Curated OER
Sculpting a Modern Hero
Sixth graders examine the sculpture of the Greek hero Herakles (Hercules). In this Ancient History lesson, 6th graders discuss how heroes were depicted and what it meant to be a hero in ancient Greece. Students create a clay...
Curated OER
Dig It Up
Students participate in an archaeological excavation to determine how archeologists make inferences about various cultures. They reconstruct the site using layers of drawings. They discuss the kinds of information they learned.
Curated OER
Environmental Hazards
Students identify environmental hazards on a simulated field trip. They analyze the exposure and suggest methods to eliminate or reduce exposure to toxic sources.
Curated OER
Owls and Raptors
Students investigate the predator-prey relationship of owls and raptors. They examine a variety of resources about owls and raptors, develop a list of vocabulary words, dissect owl pellets and identify what owls eat, and play a...
Curated OER
Celebration and Satire
Young scholars compare and contrast different perspectives of the French Revolution. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the use of satire and caricature in history and create satirical cartoons based on contemporary issues.
Curated OER
Flawed Democracies, Human Rights
Students investigate the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In this U.S. History lesson, students discover the Japanese internment camps and why our government chose to relocate the Japanese. Students examine photographs from the era...
Curated OER
Rhetoric and War
Students examine the relationship between rhetoric and war. In this history of war instructional activity, students analyze paintings, photographs, movies, and articles that paint an opinionated picture of war....
Curated OER
Ice Age Animals
Students research the ice age and the animals that were on the Earth at that time and have a debate on the explanation for the extinction of the ice age animals.
Curated OER
Sedimentary Rocks
Students discover how sedimentary rocks form. They identify different examples of sedimentary rocks. They also discover what types of rocks are in Illinois soil.
Curated OER
Building Up, Breaking Down
Young scholars investigate how rocks are modified into construction materials. In this building up and breaking down lesson plan, students explore what happens to building materials over time and how people modify natural materials....
Curated OER
Destructive Impact of Environment on Artifacts
Middle schoolers recognize that artifacts are destroyed over time. In this environmental factors on artifacts lesson, students experiment and observe through the microscope to find the environmental impact on artifacts. ...
Curated OER
A Tale of a Whale: And Why It Can Be Told
Young scholars examine the characteristics of particular whales. In this whale characteristics lesson, students discover the methods scientists use to track whales and attempt to match the unique pattern of callosities themselves. A role...
Curated OER
A Basin Filled With Time
Students use fossil leaves and a mathematical formula to study climate change. In this climate change and fossil lesson plan, students determine the differences in temperatures during two different times during the Cenozoic era using...
Curated OER
Enduring Themes in American History-Museum Assignment
Students study and research the life of Albert Einstein. They focus on the extent Albert Einstein catalyzed and criticized President Harry S. Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan during WWII. Students answer a series of...
Curated OER
How To Make a Mummy
Students explore the process of mummification through a British website. They read about why the process began and how it is done. They can follow along in the process in how to make a mummy as well.
Curated OER
A Neighborhood Expedition
Students plan and conduct an expedition through their neighborhood based on the techniques used by the Harriman Expedition to Alaska in 1899. They research the Harriman expedition on the internet and then create a route and collection...
Curated OER
Beautiful Butterfly Tiles
Third graders create a butterfly drawing that includes the elements of art and principles of design. They create artwork that can be made into ceramic tiles to be installed around the classroom doorways in our new addition.
Curated OER
The Díne (Navajo) Native American Tribe
Students participate in a variety of activities to become familiar with the Navajo Indians. In this Díne (Navajo) Native American tribe lesson, students understand where the Navajo tribe lived and find them on a map. Students discuss the...
Curated OER
Harriman and Plant Identification
Students observe and record botanical details from the plant specimens. They identify plants using sorting key and field guide and classify specimens for preservation and display purposes.
Curated OER
18th Century Microscope
Students examine a microscope from the 18th century. In this microscope lesson plan, students investigate how it works, what it was used for and how the tool has evolved through the years. Students also build knowledge on how compound...
Curated OER
Chief Sealthe's Speech
Students explain the conflict over land between Native Americans and the United States government. They evaluate Native American values and the results of the U.S. expansion into Native American lands.
Curated OER
Inventions Change the World: The Enigma Machine
Third graders explore WWII by analyzing technological advances. In this invention instructional activity, 3rd graders discuss the use of the Enigma machine which decoded private German messages that communicated with U-boats. Students...
Curated OER
Hunting Invertebrate Fossils in the Classroom
Students acquire a general knowledge of fossils and paleontology, the study of evidence of life in the past and identify the major invertebrate groups (phyla) commonly found in the fossil record.
Curated OER
Digging into the Past
Students discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental conditions.