Does the use of standardized testing improve American education? Scholars dive into the issue as they prepare to discuss the debate topic with their classmates. After reviewing the pros and cons, they watch videos to help them arrive at...

Fifth graders participate in language arts activities designed to prepare them for taking standardized tests. The language arts format covers science and social studies content. Handouts and worksheets are included in the lesson plan.

Students survey several concepts in literature, science, history, and geography as a preparation for the CSAP standardized testing experience. This nine lesson unit provides exposure to the format and content of the test.

As an introduction to the hypothesis and testing method of investigation, young history detectives engage in a special investigation of a family artifact. After watching a short video that demonstrates the method, they develop a...

Students consider the classification of people. In this race studies lesson, students examine the concept of race as it relates to U.S. history and trends. Students research racial discrimination and prejudice in order to support their...

Third graders explore American history by researching Native Americans. For this American settlers lesson, 3rd graders research the Native American Woodland Indians and define the actions they took when faced with the European settlers....

Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.

Scholars read excerpts from the story, Heidi, in a three-part assessment that focuses on comparing and contrasting characters. Each part contains three tasks that challenge learners to discuss, answer comprehension...

Identify natural resources in the world and how they translate into economic development. In this global economy lesson, your class will utilize the Internet to view an Oregon Time Web which they research to examine the history of...

US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...

Students compare and contrast the economic roles of women throughout history in the United States, India, and Israel. After examining pictures of women from various time periods, they share observations. They watch video clips and...

Middle and high schoolers research the life of Pythagoras and the Pythagorean theorem. They write a short biography of Pythagoras and learn to apply the theorem in their study of right triangles.

Students use the internet to research Archimedes' principle of buoyancy. In groups, they summarize the principle and share it with the class. They also participate in experiments in which they test the principle and share their results...

Students are able to write a speech and create a slogan through analysis of current issues articles dealing with pesticide use. They put themselves in the position of one of the workers affected by the story they read.

Students read one of the most important articles in modern medical history on the importance of conducting research in an ethical manner that includes participants who give informed consent.

Students explore the importance of water. They discuss why water is important and students design an experiment that evaluates the water quality and methods of improving water quality. Students perform testing and report their findings.

Students discover the history of hot air balloons by watching one ascent.  In this physics lesson, students utilize a Montgolfier Hot Air Balloon from an earlier lesson and record the temperature, rate of ascent and the volume....

Students research information about the current Olympic research. In this Olympic research lesson, students take a pre-test to determine their knowledge about the current Summer Olympics. They choose one of three areas to research and...

Seventh graders become familiar with the history and times which influenced a featured mathematician each month. Through Internet research, they gather information about a different mathematician each month. Students solve mathematical...

The class brainstorms a list of prominent people from their knowledge of social studies. Groups of two pupils get together and select one of these people to research. They create five questions to research on their person and record them...

Young scholars research how roller coasters work. In this physics lesson, learners research the history of roller coasters and the safety factors in the design of a roller coaster on the website www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics. They...

Students analyze data and form a mental picture of the make up of a gold rush town. They explain social life in a gold rush town. They use online sources to see paintings of camp life and read accounts of miners' lives.

Scholars explore U.S. Foreign Policy and Cold War ideologies adopted after WWII. They conduct Internet research on a topic or issue related to the Cold War Era, watch two films, and compose a time line and a multimedia presentation to...

Fewer and fewer people have a strong grasp of world geography, but this activity helps students understand geopolitics by creating their own original historical map. The activity requires selecting a country from the list provided,...