Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Person to Person: Challenge Activities (Theme 4)
The world is a big place—discover it! A series of challenge activities designed to accompany Theme 4: Person to Person encourages learners to explore the world around them. Project-based activities promote research and writing skills in...
Curated OER
Descending to the Challenge: Developing Documentaries About the Deep Ocean
The video clip that comprises the warm up is not available, but the related article from The New York Times and the movie trailer for Aliens of the Deep are, leaving enough material to make this a fascinating lesson on deep-sea...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Interactive Gumball Machine
Sure, you may be able to build a better mousetrap, but what about a gum dispenser? In a fun engineering challenge, teams must design and build a working interactive gumball machine with specific constraints and criteria.
Curated OER
Read All About It! California History of the 30s and 40s
Explore the Great Depression! Discover the challenges people experienced during the time period. Learners investigate photographs from the Dust Bowl and WWII era and create a story line about the photographs, writing a newspaper article...
Curated OER
Challenges and Rewards
Students are to research a specific disaster after seeing the Challenger explosion. They are to create a collage for the disaster they are choosing to show.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Arduino Blink Challenge
Emerging engineers read about Arduino software and how it can be used. Then they follow a nine-step tutorial to connect an Arduino board to a computer and put it to work! The objective is to code a program that will cause an LED to...
Curated OER
Peace Corps Challenge Game- Water Quality
Students advocate for clean water. In this water pollution lesson, students play the Peace Corps Challenge Game, discuss the effects of polluted water and write a letter to the mayor of Wanzuzu highlighting the situation of the...
Curated OER
Center Stage—Focus on the Mentally and/or Physically Challenged
Middle schoolers discover the skills needed to work with the mentally and physically challenged. In this service learning lesson, students create a set of guidelines for working with the mentally and physically challenged.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Pendulum Time
Take your time with this lesson. Junior engineers read about different types of clocks and then work together to build a pendulum time-keeper. There are no hints as to how they might go about accomplishing this complex task, so you may...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nature: Friend and Foe: Challenge Activities (Theme 6)
The teacher doesn't always have to be the expert in the classroom. The first in a series of three supplementary activities Nature: Friend or Foe uses hands-on research tasks and projects to enhance readers' understanding of non-fiction...
Curated OER
Cool Tools to Solve Challenging Word Problems
Students explore math functions by completing worksheets in class. In this word problem lesson, students read the story A Remainder of One and practice solving division problems from the story. Students complete a worksheet which...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Chair Lift Challenge
During the Winter Olympics, this would be an engaging task to include in your STEM activity. Design teams plan, construct, and test a miniature ski lift that can carry a pingpong ball up and down a rope line without falling out. With...
New York City Department of Education
Egypt
This six-week unit encompasses all subjects with a focus study on world history and the development of ancient civilizations. As gifted and talented students dive into the interesting yet challenging topic of Egypt, they...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Get it Write
In an effort to practice engineering design, STEM classes break out into teams and endeavor to make a working ink pen. To prepare, they read about writing implements through history, patents, and viscosity of liquids. Armed with this...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Classroom Paper Recycling
After reading about the history and recycling of paper, creative crafters collaborate to think of a new process for making recycled paper. A complete teacher's guide and student worksheets are included. There is no written procedure for...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
Curated OER
It's A Challenge!
Students write a book review stating challenges the character faced and if they enjoyed the book. In this language arts lesson plan, students fill out a worksheet provided.
Curated OER
Just Off Mainstreet by Elmaz Abinader
Eighth graders read writings from Elmaz Abinader. In this author analysis lesson students read an essay from Abinader and discuss the story "Just Off Mainstreet." Students re-read the text and complete close reading activities.
Curated OER
Reading: TV, Hamburger, Obesity Gene
Students examine the problem of obesity and fast food. The class is divided into two groups, and read different text. They hold a town hall meeting in which they discuss whether a fast food restaurant should be opened in the town.
Curated OER
Reading: Graded Reader Blind Date
Students talk about what they like and do not like to read. They are assigned a new partner and they try to pick a book their original partner would like.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Can You Canoe?
A neat handout immerses learners in the history of canoe making. After reading, small groups of mini engineers work to craft a canoe that will not be immersed! This is an ideal exercise in engineering design for your STEM curriculum or...
Curated OER
Literature Connections Further Reading Related Reading The Diary of Anne Frank
Students read and discuss The Diary of Anne Frank, a diary of a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazi's in Holland. The research the Holocaust and express their feelings in artwork.
Curated OER
Real Life Challenge
Ninth graders read and examine narratives, review chronologies, consider ideas, and analyze trends in order to understand the past and present. In this American History lesson, 9th graders examine cause and effect, review...
Curated OER
Frog and Toad Are Friends
Second graders complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Frog and Toad are Friends. In this reading lesson plan, 2nd graders complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short...