National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Debt and Wars
Take a functional approach to the national debt. Learners collect information about the national debt by decade and plot the data. They determine whether an exponential curve is a good fit for the data by comparing the percent changes...
Curated OER
Did Voters Turn Out -- or Are They Turned Off?
What was the voter turnout at your last state election? Examine voter turnout statistics from the most recent election to learn which ten states have the best turnout record. This lesson offers election data, handouts, and worksheets.
Curated OER
Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events
Teaching current events can be an amazingly-rewarding part of your teaching week. This resource presents twenty-five ways to incorporate current events into your curriculum. It offers some outstanding ideas, such as providing your...
NEST Family Learning
Thomas Edison: Resource and Activity Book
What other inventions was Thomas Edison responsible for besides the telegraph and lightbulb? Incorporate a set of worksheets into your study of Edison and other inventors. The 48-page packet includes all types of activities from word...
Council for Economic Education
Calculating Simple Interest
How much is owed? A calculated resource introduces the simple interest formula with a video that describes how to use it. Classmates then show what they know by answering questions within a simple interest worksheet.
Curated OER
Exquisite Excursions
Young scholars locate 6 cities, one on each of the 6 major continents. They find distance for each leg of their journey, convert to percents, use a time zone map, and convert to foreign currencies.
Curated OER
Aboriginal Statistics
Fourth graders analyze statistics of Native Americans by creating graphs. In this data analysis lesson plan, 4th graders define different statistical terms and practice finding those statistics from groups of numerical information...
Curated OER
Coal Supply and Demand
A hands-on simulation perfect for an economics instructional activity, young learners investigate the availability of different sources of natural energy (coal, natural gas, oil, solar, and nuclear) and how this availability affects...
Yummy Math
Valentine’s Day = Roses
Roses are red, but did you know that some are lighter while others are darker? Scholars read an infographic to decipher the fraction and percent of rose color and their country of origin. They go on to make comparisons and estimate while...
Curated OER
Finding Percent When Given A Fraction
Seventh graders calculate percentages when given a fraction. They convert a percentage to a fraction. All of this be done by each student's ability to read the graphs made available by the spreadsheet information.
US Institute of Peace
Nonverbal Communication
What is your body saying that maybe your words aren't? Scholars explore the vast world of the subtle, and not-so-subtle, nonverbal communication cues through group and individual work. Lesson seven in a series of peacebuilding exercises...
Yummy Math
US Holiday Candy Sales
Candy is a big business! Calculate the amount of money consumers spent on major holidays—Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Valentine's Day—based on the total amount of candy sales from 2011 and the percentage of each holiday's...
Curated OER
Number of Cell phones in Use Per Household
In this cell phones worksheet, students study a bar graph of the number of cell phones usage in households. Students answer 5 questions about the graph.
Federal Reserve Bank
Deflation: Who Let the Air Out?
Why do decreasing prices (deflation) restrain economic growth, and why is this a real concern? Here you'll find reading materials and a related worksheet that gets right to the heart of this question, using recent events and...
Curated OER
Lesson 7: Smart Grids
Energy conservation is a hot topic these days; introduce your kids to the Smart Grid solution through a video clip and several interactive online tools. They discuss areas of household energy consumption, examining a pie chart...
Curated OER
The Campaign of 1840: William Henry Harrison and Tyler, Too
Students list some issues important during the campaign of 1840. They compare and contrast the careers of Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison before they became president and explain why the Whigs wanted to find a candidate in...
Curated OER
Thinking About Technology: What Is It? How Can It Help Us?
What is technology and how can it help us? Using a worksheet, students read a list and choose practical applications of scientific knowledge, brainstorm examples of home, school and hospital technology, graph answers in a pie chart, and...
Civil War Trust
Genealogy
The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether...
Global Oneness Project
Deconstructing Consumerism
To increase awareness and launch a discussion of consumerism, class members view What Would It Look Like, a 25 minute film of images that capture the global effects of the consumption of goods. Viewers make a list of the images that...
Read Works
Canine Courage
Did you know dogs had an important job on September 11th, the day airplanes took down the World Trade Center? Learn more about the furry heroes with a three-page informational read designed to aid pupils in answering 10...
Curated OER
Massive Migrations
Here is an exciting exploration of a fascinating topic for your emerging ecologists: bird migration! They begin by visiting the US Fish & Wildlife Service website to discover which Arctic birds come to their areas. They are assigned...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: 2012 Mid-Term Elections
Use a political cartoon to help scholars grasp the significant turnover in Congress following the 2012 mid-term election. A Mike Keefe cartoon uses symbols and current political lingo to convey perspective on the issue, and background...
Curated OER
Lead Poisoning A Home Health Hazard
Students read background material on lead poisoning, assessing its impact on students. They locate local sources that might contain lead-based paint. Students research what is being done in the community to alleviate the problem. They...
Curated OER
Minority Graduation Rates: A 50-50 Chance
Learners read the Civil Rights Project report. Students collect data from graduation rates in their school/district or city. Learners compare state and local data. Students discuss and analyze minority graduation rates. Learners compare...