Curated OER
Ecuadorian Rainforest
Have your class talk about the importance of the rainforest and the products that come from it. Learners watch a video showing the path of chocolate from the rainforest to the supermarket. They discuss how the rainforest and...
Curated OER
You Are What You Eat!
Fourth graders discover the nutritional needs of their bodies. Using a database, they research how nutrition affects their learning capabilities. They take the food they eat on a daily basis and discover its nutritional value. They...
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Food Chain
Fourth graders use a database on animal diversity to complete the lesson. Using the information, they discover how organisms are linked to one another by their dependence on each other for food. In groups, they develop their own food...
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Planting a Xeriscape Garden
Fourth graders use a plant database to discover new vocabulary associated with plants and ecosystems. Using a pile of dirt behind their school, they design a garden to make it a more enjoyable place. They print out the types of plants...
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Dino-Facts!
Students use a database to gather facts about dinosaurs. They practice searching about specific dinosaurs that are of interest to them. To end the activity, they write a story describing the behaviors, eating habits, and environments of...
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Using a Statistical Procedure To Search A Database For Out of the Ordinary Values
Students develop a spreadsheet containing formulas and find summaries for them. For this investigative lesson students choose a topic, investigate it and use MS Excel to sort data.
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Birds - Beaks and Feet
Second graders use an online database to research information about bird's beaks and feet. Using that information, they discover what foods they eat and where they live. In groups, they cluster the food/habitat and beak/feet data to make...
Tennessee Valley Authority
Renewable Energy Sources
Not all energy sources are renewable, as learners investigate in this unit. Made up of six lessons that span a few weeks of instruction, the unit has learners examining US energy reserves and consumption, using data to draw conclusions...
Curated OER
Hamlet Research Paper: Find, Evaluate, and Select Appropriate Research Sources
Help young researchers find credible sources online. Modeling with a Google search for information about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, use a computer projector or Smart Board to show class members how weak the top three search results are....
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Chemical Information Search
Students research information using various internet resources. In this chemistry lesson, students demonstrate their ability to navigate websites and gather necessary information. They evaluate the potential usefulness of the databases...
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Exploring Volcanoes
Fifth graders use the ERIC database to find information on volcanoes. At the end of their research they present their findings, draw a volcano, and write bout what they found interesting about it. They also classify and categorize the...
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Rocks and Minerals Composition Database
Fourth graders research a specific rock or mineral. They compile the facts into a database which students access for information.
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Does Humidity Affect Cloud Formation?
Students use S'COOL data to identify factors that affect cloud formation. They find a data set using the S'COOL database , and use Excel to manipulate the data. Student isolate relevant data, create meaningful graphs from a spreadsheet,...
Captain Planet Foundation
Which Plant Is Which?
Learn about dichotomous keys, plant identification, and how to care for the planet with a lesson plan that includes several hands-on and innovative activities. Kids go on a plant scavenger hunt and classify the plants that they find...
Curated OER
Animal Research Pamphlet
Fourth graders perform research on an animal of choice. The reading of a novel is done prior to the research in order to establish context for the lesson. The use of the library for research is a key skill for this lesson.
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The Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Fifth graders identify all parts of an egg, and explore their importance to the life cycle of a chicken. Learners compare all sorts of birds and place them in categories based on what they look like. This five-day activity effectively...
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Disease Lesson Plan
Young scholars research the bubonic plague including disease facts, the time frame of outbreaks and the impact it had on society. They examine the work of Edgar Allen Poe and write an essay explaining why the plague was a subject of...
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Evidence of Climate Change
Sixth graders examine climate change in the state of Colorado. In this climate lesson, 6th graders watch 2 video clips regarding the topic and research the subtopics- snow pack, precipitation, temperature, forest fires, river flow,...
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Mountain Pine Beetles
Students research and develop power point presentations that answer the question, "What is changing our forests?" In this ecology lesson, students research the niche of Pine Beetles and their increased effect on the forests in...
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Zoo Poo
Students use Internet research to determine the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit energy for biomass and coal. In this alternative energy lesson, students research to find out how much energy and carbon dioxide several coal and...
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A Yen for Maximum Residue Limits in Food
Future public health officials or agriculturists read an article and answer questions concerning the Japanese regulations for pesticide exposure. They compare the maximum residue limit for two, 4-D of Japan with other countries. This is...
Curated OER
Do We Control Nature, or Does Nature Control Us?
Student examine the theme of man versus nature in art. In this man versus nature lesson, students examine various pieces of art and discuss the theme as it is depicted. They discuss whether the themes shown in the artwork are relevant...
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What is Matter?
Students investigate what matter is and how it changes states. In this physical properties lesson, students examine the vocabulary database and identify the characteristics of the three phases of matter. Students perform a...
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Analyzing Hurricanes Using Web and Desktop GIS
Learners analyze hurricanes. In hurricanes lesson, students use the Internet and GIS to analyze hurricanes. Learners view the National Atlas of Maps to discuss the direction hurricanes move. Students study the wind and pressure fields to...