Students complete a works cited page, make revisions on their writing, and improve their writing skills.  In this writing a research paper lesson, students create a bibliography using MLA format and peer evaluate the papers of their...

Students evaluate the feasibility of wave energy as an alternative source of energy.  In this alternative energy source lesson students are introduced to renewable and nonrenewable energy and study energy production.

Students distinguish between primary and secondary sources. They study about fact, opinion, and recognize bias. Students find out if information is accurate or not and report on it. For the final project students create an annotated...

Students begin with an analysis of loudness. They estimate the loudness of common environmental sounds, and then use their knowledge of hearing and loudness to evaluate the risk of noise-induced hearing loss for fictitious individuals....

Students discuss the sources of items they use everyday. In this social studies lesson, students sort pictures of items used everyday by their source. Students participate in a source relay.

Students examine the topics of copyright and fair use, plagiarism, and evaluating websites for content. They conduct Internet research, evaluate a variety of websites for authenticity, and write about and define plagiarism and copyright...

Students write personal facts on a photograph of themselves to create a Primary Source. They then define Primary Source and list examples as a class of places where they could find primary sources. They also discuss the importance of...

Students define and differentiate between point source and non-point source pollution. Students discuss various types of pollution including air, water and land pollution, analyze demonstrations and complete a worksheet.

Sixth graders investigate the concept of the quality of information that is used to conduct research. They begin to conceive the differences between information that is fact or fiction. Students write a critique of an information source...

Students examine the use of sources and their quotes in news writing. They determine the reasons specific persons are used as sources and why their opinions are relevant to the article. In groups, they identify sources in articles and...

Most twenty-first century pupils don't know how to interpret cuneiform. Examining images of cuneiform and papyrus writing and using a chart and Venn diagram, young historians extrapolate what life may have been like for people who lived...

World War I was known for its gruesome battlefields and horrific injuries. Using photographs from a battlefield surgeon's scrapbook, scholars see first-hand what life was like in the trenches. After creating a timeline of the war using...

During World War II propaganda was as important to the war effort as the soldiers in the field. Scholars consider how the government communicated messages of patriotism with propaganda by examining pieces from World War II. Then, they...

Learn about the California Gold Rush from an institution that has been in place since the early days of the American West: Wells Fargo History Museum. From domain-specific vocabulary review to group research projects, an expansive packet...

Introduce young musicians to the history of and different styles of music with an inquiry-based learning activity that asks them to play detectives to determine the similarities and differences among the sheet music found at a series of...

People could take a page in ingenuity and survival from the Powhatans. Deer skins became clothes, and the members of the Native American group farmed the rich Virginia soil and hunted in its forests for food. Using images of artifacts...

Energize an environmental science unit on natural resources with this collection of instructional materials. From simple coloring sheets for primary grade children, to guiding questions for a high school research...

Did he die for a cause, or was he crazy? Although the resource discusses John Brown and West Virginia history, many historical figures have the same reputation. Teach learners about different perspectives and highlight the importance of...

How much is your toaster costing you every day? Young environmentalists calculate the monetary costs of household appliances based on their average consumption of wattage.

A 14-slide presentation showcases a social media post featuring Disney's Elsa from the movie, Frozen. The seemingly harmless post received lots of attention, raising the question, how do we know posts are factual? Scholars go through...

One only has to watch MSMBC and FOX News to realize that media can present the same story in very different ways. Middle schoolers have an opportunity to test their ability to determine the validity and trustworthiness of information by...

The European Recovery Act (aka the Marshall Plan) was designed to bring together and develop a spirit of cooperation among European nations after World War II. Class members examine the materials from the Marshall Plan exhibit and assess...

The most dangerous line of attack during World War II wasn't the German planes soaring above Britain, but the U-Boats cutting off their supplies of food and equipment. Learners research the Battle of the Atlantic, the German campaign to...

How do scholars determine if a scientific claim is true? Learners investigate scientific misinformation by watching video clips and reading false advertising claims. They engage in discussion in both class and small group settings to...