Curated OER
Mini-Landslide
Students explore how different materials (sand, gravel, lava rock) with different water contents on different slopes result in landslides of different severity. They measure the severity by how far the landslide debris extends into model...
Teach Engineering
Active and Passive Transport: Red Rover Send Particles Over
I can move about freely, but you cannot. The class models the movement through cell membranes by way of passive and active transport. Members of the class play the roles of various proteins, atoms, compounds, and cell actions and mimic...
Teach Engineering
The Amazing Aerogel
Introducing ... the aerogel. The first of a two-installment series teaches young engineers about the properties and uses of aerogels. A PowerPoint presentation provides information about this unique material to help solidify the concept.
Curated OER
Was Nobel Noble? Meet the Man
Students discover the man behind the Nobel Peace Prize. In this philanthropy lesson, students research Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Peace Prize and create personal banners including works they would like to be remembered for.
Teach Engineering
See the Genes
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein. The sixth installment of a seven-part series teaches young scientists about the importance of being able to communicate scientific research and...
Curated OER
Industrial Revolution & Climate Change
Learners examine the Industrial Revolution and write an essay about the problems it brought to cities. They also examine the environmental impact of the Industrial Revolution. They take a quiz to test for comprehension.
Curated OER
Dress Rehearsal
Students trace the rites of passage from the 1940's through the present in literature. They review some of their favorite expressions first and compare some of Holden's speech with their own. They discuss initial reactions to the book...
Curated OER
Picture-Go-Round: Philanthropy Lesson
Students play a game. In this cooperation lesson, students are introduced to a game where they each take turns drawing a piece of a picture. They discuss how we can do different things when we work together and what the terms group,...
Curated OER
Reflection on the Long Term
Students write about how they should not get discouraged if they don't see results in the short term, because it will pay off in the long term. In this short and long term lesson plan, students discuss quotes and read passages about long...
Curated OER
Lunch in Outer Space!
Students explore the challenges astronauts face while eating in outer space. In small groups, they design and construct an original model device to assist astronauts eat in a microgravity environment.
Curated OER
No Valve in Vain
Students design and create their own heart valves out of a variety of materials. Their heart valves are one way valves designed for water flowing through a tube representing blood moving through the heart.
Curated OER
Falling Water
Students drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. They see how varying the height from which water is dropped affects the splash size. In seeing how falling water can...
Curated OER
The Path of Electrons
Students engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. They role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons (paper...
Student Achievement Partners
"The Glorious Whitewasher" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Mini-Assessment
It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...
Cornell University
Nano What?
The size of a nanoparticle is difficult for pupils to grasp. A hands-on experiment is designed to give your classes perspective. Learners analyze different sports drinks for the content of electrolytes as an introduction to nanoscale....
Curated OER
Babylonian Mathematics I
Learners examine a Babylonian clay tablet and the mathematics found on it as a catalyst to investigate a variety of mathematical ideas. They work with prime numbers, classify numbers as whole, integer, rational, or irrational and use...
EngageNY
Applications of the Pythagorean Theorem
Examine the application of the Pythagorean Theorem in problem-solving questions. Pupils apply the theorem to find lengths when given different scenarios. They finish the 17th installment in an 18-part series by applying the theorem to...
Curated OER
HAIL STONE IMPACT
Students explore how and why local convective, possibly severe, storms develop. They examine how hailstones form and the conditions under which they form. They test mock hailstones of varying sizes to investigate the impact and damage...
Curated OER
Literature Circles
Literature circles let kids interact with each other and hear different perspectives. explore literature circles. Group your class into small reading groups, and then assign each class member a specific role to keep them focused. After...
Teach Engineering
Statistical Analysis of Flexible Circuits
Scholars connect statistical analysis with flexible electric circuits. They first learn about flexible circuits and their applications through a PowerPoint presentation and then consider how the fabrication process for these circuits...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Patriots or Traitors - Point of View in the War for Independence
Patriots or traitors? Class members analyze images that present widely differing views of the Boston Tea Party, identifying the point of view of the image, the propaganda devices used, and the intended audience.
Curated OER
Amounts of Dissolved Oxygen in Various Bodies of Water
Young scholars test water to determine the dissolved oxygen content while displaying the proper use of testing instruments while visiting water testing sites. They determine if the amount of dissolved oxygen is appropriate for the tested...
Curated OER
The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie: A Close Reading
Andrew Carnegie's "The Gospel of Wealth" provides high schoolers an opportunity to engage more complex text. After a close reading of the essay and an analysis of Carnegie's argument that the rich are superior because they earn money,...
Curated OER
The World Population Explosion
Pupils are introduced to some of the fundamental questions about the connections among population, resources and energy use, and environmental impacts. They explore population growth, interpret a line graph and calculate their own rate...