US Environmental Protection Agency
Carbon Through the Seasons
Meteorologists view an animated video by the Environmental Protection Agency to learn how the carbon cycle works, and then move into groups to analyze and graph actual data of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from Hawaii's...
Curated OER
Frequent Assessments Guide Teaching: Part One
What assessment strategies work best for you? I use multiple checks for understanding to make sure my kids are building knowledge, not reinforcing mistakes.
Curated OER
Memorable Ways to Cover the Periodic Table
An exploration of the periodic table can lead to a discussion of the scientific process and the ways that our knowledge of this topic evolves and grows.
Curated OER
Review with Creative Writing
Connect a wide range of literature concepts where writers demonstrate mastery through creative writing.
Curated OER
Project-Based Learning Pitfalls
How to avoid the most common teacher mistakes in project-based learning.
Curated OER
Make Movies, Not Migraines
Use these free iOS and Android apps to produce high-quality video projects.
Staten Island Zoo
The African Savanna
Are you thinking about taking your class to the local zoo? Kids of all ages love visiting exotic animals in order to learn about biodiversity, habitat, and animal adaptations. Here is a 44-page activity guide that provides educators with...
Curated OER
Children's Literature from A - Z Poster
A great alphabet classroom poster featuring characters of well-loved books such as Paddington bear and Amelia Bedelia.
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
Global Warming in a Jar
This well-organized lab activity introduces earth science pupils to the greenhouse effect. They will set up two experiments to monitor temperatures in an open jar, a closed jar, and a closed jar containing water. Ideally, you would have...
Curated OER
The Five W's of Tax Day
Use April 15th to teach your students the fundamentals of the American federal tax system.
Teacher Stream
Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation
Build a class community, allow time for in-depth reflection and research, and facilitate the learning and writing process with online discussion boards! A resource delves into the benefits and purposes of discussion boards, as well as...
Khan Academy
Project: Make it Rain
Make it rain on your computer screen with this challenging JavaScript programming project. Modify the existing code of one little drop to create a downpour by using arrays and properties of arrays. But why stop there? How about some...
Khan Academy
Project: Build-a-House
Start with a basic house created in JavaScript code and practice programming with loops as you add rows of windows, grass, flowers, or trees. How about some apples growing in the trees? You get the idea. Your coding students can let...
US National Library of Medicine
Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature
Just because you can, should you? Reflections on the ethics and limits of medical research are prompted by a reading of excerpts of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, viewing of clips from the 1931 film, and examining sections of the online...
Curated OER
10 Tips for Keeping All Readers Accountable
Keep middle and high school readers accountable and push all students toward success by showing interest in their reading and testing the strategies below.
Curated OER
Teaching Writing: Is There a Right Way?
Delve into CCSS by implementing a writer's workshop model complete with mini-lessons, shared writing experiences, and author celebrations.
Curated OER
Adding Humor to Your Lessons is No Laughing Matter
Try these seven ways to inject laughs into your curriculum, while staying on track academically.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Get Connected with Ohm's Law
Ideal for your electricity unit, especially with middle schoolers, this lesson plan gets engineers using multimeters in electrical circuits to explore the relationships among voltage, current, and resistance. Older learners may even plot...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Ship the Chip
Here is a tasty challenge, especially for middle school engineers: design a container that meets mass and volume criteria, and will safely transport a tortilla or potato chip through the mail without damaging it! Mostly, this is a crisp...
Curated OER
Happy Birthday Hans: How To Celebrate International Children's Book Day
Honor Hans Christian Andersen while encouraging young readers with enjoyable projects and activities.
Curated OER
Data Strategies that Drive Motivation
Sharing data after mastery checks or summative assessments helps your learners plot their growth and increases investment.
Curated OER
Water in the Geosphere
Through a PowerPoint presentation and the embedded animation and video, earth science enthusiasts find out about the moisture in the soil beneath our feet. In the animation, follow a water molecule on its path through the water cycle. As...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Sugar Crystal Challenge
Blow your learners' minds with a sweet lesson on nanotechnology that uses sugar to demonstrate the difference nanoscale surface area makes in dissolving and crystal formation. Plenty of supportive background information is read to...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Tinkering with Tops
Get kids' heads spinning by challenging them to design a top that will rotate for a minimum of 10 seconds without leaving a 30-cm circle. Groups of learners collaborate through a planning stage, testing stage, and evaluation stage. Some...