Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ILLINOIS PICTURE TIMELINE GAME

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore Illinois state history by finding six historical photos and then putting them in sequential order.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dr. Dirt's Archaeology Lab Artifact Analysis

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students simulate analyzing artifacts in archaeological lab by using real techniques that archaeologists use. Students practice measuring skills, drawing, writing, and brainstorming, and make inferences based on evidence.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mount Everest

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
  Young scholars brainstorm about what different professions roles are and what skills they obtain.  In this critical thinking lesson, students discuss reasons of why different people would want and need to climb Mount...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animated Video Productions - Life Cycles

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders compare/contrast the life cycles of free-living organisms to that of parasites. They conduct Internet research, illustrate the stages of a specific organisms's life cycle, and direct and produce a mini-video production.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recruiting a Few Good Citizens

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners write persuasive speeches to recruit soldiers for a Civil War company. For this Civil War U.S. history and writing lesson, students work in groups to create a recruiting poster and write a speech to persuade soldiers to join...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Walk Through the Gut

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explain what happens to food as it passes through the digestive system. They have a 3x5 index card representing food, which he / she carries to stations around the room. Each station represents one of the organs of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary War

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students identify and research significant people, causes, and primary documents of the U.S. Revolutionary War. They create a class Revolutionary War web using Inspiration computer software, write a journal depicting three days in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elements of Art

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discover elements in visual art. In this visual art lesson, 3rd graders explore the use of line, shape, and color in visual art. After reviewing works of art, students create unique art pieces. Technology resources provided.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The United States and the Soviet Union were Engaged in a Cold War

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students work together at figuring out the definition for what cold war means. In this social science instructional activity, students listen to "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss and recognize how this story relates to the cold war...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Donkeys and Elephants and Voters, Oh My!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students celebrate party politics. In this American politics lesson plan, students discover what the 2 main political parties in the country are and discuss their functions. Students then participate in a classroom simulation that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle Paper

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students experiment with recycling paper. For this paper recycling lesson, students conduct an experiment in which they dissolve newspaper in water and cornstarch to make new pieces of paper. They add color or flowers to the new paper to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's the Matter?

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore matter.  In this matter and technology lesson, students locate examples of solids, liquids, and gases inside and outside the classroom, and record their findings in a graphic organizer.  Students listen to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Smiles Change the World

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore ways to notice when others are sad, happy, calm, or angry. They act out feelings and have others try to identify them. The listen to The Brand New Kid, focusing on plot, characterization, and illustrations. They create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Would You Believe Your Eyes?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students study the parts and functions of the human eye. They create dodecagons which are twelve-sided figures with twelve equal angles and share these with the class so that each student can begin to see how many different illusions can...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Size Changes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the behavior of living cells treated with different types of stimuli. They watch an online movie, examine wet mount slides under a microscope, take an online quiz, and analyze data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Death Penalty

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the controversy surrounding the death penalty. In this capital punishment lesson, students explore the ethical concerns and religious beliefs regarding the death penalty. Students conduct research, interview people, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hatfield and McCoy Feud

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research the Hatfield-McCoy feud. In this research lesson, 4th graders study the families, photographs, and  timelines. Students create their own trivia game about the feud.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Aboard The Campaign Train!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore campaign politics. In this political campaign lesson, students investigate multimedia sources in order to examine the structure of political parties and platforms from previous presidential elections. Students then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Death Penalty

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the controversy surrounding the death penalty in the United States. In this current events lesson plan, students research the history of the death penalty as well perspectives on the topic. Students interview others...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phases of the Moon

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students read "The Moon Seems to Change" and conduct an experiment with oranges to demonstrate the phases of the moon. They write about the experiment and describe each phase of the moon.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clean Air

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read sales promotion reports and create a sales promotion summary using information from the report. They develop a graphic organizer to outline their information for a presentation. There is an assessment checklist...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modern Day Pyramids

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate the ways in which ancient technologies - six types of simple machines and combinations - are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Matter and Energy: Equations and Formulas

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using simple materials, an informative instructional activity demonstrates the Law of Conservation of Matter and explains how to balance chemical equations. Young chemists perform experiments, analyze reactions, and balance...
Lesson Plan
Curriculum Development Institute

Factors for Economic Integration in Western Europe since 1945

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the European Union has been a part of economic landscape for decades, it grew out of a period of economic integration after World War II. Using a round table method, class members analyze and discuss the events leading up to the...