Curated OER
What to teach: conceptual frameworks
Students use conceptual frameworks to organize and explain historical information. They find themes, ask questions, develop timelines, and use other thinking strategies to make meaning of history.
Curated OER
Group Headdresses
Young scholars create a headdress design. In this visual arts lesson, students work cooperatively in a group and create a headdress design. Young scholars are encouraged to use the conceptual framework of philanthropy while working as a...
Curated OER
What is a Philanthropist?
Students discuss the conceptual framework of philanthropy. In this introduction to philanthropy lesson, students define the term philanthropist and read the story Lion and the Mouse. Students discuss the concepts of philanthropy...
Rainforest Alliance
Climate Educator Guide
Climate change is a hot topic in the news. Class members examine carbon dioxide data to analyze trends of our atmospheric makeup over time. They also discuss climate and climate change, and determine how these changes are affecting life...
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Section One: What is Biodiversity?
Four intriguing and scientific activities invite learners to explore the natural resources of their town. The activities cover concepts such as genetic traits, organizing species in a taxonomy, the differences between different species...
Rainforest Alliance
Trees and Carbon
You'll find everything but the kitchen sink here ... or just a carbon sink. In the activity, pairs or groups of middle school learners go outside and measure a tree's circumference and height to estimate its carbon storage potential and...
Rainforest Alliance
The Carbon Cycle
Scholars learn about the carbon cycle, play a carbon cycle game, and then write a story based on their role as a carbon atom during the game. After the writings, pupils analyze the carbon cycle by leading a class discussion on the material.
Rainforest Alliance
Forests of Guatemala
With 90 percent of its land area covered in forests, Suriname, a country in South America, contains the largest percentage of forests throughout the world. Here is an activity that brings classmates together to learn about the...
Rainforest Alliance
Investments in Forest Carbon
One hundred metric tons of CO2 can accumulate in one acre of forest over time—that's a lot of carbon! In the activity, groups of middle school learners determine what makes forests important. They then solidify the concept by using a...
Curated OER
The Sounds of Samba
Students research the origins of Samba in Brazil using the internet. After defining new vocabulary, they locate the cities in Brazil using latitude and longitude which practice the Samba. In groups, they compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
Using the Patterns and Symbols of Mali Mud Cloth to Convey Identity
Students participate in relating the role of the arts in defining identity. They examine the community in West African society and how members of that community define their role. They view how artifacts, music and performance can...
Curated OER
Guetemala's Changing Forest
Eighth graders compare their local ecological zone to the tropical rainforest. In this natural ecology instructional activity, 8th graders complete an activity about the differences in ecological zones. They compare their biome to the...
Norfork School District
Habits of Mind
Why do artists create? To solve a problem, of course. Young artists work individually and then in groups to create observational, imaginative, and narrative drawings in response to an assignment that requires them to employ all 16...
University of Minnesota
Virtual Neurons
It's electric! Young anatomists use Virtual Neurons software to build, control, and analyze complex nerve circuits within the body. Colorful and packed with content, class members enjoy interacting with the nervous system...
Curated OER
The 1980's Series - Music
Students examine artwork by Keith Haring, and listen to music popular in the 1980s that influenced him. They develop storyboards, and film music videos for their favorite song.
Curated OER
What is a Medicine?
Students brainstorm ideas about what makes a substance a "medicine" to determine their preconceptions about medicines. They evaluate whether certain substances should be defined as "medicines' and examine various systems of medicine.
Curated OER
Discovery of America
Students examine the European conquest of North America. They participate in activities which allow them to discover the indigenous peoples of the region. They also place events in chrongological order.
Curated OER
Voyage to the New World
Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.
Curated OER
Lead Contamination In Our Environment
Learners identify the sources of lead in their local community and how to prevent further contamination. As a class, they watch a video about the effects of lead on the body and use the internet to discover any new technology that can...
Curated OER
Velocity
Students explore the concepts of velocity, acceleration, distance and football. They collect data on the velocity of a football and they determine the distance and height of a football when it is thrown. Students compare their findings...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Fourth graders participate in a Web quest to Internet sites to learn how to identify minerals, discover the types of minerals present in their homes, and learn about birthstones. Students also keep journals to track new information that...
Curated OER
Identity in A Raisin in the Sun
Ninth graders read the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," and participate in a class discussion about "identity." They discuss racial identity and examine and interpret how community influences a personal identity. They demonstrate how...
Curated OER
Music in West Africa
Students explore power and the symbols of power in West African music. They discuss the music of West Africa and compare it to African American music of today. In addition, they investigate musical instruments of Africa, identify the...
Curated OER
Power of Symbols in West African Art
Students examine and analyze symbols used in the Asante community of Ghana and look at the history of power struggles in West Africa. They discover how to express meaning and power as they create their own symbols and short stories...