Serendip
Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis
Is your class in the dark about photosynthesis? Shed some sunlight on an important biological process with a thoughtful activity. After answering questions to help determine their level of knowledge, learners work with chemical equations...
Heritage Foundation
Courts and Judges
If the Supreme Court is so supreme, why do all cases not just start there? High schoolers learn why every case does not start at the Supreme Court as well as the importance of hierarchy in the US judicial system in the 11th installment...
Curated OER
See It, Say It, Move It, Do It!
Learn two new letters a week with this activity! After learning the two target letters, the class will make an alphabet video "performing" each letter. The letter's name, sound, and a motion associated with it will be included in the...
Savvas Learning
Let's Get Moving
Scholars examine, cut, paste, and sort 12 images featuring different types of movement in order to show what they know about energy—potential and kinetic.
Teach Engineering
Amusement Park Ride: The Ups and Downs in Design
Groups design the ultimate roller coaster by considering potential and kinetic energy. They test their designs using marbles and then go on to rate each group's design based on aesthetics, loop diameter, and cost.
EngageNY
Final Performance Task: Becoming Visible Again
It's task time! Scholars complete the final lesson plan of the unit by completing a performance task. Readers begin in groups, working on a task card. Once complete, they move to an independent task, writing responses to a prompt about...
NPR
Brainstorm and Evaluate Solutions
May the best idea win. In groups, scholars brainstorm solutions to the problem statement developed in the previous lesson. The best idea moves forward to the prototype stage.
Curated OER
Lessons in Looking: Imperialism Cartoons
Using a Smartboard, learners break apart symbolism found in a political cartoon published in 1902. They work to analyze the cartoon in terms of US Imperialism occurring in the late 1890s. All necessary materials are included in this well...
EngageNY
Continued Close Reading of Waiting for the Biblioburro: Comparing and Contrasting the Children in Colombia, Appalachia, Chad, and Afghanistan
Focus on similarities and differences with a jigsaw activity that requires pupils to compare Waiting for the Biblioburro to other texts they have read. To prepare, class members first respond to text-dependent questions, moving on to...
Code.org
Creativity in Algorithms
Groups work with the program they built in the previous lesson to make it more creative. The resource challenges pupils to add functionality to their existing programs by adding a new command.
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies
Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: African Americans in Revolutionary Times
What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and Black...
Curated OER
Comprehension: Compare and Contrast Topics in Two Texts
A scripted lesson can be a big help for new teachers. This fully scripted three-day learning activity provides teachers with the means to demonstrate how to compare and contrast two topics in two texts. Learners will work as a class to...
American Chemical Society
M&M's in Different Sugar Solutions
To conclude a mini unit on the dissolving of M&Ms® candy coating, this lesson investigates whether or not the concentration of sugar in the solvent affects the dissolving rate. Consider having older science learners write their own...
Science 4 Inquiry
Let's Get Moving
Rivers top the list of causes of erosion over time. Scholars experiment with wind, water, and ice reshaping sand. They connect the simulations facts about erosion and deposition to understand unique landforms such as the Grand Canyon and...
EngageNY
Grade 5 Math Module 1, Topic A, Lesson 1
Extend the place value system. The first lesson plan in a series of 18 extends the place value system to millions through thousandths. Using place value charts, pupils see how the value of a digit changes as it moves places. Teachers use...
Walters Art Museum
The Symbolism of Allegorical Art
Introduce learners to allegorical art with four bronze sculptures by Francesco Bertos. After modeling how to recognize bias and allegory in Bertos' Africa, class groups examine the other three sculptures in the series before creating...
California Academy of Science
Be Prepared for an Earthquake
Earthquakes can be frightening and dangerous, but being prepared can make a world of difference. Perform an earthquake simulation during which the class practices how to drop, cover, and hold on as you read a script describing what might...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: "Chalk Talk Strategy”
Hold a silent discussion about concepts related to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. After reading chapter seven, learners participate in a whole-class written discussion based on guiding questions written on the board by the teacher.
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Moving to the Poems of Angel Island
A poem carved on Angel Island's walls is the guiding text of a lesson that challenges scholars to put movement into a written piece of art. After warm up-activities, learners play a game of "Pass the Clap" and "Pass the Line," in which...
US Department of Agriculture
Serving Up My Plate
Within three nutrition-themed, inquiry-based learning opportunities, pupils take notice of their eating habits; delve deep into the five food groups, gain experience in planning meals, participate in a taste test, and explore ads from...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Smart Solutions: English Language Development Lessons (Theme 6)
Smart Solutions is the theme of a unit created to meet the needs of English language earners. Through a series of lessons, scholars follow a routine—move, speak, and listen— to cover topics including stores, shops, celebrations, pets,...
National Park Service
The Water Cycle Game
Take young scientists on a trip through the water cycle with this interactive science activity. After setting up a series of ten stations representing the different places water can be found, children use the included printable dice to...
ESL Base
Future Board Game
Are your pupils going to enjoy this game? Definitely! Small groups practice conversational skills and the future tenses by asking and answering the questions provided on the game board.
Serendip
Get the Lead Out!
Around 500,000 children under the age of six suffer from elevated levels of lead in their blood in the United States. Scholars apply their knowledge about lead to a fun game. As they correctly answer questions, they move their pieces...