author undertook to learn Chinese. They examine the rigors involved in learning another language-particularly one as notoriously difficult as Chinese and compare aspects of Chinese...
Curated OER
Bioinvasion
Young scholars examine the role of organisms when they eliminate the native species of an area. They review cooperative and competitive relationships within an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Frogs Losing Ground
Learners explore an exhibit through an interactive program on frogs. They can listen to the different sounds frogs make and the different types of frogs. They search for the types of frogs they find in their local area.
Curated OER
LAND USE ISSUES
Students relate math with real life situations. They identify and plot points on a grid map. They identify and locate the Drop Box Sites.
Curated OER
Examining What Sharing Really Means
Students examine the remarkable degree of sharing that the author encounters upon arrival in Africa. They reflect on the enduring understanding, "Attitudes toward sharing differ among different cultures." The respond in their journals...
Curated OER
Geographic Features and Human Settlements
Third graders examine geography and settlements. In this geography lesson, 3rd graders participate in classroom activities that center on the idea that people settle where there are geographical features that sustain life.
Curated OER
Raising Rhino Awareness
Middle schoolers create a poster that promotes awareness about endangered animals. For this biology lesson, students explain the impact of rhinoceros poaching. They create a poem about them and present it in class.
Curated OER
How Cultures Differ-Two Different Perspectives on the Same Event
Students examine the author's running race from two different cultural perspectives to see just how different the effects of culture can be. They practice thinking about an issue from different perspectives and create a script that can...
Curated OER
How a Writer Conveys Descriptions With a Wallop
Students identify strategies the author used to vividly convey qualitative and quantitative aspects of life in China, then use those strategies in writing of their own. They examine the author's writing style and techniques to learn some...
Curated OER
The East Africa Times
Students work in teams as editors to design the front page of a newspaper covering a country in east Africa. They individually research and write articles that define modern life for the country's citizens.
Curated OER
American Immigration Past and Present
Students simulate a Commission hearing in which the class attempt to arrive at an immigration policy; individual essays by each student; and, if time permits, individual or group projects based on some aspect of America's immigration...
Curated OER
Land of Plenty, Land of Want
Students view a video about the state of the environment. They discover the topic of sustainable agriculture. They identify problems and how to solve them.
Curated OER
Fall of Soviet Union/Rise of Chinese Communism
Ninth graders examine the reasons for the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and the rise of communism in China. They listen to a lecture and complete slot notes, listen to and read the lyrics to the song "We Didn't Start the Fire"...