Curated OER
California's Golden History: 1848-1880
Using a variety of online resources, learners study life and society in California during the gold rush. They use a map to identify area where gold was located, explore pre-selected websites, describe mining practices, and create an...
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
Curated OER
Exploring California's Regions
Students participate in small groups to create a California's Region map. They research and identify the climate, geographic features, and one or two special features of their assigned region.
Curated OER
Boom Town/Gold Rush
Students discover the history of California by researching the Gold Rush. In this economics history lesson, students participate in a class discussion about the book Boom Town, and the value of gold in California. Students participate...
Curated OER
Life of a Mission - From Beginning to Now
Students research the history of a Spanish mission. They create a timeline showing the major events of the mission. They complete a worksheet to end the instructional activity.
Curated OER
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Second graders explore weather. In this weather lesson, 2nd graders read Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and participate in four supplemental science activities. Students participate in Internet research, create weather maps,...
California Polytechnic State University
Australian Geography Unit
At the heart of this resource is a beautifully detailed PowerPoint presentation (provided in PDF form) on the overall physical geography of Australia, basic facts about the country, Aboriginal history, and Australia culture and lifestyle.
Curated OER
Police Arrest MySpace Users
Young scholars research the background of websites, MySpace and FaceBook. In groups, they interview local experts about Internet crimes. They investigate what their school's policy is and write a news feature how local schools are...
Curated OER
Specializations of Members of Congress
Learners use the internet to research and determine who their representative is. In groups, they discuss how the representatives set their priorities and identify the various roles they can play. They determine which role their own...
Curated OER
Star Politics
Students discuss the advantages of a celebrity running for a public office. After reading an article, they examine the results of the California governor recall vote. In groups, they research the aspirations and career of a celebrity...
Curated OER
Coral Reefs
Young scholars research coral reefs and identify their benefits to humans, threats to the reef, how to reduce and eliminate threats, and more. In this coral reef lesson plan, students research the reefs, and take a field trip to an...
Curated OER
Writing an Effective Resume
Rating prospective teacher candidates based on sample resumes opens this discussion of effective business communication. After generating a list of interview candidates based on their resumes, pupils justify their choices. A study of...
Curated OER
Genetic Engineering
Students are introduced to the concept of genetic engineering. In groups, they participate in a variety of experiments, in which they analyze the effect of chemicals on different substances. Using the internet, they research gossypol,...
Curated OER
Pythagorean Theorem Triples
Young scholars research the concept of the Pythagorean Theorem. In this Pythagorean Theorem instructional activity, students use the Internet to learn about the Pythagorean Theorem. Young scholars construct proofs of the Pythagorean...
Curated OER
Now, That's a Bright Idea!
Pupils explore the role that electricity plays in their daily lives, both in school and at home. They conduct research on energy usage in various rooms of the school and in their homes and create posters, graphs, and analyses of their...
Curated OER
"Escuela" Debate
Students observe a documentary on "Escuela" to explore the life and education of migrant families. After discussing the related topics in the movie, students share their conclusions migrant farmworkers. Using the Internet and other...
Curated OER
Prune Boom
Students explore the process of harvesting and canning prunes. They discover the benefits of prunes to the Santa Clara Valley. Students investigate prunes at designated websites.
Curated OER
Earthquake Unit
Eighth graders watch the "Earth, the Environment & Beyond" video on earthquakes. Take notes and give an oral summary. They build a working, two dimensional model of a strike-slip, thrust, or normal fault.