Media Literacy
Once Upon a Time
Robert Munsch's The Paperbag Princess and Jon Scieszkafrom's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs launch a discussion of the role of stereotypes in stories and movies.
American Documentary
Comparative Religion Investigation: What Happens When We Die?
How do different religions offer explanations for what happens when we die? Invite your learners to consider the variance and complexity of religious beliefs, and to research and compare/contrast the concept of death and afterlife...
K12 Reader
Expand it! Writing Complex Sentences
Instruct your pupils to make those simple sentences complex! For this exercise, learners are given eight pairs of complete sentences and subordinating conjunctions. It's their job to transform each sentence by using the subordinating...
Cornell University
Exploring Rocks and Minerals
Investigate the properties of rocks and minerals through a rockin' hands-on activity. Learners test rocks for various properties and, using a guide, attempt to identify different samples. They use various properties including hardness,...
Cornell University
Discovering Enzymes
Explore the function of enzymes through a series of lab investigations. Learners use household enzymes such as hydrogen peroxide to model the role of enzymes. The enzymes break down proteins with and without a catalyst.
Cornell University
Electromagnets
Discover the connection between electric current and magnets. Scholars create electromagnets by passing a magnet through a coil. They experiment with different materials to determine the variables that affect the strength of the current.
Cornell University
Casting
Don't cast a great hands-on resource aside! Scholars learn about the process of casting by actually trying out an example. Plaster of Paris and cookie cutter molds help them complete the activity.
Cornell University
Isotope Rummy
Thanks to this game, teaching isotopes will never be the same. Physical science scholars work their way toward understanding isotopes in an entertaining game. Pupils play rummy in groups while practicing good sportsmanship and creating...
Cornell University
Radical Reactions
The radical reactions of polymers seems abstract to many pupils, but this activity turns them into a fun building game. Scholars use dice and building pieces to build polymers. Then, they determine the theoretical and experimental weight...
Curated OER
Finding Our Place in the Community
Third graders search TDC database for images of our hemisphere, continent, ocean, country, state, and city. They identify their place in the hemisphere, continent, ocean, country, state, and city.
Curated OER
Save the Planet!
Third graders explore the Recycle City Web site. They examine ways to save the environment. They write a short interview between a news reporter and an environmental expert. They practice acting out their news report.
Curated OER
Architecture the Wright Way
Eighth graders search a database for famous buildings in Illinois, and compare these structures to the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Curated OER
Edit a Friendly Letter
In this letter editing worksheet, students read a letter to "mom," then recopy it on another sheet of paper and correct all errors found.
Curated OER
National Congress of Neighborhood Women
Students research and create a case study as an illustration of the different programs created by the National Congress of Neighborhood Women. Then they present their cases to the class and discuss.
Curated OER
Inventions Multimedia Time Line
Eighth graders research the impact of particular inventions on various times throughout history. They compile information from the Internet and a database to create a multimedia timeline of important inventions. The program Timeliner is...
Curated OER
African Architecture
Seventh graders investigate cultural influences on architecture in Africa south of the Sahara. They compare the architecture to that in North America, Europe, Russia, and North Africa, Asia, and South America.
Curated OER
Urban Treasure Hunt
Fourth graders use clues, and a photo, to find the location of a building in Illinois. They then take a present picture and create a powerpoint presentation to compare past and present features
Curated OER
Dancing Feathers
Fifth graders read and analyze the novel, 'Dancing Feathers.' They identify the main story elements, develop personal and fictional narratives, retell the story from a different point of view, create a mask, and design a postcard.
Curated OER
Introduction of Primary Sources
First graders are introduced to photographs and newspaper articles to be used as primary sources. Using a projecter, they are shown photographs of a famous person to prove they were real and not make believe. In groups, they use...
Curated OER
Trials and Triumphs of Modern Feminism
Students read primary documents to launch a discussion about the role of American women throughout the 1970s-1980s.
Curated OER
Chicana Rights
Students research various events relating to the Chicana rights movement in order to analyze the Chicana Caucus Resolutions passed in 1973.
Curated OER
Community Building during the Great Society
Pupils, by analyzing articles from the "Mobilization for Youth News Bulletin," identify the ways that students in the 1960s worked to improve their community.
Curated OER
The Struggle to Organize
Students analyze correspondence and a news release regarding the Harlan, Kentucky, mine strike of 1931-1932. They use these documents to discuss the problems of organizing industrial trade unions before the New Deal.
Curated OER
The United Nations and Women
High schoolers analyze the role of the Commission on the Status of Women in the post-WW II era by looking at the general framework the Committee worked within. They propose their own solutions to the case studies.