National Security Agency
Go One-on-One with Decimals
Shoot and score with three basketball-themed lessons about decimals. Young mathematicians compare game statistics, make trash can hoops, and play a data spinner game to practice identifying digits and values within decimal numbers.
Curated OER
Rainy Day Blues Turned into Rainbow Smiles
A series of physical fitness games, activities, and teamwork challenges prompt youngsters to get moving! Using Hula Hoops, bean bags, pool noodles, and other materials, elementary and middle schoolers work together and get some...
Candlewick Press
A Classroom Guide to Peter H. Reynolds's Creatrilogy
Help young readers find, identify, and use their voices with a set of empowering activities based on Peter H. Reynolds' trilogy of books. Sky Color, Ish, and The Dot focus on recognizing moods and treating each other...
Curated OER
SAMR Model: Search
Based on the SAMR model, use this rubric to find specific examples of how to consider your students' abilities to search and collect information using technology. The resource illustrates how learners evolve from...
University of Minnesota
Inquiry Cubes
How do you teach kids to "science" effectively? Inquiry cubes are a "sort of" puzzle with no answer—promoting even more questions! Group members work together to use the evidence on the visible sides of each cube to infer what lies on...
College Board
Team Problems in Computer Science
There is no I in team. Seven team problems provide classmates the opportunity to work with a partner on a task. Projects span the course and require pupils to apply their knowledge. Tasks range from writing the algorithm in English to...
Southern Poverty Law Center
Evaluating Reliable Sources
A lesson plan instills the importance of locating reliable sources. Scholars are challenged to locate digital sources, analyze their reliability, search for any bias, and identify frequently found problems that make a source unusable.
Curated OER
Go Native!
Students explore the five Native American regions. They compare and contrast the dwellings, clothing, and tools of the Native American groups. Students research one group of Native Americans. They build totem poles, pueblos, weave...
Curated OER
Science of Weather
Fifth graders conduct investigations and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of weather and climate. The activity is part of a layered curriculum unit that has the intention of differentiation for students.
National First Ladies' Library
Government: Defending the Bill of Rights
Pupils examine the proposition of a country without the Bill of Rights. In a role-playing activity, teams of students gather information to build a case for retaining the Bill of Rights and present it before their congressperson.
Curated OER
A Capital Contest
High schoolers analyze Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise and the competition for their design in which Brunelleschi's design was refused. The instructional activity concludes with students creating new doors for the U.S. Capitol Building in...
American Press Institute
Introductory News Literacy
Aspiring journalists learn about media literacy, journalism, and the press. Units come complete with handouts, assignment rubrics, notes, and extension suggestions. Each unit also comes with a list of vocabulary words and learning...
Curated OER
How Tall Are We?
Students in a Kindergarten class measure each other's height using large building blocks and then visit a 2nd and a 4th grade class to measure those students. They display the results in bar graphs, comparing the different age groups.
Curated OER
Slide Right On By Using an Inclined Plane
Fourth graders examine the simple machine known as a plane. They build their own pyramid and identify the role of screws. They participate in a hands-on activity in which they determine the angle in which to make it easier to pull.
Curated OER
Lights On!
Students work together to build their own simple circuits. They discover how electricity is conducted through light bulbs. They compare and contrast the differences beween a parallel and series circuit.
Curated OER
Connecting Downtown
Students examine how engineering and design make cities more livable and efficient. They study different types of walkways including elevated and underground walks, and where and why they would be used. They design their own walkway...
Curated OER
Hot Stuff!
Pupils observe different demonstrations on the greenhouse effect. They build their own models to show the phenomenon. They discus the role of greenhouse gases on global warming.
Curated OER
Watch It Slide!
Students work together to examine inclined planes. They create a plan to raise rocks to build pyramids. They discover the changes that occur when the angle is increased or decreased.
Curated OER
Robots Alive: Almost Human
Students explore robotics. They design and draw a robot to fit a specified function. Students examine motor functions necessary for the robot to perform. They discuss types of sensors available to assist in the building of a robot.
Curated OER
Ansley Wilcox House
Students complete activities that go along with the study of and possible fieldtrip to the Ansley Wilcox House (T. Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site) in Buffalo, NY. They trace the background of a historical building in their...
Curated OER
Electrons on the Move
Fourth graders study current electricity while constructing a simple electric circuit. They build a galvanic cell to examine the concepts of voltage, current and resistance.
Curated OER
Breaking Beams
Students work together designing and building their own beams. They discover the concepts of stress and strain. They participate in a competition to determine the best beam.
Curated OER
Composting -- Nature's Disappearing Act
Studenst work together to discover the concept of biodegradability. They build a model of a landfill and how different items decompose. They examine how engineers use this information for better waste management.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Racing with the Sun - Creating a Solar Car
Students use a purchased kit to build a solar powered car. They connect a solar photovoltaic panel to a motor which runs the car forward and backward. They determine how to wire the car to move in both directions.