NASA
Creating a Space Exploration Infrastructure
What will it take to explore space? Teams of pupils determine the needs of a lunar outpost and research the required systems. The pupils then learn about the past space exploration vehicles. The third and final lesson challenges project...
Achieve
Fences
Pupils design a fence for a backyard pool. Scholars develop a fence design based on given constraints, determine the amount of material they need, and calculate the cost of the project.
Achieve
Stairway
It's the stairway to learning! Scholars research all aspects of building a staircase. Using information from building codes, they write and graph a system of inequalities to analyze the constraints. The completed project is a scale model...
Global Oneness Project
After the Quake: Preserving the Artifacts of Kathmandu
On April 28, 2015, a 7.8 earthquake ruptured the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites are located in this valley. The efforts of experts and archeologists to restore three of them—Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan...
Curated OER
Personal Travel Guide to a Chinese City
Scholars become travel guides in this group research project to investigate a Chinese city or region for a presentation. Heavily based on Internet research, the activity requires participants to jigsaw the final project, so each team...
US National Library of Medicine
Mental Health Awareness Project
Here is a thoughtful group assignment for researching mental health disorders. Team members focus on a different aspect of a chosen disorder: symptoms, treatments, and community resources.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Walden and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
According to Henry David Thoreau, every citizen must object to unjust laws. The teacher's guide to Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" begins with a detailed essay synopsis to help readers understand Thoreau's rationale in the challenging...
Curated OER
Life During the Great Depression An Oral History Project
Although our connections to those who personally witnessed the Holocaust are dwindling, this lesson focuses on conducting an interview and getting some primary source material. There is a list of resources your high schoolers can...
Newseum
Recognizing Bias: Analyzing Context and Execution
Young journalists learn how to identify bias in the news media. First, they watch a video in which a Newseum expert identifies bias in a story about the 1919 Chicago race riots. They then use what they have learned to analyze a recent...
Curated OER
Revising the Neoclassicism/Romanticism Project
High schoolers revise the in-depth project based on the suggestions they receive from their peer editors and their N/R expert contacts for publication on a class Web page.
Curated OER
Design a Zoo Project
Students research animals to become experts on them. They design a zoo to fit their animal's climate and region. They create a computer drawing of their zoo at the end of the lesson.
Curated OER
Element Project
Ninth graders review and discuss the Periodic table and its 53 elements. They choose one element to become an expert on and then create a written Report in the form of a poster about their choosen element to be presented to the class.
Berkshire Museum
Meet a Naturalist: Researching, Writing, Interviewing
Young scholars reach out into the community and learn about different environmental science careers in this inquiry-based instructional activity. Beginning with a short research assignment, children gain background knowledge about...
Curated OER
Body Systems
For this body systems lesson, students work in small groups conduct research to become an 'expert' on one of the 7 body systems. Students present their findings to the class via power point, poster, or song.
Curated OER
Age of Exploration: A Comprehensive Research Project
Fifth graders examine reasons for exploration, the outcomes, and various explorers. In this age of exploration lesson plan, 5th graders create a flipbook with timeline and images to showcase their knowledge.
Curated OER
Satire Witch Project
Young scholars examine the use of titles with video. They create a short horror film based on a classic work of literature or other subject area writing. Students use a single camera and a single shot. Using Adobe Premiere Elements,...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge: Colonial Craftspeople
In the first lesson plan of this unit on colonial trade, fourth graders gain background knowledge of different jobs performed by early colonists. The class begins with a slide show presentation that includes a variety of great...
Curated OER
Student News And Weather Channel
Fabulous! Your 5th graders should love this project. As an ongoing lesson throughout the year students use temperature probes to record outside temperature and then document their data using spreadsheets. They use their weather data and...
Perkins School for the Blind
Tactile quilts that tell a story
Learners with multiple disabilities need to engage in projects that push them to know their full potential. They need to be able to express themselves in a variety of ways, and this very thoughtful lesson does just that. They make a...
Curated OER
Zoo Animal Experts
As part of an exploration of zoo animals, kindergarteners conduct research on their favorite animal and compile their information. Learners write about their animal in a journal and create a trading card. The culminating activity is a...
Achieve
Greenhouse Management
Who knew running a greenhouse required so much math? Amaze future mathematicians and farmers with the amount of unit conversions, ratio and proportional reasoning, and geometric applications involved by having them complete the...
Curated OER
Around-The-World-Zoo
Junior biologists design and maintain a website about a zoo by researching, classifying, and providing the correct habitats for the animals they choose to have in their zoo. This technology-based project can last over an entire semester...
Curated OER
Biome EcoWatch Project
Students work together to complete the Biome EcoWatch project. Using the Internet, they research the relationship between abiotic factors and living organisms within a biome. They create a multimedia presentation to share their...
Federal Reserve Bank
Retirement Planning
It's never too early to start saving for retirement. In fact, the earlier one starts, the better! Use this retirement planning activity to teach the importance of a retirement strategy and why to start at a young age.