American Psychological Association
Using Psychological Perspectives to Answer Questions on Behavior
Perspective is everything when it comes to assessing human behavior. Class members examine a series of statements and identify the perspective represented by each to demonstrate their understanding of different psychological perspectives.
American Psychological Association
Statistical Significance
Our survey says ...! High school psychology scholars analyze how people create surveys. Three different scenarios help them discover the meaning behind statistical significance. Armed with new knowledge, novice psychologists uncover what...
Curated OER
School Climate
Students examine school climate in relation to the physical structure of the school building. A Luann cartoon can be used to stimulate thinking and promote discussion which focuses on feelings of alienation that can occur in large high...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 4: The Psychological Approach
Readers apply Sigmund Freud's theories of the unconscious mind and the psychological approach to literary criticism to analyze and evaluate the relationship between two characters in A Separate Peace.
Curated OER
Keep Your Eye On the Prize
High schoolers learn about citizens who were actively involved in the civil rights movement, and the strategies they used to overcome the Jim Crow laws that were so prevalent in the 1960s. They investigate the voting amendments of the US...
Curated OER
Class Reunion
High schoolers explore the process of decision making regarding their own goals and objectives. They consider their future and preparation for life beyond high school by completing a Class Reunion sheet.
American Psychological Association
Counting Fidgets: Teaching the Complexity of Naturalistic Observation
Why do psychologists conduct experiments in controlled laboratory settings? High schoolers gain an understanding of the importance of controls with an activity that involves naturalistic observations with no imposed controls.
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Identical Twins, Identical Fates?
Can different personal experiences affect our genes? Find out in an intriguing case study about one twin who is diagnosed with mental illness and her identical twin who fears she may suffer the same fate. Designed for college-level...
Curated OER
Tales of Edgar Allen Poe
Analyze the writing of Edgar Allen Poe by reading and then writing in a similar style. Budding authors learn about the life of Poe and read one or more of his famous works online. Partner groups create an original piece of writing using...
Curated OER
Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?
Interesting! Have your high schoolers watch this 13-minute clip from the documentay, "Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?" It examines the fear we have as a culture about death and whether or not the media increases those fears. The focus...
Curated OER
The Mozart Effect
Music has been said to effect short term memory. Learners test out this hypothesis, graphing how knowledge retention in a biology classroom changes when music is played in the background. In the end, a better appreciation of the dynamics...
Curated OER
Lesson: Nikhil Chopra: Performing Memory
Film imitates life; that's what they say. Using performance theory to tie the lesson together, learners attempt to understand memory and daily rituals as seen in art, film, and life. They read two chapters from the book, watch the...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
The Mind of a Terrorist: A Psychosocial Perspective
What a great way to make a psychology lesson on personality development socio-politically relevant! Class members investigate causes of radicalism--specifically, becoming a terrorist. This resource includes background information, key...
Curated OER
Orientation to the Library
Students participate in an orientation to the high school library and locate various resources. In this orientation to the library lesson, students are introduced to the library by the media specialist. They learn the layout and...
American Psychological Association
Research Ethics
Psychologists designing experiments to research human behavior must consider weighty ethical concerns. Class members act as members of an institutional review board and examine proposals to determine whether included provisions...
Curated OER
Teen Smoking: Designing a School Anti-Smoking Publicity Campaign
Learners review the human respiratory system and the effects on the human body. In this design lesson students brainstorm and create a prototype then present it to the class.
Curated OER
The Story of Magic: Centuries of Deception
Students examine the history of magic and the men and women who practice the art. The Story of Magic would be useful for classes on Religion, Culture, Mythology, Physics and Psychology. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.
Curated OER
Decision Making and Teen Parenthood
Students analyze psychology by completing worksheets in class. In this decision making lesson, students identify the important choices they will need to make as they enter adulthood and discuss appropriate methods to communicating with...
Curated OER
States of Consciousness
Students investigate sleep. In this psychology lesson, students discuss five environmental factors leading to stress related to sleep.
Curated OER
Effective Parent/Student/Teacher Communication
Sixth graders engage in a lesson which address the concerns and issues around new 6th grade students arriving at middle school. They, parents and teachers use this strategy to effectuate good communication.
Global Oneness Project
The Man and the Wolf
Human attitudes toward the big bad wolf come into focus in a photo essay that asks viewers to consider their own feelings about the endangered species.
Curated OER
Stages of Life
High schoolers investigate the eight stages of human development. In this stages of life instructional activity students discuss as a class the stages and complete an activity.
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 5: Motivation - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides the lens class members use to analyze and evaluate the motivations of the characters in Sylvia Plath's "Initiation" and scenes from Mean Girls. Readers then select a character from A Separate...
Curated OER
Music As Survival: Alma Rose and the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra
Students explore a period of European history in which musicians have used theri musical talents and abilities to survive and rise above extremely difficult situations. The psychological uses of music by the Nazis is examined in this...