Curriculum Corner
African American Inventors
Celebrate Black History Month with a packet of materials on African American inventors. Readers discover several inventors' character traits, their inventions, and their lives. They even have the opportunity to conduct further research...
Las Cumbres Observatory
Measure the Age of Ancient Cosmic Explosions
Supernova explosions mark the end of a star's life. Guide the class through an investigation that uses data to calculate the age of a supernova remnant. Using provided data and online software, they analyze data to determine the radius...
American Institute of Physics
Dr. Gates and the Nature of the Universe
What do Russian nesting dolls have to do with physics? They make a great demonstration tool for explaining Dr. Sylvester James Gates, Jr.'s string theory to young scientists. A two-part lesson first introduces learners to Dr. Gates'...
Curated OER
Our Universe: Designed or Evolved?
Students brainstorm and write arguments for Evolution and Intelligent Design. They research the history of each of these ideas. They also examine the controversy of teaching one or both ideas in schools.
Curated OER
Human Rights And Refugees: The Right To Asylum
High schoolers read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, define asylum and identify when people have the right to asylum. They examine specific cases of asylum in recent times and consider some of the difficulties refugees face.
New York State Education Department
Global History and Geography Examination: June 2016
Assess scholars' knowledge of the changing borders in Germany during World War II with a test that includes both multiple choice and essay questions.
Orlando Shakes
The Best of Enemies
History comes to life with the play The Best of Enemie. Scholars learn literary elements as well explore racial issues in American history. The play is based on a true story and addresses the universal truth that people are capable of...
School Science
The Big Bang Time Machine
Scholars take off on an interactive spaceship to explore a historical timeline of the big bang theory. They learn about the evolution of mammals and humans, the formation of stars and planets, and the chemical composition of the early...
Chymist
Batteries
Young scientists study the construction of a battery through experimentation. They engage in five experiments which combine to create a thorough study of the history of batteries beginning with a model of the first battery.
American Institute of Physics
Physicist Activist: Dr. Elmer Imes and the Civil Rights Case of Juliette Derricotte
Elmer Imes was not only a brilliant physicist but also a civil rights activist. After an introductory lecture, groups read two articles about a traffic accident that killed one Fisk University student and injured several others. The...
Polk Bros Foundation
History Dramatists
Bring the drama of history to life in your class and give your learners the opportunity to illustrate their understanding of a historical situation through the medium of a dialogue and/or play. Your young historians will consider a...
Curated OER
Ancient China
Unveil the mysteries of ancient China in this presentation, which includes photographs of historic relics from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Slides detail the Hsia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties; especially helpful is the final slide, which...
Discovery Education
By the Foot: The History of Measurement
When is a foot not a foot? When you use the length of your own foot to measure distances, of course. To underscore the importance of standardized units of measurement, middle schoolers engage in a series of activities that ask them to...
K20 LEARN
Monster Monday - The Good, the Bad, and the Sparkly: Vampire Tropes through History
Fangs, capes, pale skin, and beady eyes! High schoolers investigate the tropes associated with vampires by examining excerpts from stories and films. They then create a timeline that reveals how the depictions of vampires have evolved...
Intel
Starquest
Almost every ancient culture observed the stars and saw pictures in the patterns. Studying stars allowed them to guide travelers, determine when to plant crops, when to harvest food, and the stories surrounding the images include some of...
Poetry Foundation
Dream in Color - High School
Whether focusing on African American poets, Black History Month, or the poetic experience, an amazing toolkit that encourages learners to develop unique poetic voices deserves a place in your curriculum.
Curated OER
Knowledge Quiz: The Universe
In this universe quiz worksheet, students complete a set of 10 multiple choice questions that cover a variety of concepts about the universe: constellations, black holes, the solar system, etc.
Curated OER
Mapping Ancient Coastlines
Most of this instructional activity is spent working on the "Bathymetry Worksheet." It includes a graph of the changes in sea level over the past 150,000 years and a bathymetric map of changes in an imaginary coastline over time....
Curated OER
Astronomy - Ancient Philosophies
Combine science and social studies with this collection of notes on ancient astronomy. Ideas propagated by early scientists influenced the way people viewed life and our place in the universe. Examine the philosophies of Aristotle,...
Curated OER
The Universe Has Room for Change
In this universe and change instructional activity, learners read about the demotion of Pluto as one of the 9 planets as well as other changes in science. Students summarize their reading and identify unfamiliar words in the...
University of Chicago
Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
American Institute of Physics
The Physicist's War: Dr. Herman Branson and the Scientific Training of African Americans during World War II
The mobilization of soldiers for World War II resulted in a worker shortage in the defense industries, especially in the fields of physics and other sciences. The Engineering, Science, and Management War Training program (ESMWT) was...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian In Your Classroom: The Music in Poetry
Take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space and, finally, music with this series of three lessons from the Smithsonian Institution. This resource introduces students to two poetic forms that originated as...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War...