Perkins School for the Blind
I'm Thinking Of...
Learning how to describe an object or a person is a great way to develop verbal and written expression. Learners with special needs improve their verbal expressive skills and concept development skills while playing a guessing game. The...
Curated OER
Mealworms
Crawl into the world of the darkling beetle with this scientific investigation. Watch as the insects move through the larval, pupal, and adult stages of life, recording observations along the way. Discuss the necessities of life as young...
Curated OER
Hero Myth Creative Writing Assignment
Send your pupils on a hero's journey! Individuals must compose a story that includes six key elements of the hero's journey. In order to determine the basics of the content of their stories, class members use the included grid to circle...
Penguin Books
White Fang Teacher's Notes
If you're looking for a way to structure your unit on Jack London's White Fang, use a well-organized guide to bring the intrigue of the novel to your middle school classroom. Covering a biography of the author, main background and...
Teaching Heart
Proud To Be Me!
Another school year brings another group of unique and interesting students into your classroom. Learn what makes these new kids tick with this questionnaire that asks for basic background and personal interest information.
Environmental Education in Wisconsin
Biome Travel Guide
In a perfect marriage of social studies and science, groups work together to research and create a travel guide presentation to share with the class. Not only do kids learn about the climate and geography of a biome, but also the...
ESL Kid Stuff
Directions: Left / Right / Forward / Back
Move to the left! Move to the right! Kids will definitely get moving with a lesson on directions. They review left, right, forward, and back before playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey and singing some songs about movement.
Virginia Department of Education
Biomes of the World
Incorporate knowledge about biomes and ecosystems in multiple ways while encouraging creativity. Emerging ecologists collaborate and perform research to complete a graphic organizer about various biomes of the world. They conclude the...
Teach Engineering
All Fats Are Not Created Equal
Apply robotics to connect physical properties to chemical properties. Future engineers use robots to determine the melting points of various fats and oils. The robots can do this by measuring the translucency of the fats as they heat up.
K5 Learning
Survival in the Wild
How do animals survive in the wild? Read about the different adaptations such as camouflage and self-protection that animals use to survive.
NOAA
Wet Maps
How do oceanographers make maps under water? Junior explorers discover the technologies and processes involved in creating bathymetric maps in part three of a five-part series designed for fifth- and sixth-grade pupils. The lesson plan...
Kenan Fellows
Evaluating Sensors and the Impacts of Physiological Stress: Designing a Wearable Device for Rescue Workers
A long-term project has scholars consider ways in which sensors help monitor physiological stress levels of rescue workers. They design and create a portable device for this purpose. Techies to the rescue!
Montana State University
One Mountain, Many Cultures
Americans may think of Mount Everest as a region dedicated to adventurous hikers, but many cultures have flourished there! Learners read informative books, watch videos, participate in classroom discussion, analyze folk tales, and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab
How quickly do animals evolve? Can comparing different samples of the same fossil answer timeline questions? Scholars use virtual labs to examine fossils and learn about stickleback evolution. They compare pelvic morphology in lakes...
Discovery Education
Perfectly Decomposed!
We all know someone who won't eat the banana with a brown spot, the grape with a dimple, and the apple with a bruise. Scholars use different fruits to explore what happens when fruits really start to decompose. They set up an experiment...
Learning Games Lab
Nitrogen in Pollutants
Responsible farming is important for maintaining natural resources. Eager scientists complete a WebQuest to explore what happens to nitrogen when it enters the soil. They learn about the chemical makeup of nitrogen-based molecules and...
American Museum of Natural History
Endangered Species Game
Multiple factors affect the survival of endangered species. A hands-on activity has learners explore those factors. They play a board game that highlights factors such as human influence, habitat availability, and new species introduction.
Curated OER
Dolphin Documentary
Students use their knowledge of dolphin natural history to create a "movie."
Curated OER
Graphing
Learners gather statistical information on a chosen topic and place it into a spreadsheet. Using th Excel chart wizard, students create tables, graphs and charts of their information. They interpret the data and share it with the class.
Curated OER
How Cells Reproduce
Students explain why cells reproduce and draw a diagram of each of the stages in mitosis. They put the stages of mitosis (interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis) in the correct sequence, from the beginning...
Curated OER
The Purple Cow
Students read and discuss the poem, The Purple Cow. In this poetry lesson plan, students discuss the rhyming words in the poem and why this piece of literature is silly or unusual.
Curated OER
Creature Feature Poetry Keyword Search!
Learners examine the differences between fact and opinion, and brainstorm ideas for a keyword list by analyzing facts. They listen to poems, and create posters listing three keywords about each creature featured in the poetry.
Curated OER
Colors and Fruit
Review colors in Spanish by presenting different photographs and asking your charges to identify the colors in each picture. Consider bringing in pictures from Spain, Mexico, or another Spanish-speaking country to make the activity more...
Curated OER
Manga and Me
Upper elementary and middle school learners study Manga cartooning and create a Japanese character based on their own features and personalities. This style of cartooning is easily-accessible for most students. With a little practice,...