Curated OER
Sundials
Students investigate the different types of sundials and their history. In this shadows and time of day lesson students build their own sundials.
Curated OER
Whales
Second graders identify the role of whaling in ancient Hawaii and the role of whales in Hawaii today, identify the migration route of whales and identify the whales that migrate to our Hawaiian waters.
Curated OER
Tracing the Origins of Man
Learners discuss Hominid evolution through various websites and other resources. They examine online fossil skulls, discuss the use of tools by ancient man, and look for examples of sophisticated tools built by man.
Curated OER
Food Pesticides and Their Risks to Children
Students examine an industrial disaster in India which affected the food for generations to come. In groups, they research the history of pesticides and place them into groups based on the type of pests they control. They partcipate in...
Curated OER
My Own Holiday
Learners investigate holiday traditions by participating in class celebrations. In this St. Patrick's day lesson, students discover the history of St. Patrick, the religious context of the holiday, and the fine foods and traditions that...
Curated OER
Unit Plan Template
Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers.
Curated OER
Turtle Hurdles
Students explore physical education by researching biology. In this survival techniques lesson, students discuss the methods turtles use to survive dangerous encounters and conduct a sea turtle role play exercise. Students identify the...
Curated OER
Exploring Magnetism and Electricity
Students explore Faraday's Law. In this electromagnetism lesson, students investigate Michael Faraday. Students discover the history of the electromagnet. Students examine the parts of an electromagnet.
Curated OER
Magnus Effect
Young scholars examine the Magnus effect and its history. In this forces lesson students investigate the lift of a rotating cylinder.
Curated OER
A Little Horse Sense
How have horses evolved over time? How do horse skulls reveal this evolution? How have the roles horses play changed over time? What kind of social structure do horse herds have? How should wild horse populations be managed? To find the...
Curated OER
Ancient Mediterranean Lands: Greece
Sixth graders explore the processes developed by the Ancient Greeks, particularly olives and olive oil. In this Greek culture and inventions lesson, 6th graders read an article and design a flap book. Students collect the olive oil...
Curated OER
The History of Dentistry
Students explore about dentistry's ancient roots and modern history. They read a brief history and answer questions on a comprehension work sheet. Also, students explore dentistry by reading the Historical Overview on the History of...
Curated OER
Forest Management
Students analyze physical and biological changes in the Sequoia forest ecosystem, especially logging and fire management practices. They evaluate the controversy of how logging and fire management should be conducted in the Giant Sequoia...
Curated OER
Michigan's Lumbering history: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Fourth graders explore lumbering in Michigan. For this lumbering instructional activity, 4th graders examine the life of a modern day lumberjack and how technology can interfere with natural ecology. Students create a list of...
Curated OER
Periodic History
Students gain a perspective in the development of chemistry. They understand some of the topics in their text and the ongoing nature of research. They then will be able to see the trends of the periodic table first hand through their own...
Curated OER
Understanding Mayan Culture
Learners study an ancient culture in Mexico whose people were called the Mayans. They compare certain aspects of Mayan culture with Ancient Egypt. They discuss why some other ancient cultures (Egypt and China) were able to survive for...
Cornell University
Catapults
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome.
Curated OER
The Tibetan Plateau
Students discuss the characteristics of the biosphere, with a focus on the Tibetan Plateau. They participate in a question and answer period discussing biomes and climate patterns. They compare and contrast different ecosystems.
Curated OER
Radiation and You
Internet research on nuclear radiation is conducted by young physicists. They discover how our understanding of radiation developed, define vocabulary terms, and explore how ozone protects us from the sun's harmful radiation. Several...
PHET
Learning about Space Weather
Is the sun the only celestial body with magnetic fields? A guided discussion on the weather in space is designed with a mix of questions, discussions, explanations, and applications. Additionally, the resouce includes an...
PHET
Soda Bottle Magnetometer
Introduce learners to set of complete instructions that describe how to build a magnetometer that works just like the ones professional photographers use to predict auroras. The diagrams are wonderfully descriptive, and the written...
PHET
Features of the Sun
There are so many things to discover about the sun! Pupils discuss their knowledge of the sun, explore its features, apply their knowledge by labeling photographs, and then reflect on their learning by working in groups to draw and label...
Cornell University
Catapult
Studying levers couldn't be more exciting! Learners build their own catapults and test the results as they make adjustments to the fulcrum. They compete against other groups to create the most accurate apparatus.
PHET
Mapping the Field of a Dipole Magnet
High school scientists build their own magnetometer and use it to map the field surrounding a bar magnet. Excellent background resources is included, as well as a diagram of how to build the magnetometer.