ReadWriteThink
Scaffolding Methods for Research Paper Writing
Rome wasn't built in a day, but researchers can be with proper scaffolding. This writing unit has scholars write a research paper through scaffolding of various parts of the process. Learners begin with identifying a topic and crafting a...
NASA
Climate Change Inquiry Lab
With global temperatures on the rise faster than ever recorded, the effects of a heating planet could be devastating. Allow learners to discover just what the world is in store for if the warming continues through a series of videos, a...
Curated OER
Is the Coast Really Toast?: A Lesson About Volcanoes, Phase Changes, and the Art of Estimation
Clever! Use a clip from the 1997 film, Volcano, to get your chemistry class knee-deep in heat concepts related to lava. In the movie scene, lava flow is stopped in the nick of time. Your class must use calculations to determine if this...
Center for Learning in Action
Density
Explore the concept of density within states of matter—gases, liquids, and solids—through a group experiment in which young scientists test objects' texture, color, weight, size, and ability to sink or float.
EngageNY
Segments That Meet at Right Angles
Can segments be considered perpendicular if they don't intersect? Learners look at nonintersecting segments on the coordinate plane and make conclusions about the lines that contain those segments. They determine if they are...
Discovery Education
Jets in Flight
This Discovery Education activity provides the information needed to understand the basics of flight. Before taking off, young pilots learn the eight stages of the engineering design process. Small groups then design and build...
CK-12 Foundation
Simplify Products or Quotients of Single Variable Expressions: Quotients of Single Variable Expressions
Investigate division within an algebraic term using an inquiry-based lesson. Individuals adjust sliders and watch as the simplification of the term changes. Questions help guide them to important conclusions.
American Chemical Society
Developing Tests to Distinguish Between Similar-Looking Liquids
Each group talks about how to test unknown liquids based on their findings in the previous experiment. In this second of four activities, they test unknowns on wax paper, newspaper, and construction paper. As a stand-alone, this lesson...
PBS
No Slip Grip
The force will be with you during an inquiry-based lesson focused on friction. Young scientists explore the effect of different surfaces on friction. They use rubber bands to measure the amount of force needed to move an object on the...
National Museum of the American Indian
The A:Shiwi (Zuni) People: A Study in Environment, Adaptation, and Agricultural Practices
Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 1: Functions and Their Inverses
Undo a function to create a new one. The inverse of a function does just that. An inquiry-based lesson examines the result of reversing the variables of a function, beginning with linear patterns and advancing to quadratic and...
State of Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a wonder of the world. Learners explore the history and construction of the incredible feat using both non-fiction and fictional works. The resource includes multi-day lesson plans that contains ideas for...
American Chemical Society
Diapers: The Inside Story
There shouldn't be any accidents with this activity! An inquiry-based lesson has learners explore the absorption properties of the gel compound in diapers. After testing its properties, they learn the science of the molecules that make...
Albert Shanker Institute
Economic Causes of the March on Washington
Money can't buy happiness, but it can put food on the table and pay the bills. The first of a five-lesson plan unit teaches pupils about the unemployment rate in 1963 and its relationship with the March on Washington. They learn how to...
Curated OER
Measuring Precipitation
A little engineering design is mixed into this lesson on precipitation measurement. Groups plan and construct a rain gauge, and use it to collect precipitation. As part of the PowerPoint presentation, learners view a satellite map of...
3C Skills Collaborative
Skill Twenty: Sell Successfully
"Selling is important in all professions because it involves synthesizing information and persuading people." Rather than using this as a lesson on how to sell a product, this resource might best be used as an inquiry into what goes into...
Curated OER
Island Inquiry: Based on the Northern Mariana Islands Quarter
Students research two physical and/or human characteristic topics of the Northern Mariana Islands in groups of four students. In this social studies lesson, students analyze how to write magazine articles and research the two topics...
Curated OER
The Great Depression: A Study Guide Through Song
Students take a closer look at the political and social outlook during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression instructional activity, students analyze selected songs from the time period. Students use the provided lyric...
Curated OER
Steps To An Inquiry Process
Fourth graders investigate the research process. The finding of information about the indian tribes of Montana provides the context for student practice. They identify the problem and generate questions to find answers. The main...
Curated OER
Learning Steps in an Inquiry Process
Third graders are introduced to the steps in the inquiry process. Using this method, they locate and identify at least seven Native American tribes in Montana. In groups, they use the internet to research the culture of the tribes and...
Curated OER
Lesson 1: The Image of Maine in Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt
Students study excerpts from Sinclair Lewis, "Babbitt" for its accuracy and socio-economic point of view. They rewrite a portion of "Babbit" using the point of view of a Maine guide.
California Academy of Science
What Would Happen?
Nothing says classroom fun like an invertebrate and a magnifying glass! Snails, earthworms, and roly-poly bugs become the center of attention as pint-sized investigators hone their inquiry and observation skills. They are...
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Through Robot Eyes
How can a robot measure the length of something when we don't know how far the camera is from the object? The lesson explains the concept of perspective and many others. Scholars apply this knowledge to judge the length of fish and the...
Curated OER
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Study historical events by combining the study of historical fiction and non-fiction. Learners read about true past events in historical fiction novels and then research non-fiction accounts of the same events. What are some differences...