Curated OER
What Are Cells?
Energize the cells of young biologists with an edible life science activity. Engaging students in exploring the inner workings of plant and animal cells, this activity involves using colored jello and various sweet and...
Virginia Department of Education
The Ratio of Surface Area to Volume
Demonstrate the ratio of surface area to volume in your high school class by using phenolphthalein, gelatin, and an onion. Intrigue the class by leading a discussion on osmosis and diffusion, then making "scientific jello." Participants...
Generation Rx
My Generation Rx: Lead the Scene
Prescription drugs may start out with legitimate usage, but lately they are finding their way to high school and college party life. Have a discussion with the teenagers in your class on prescription drug abuse with a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
War Poetry, Journals and Letters: Viet Nam
Examine letters written during war-time. In this cross curricular history and English instructional activity, middle and high school scholars read letters and poems written by soldiers in the Vietnam war. They will examine the...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Ball Point Engravings
Turn simple pencil sketches into colorful engravings. After first creating hand-drawn pictures, young artists then trace over them will ball point pens, etching the images into cold press illustration boards, before rubbing...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
I Need a Superhero
Once the class learns about the hero's journey, they'll find it in every story and movie they see! Take characters from their humble beginnings to their atonement and apotheosis with a set of lessons about the hero's journey...
Curated OER
The Basics: Life Science
Young scholars develop an understanding of the different fields of study that are encompassed by the term, life science. They view and discuss a video on the topic. In small groups they focus on on of the examples shown in the video to...
Curated OER
Get A Life!
Students participate in a program which helps them determine what they want to do after high school. Individually, they develop their own webpage describing where they want to be in ten years. They research a career they are interested...
Curated OER
Nightmare in Minnesota
Students read and discuss the article "10 Are Dead in Minnesota After Rampage at School." students explore their reactions to school violence and interventions to prevent its occurance.
Curated OER
Changing Cicada
Students discuss inherited traits and relate to the inherited traits in a cicada. In this cicada lesson plan, students follow the life cycle of the cicada and observe the changes as it grows. Students discuss the characteristics of...
Curated OER
The Sidney Poitier High School
Young scholars research the life of Sidney Poitier and plan an hour-long dedication ceremony for a school that has just been renamed after him.
US Institute of Peace
Maintaining Trusting Relationships
What role does trust play in diffusing a tense situation? Young social scientists explore trust on a personal and global level during a lesson on peace and conflict. After participating in a trust sit, participants work in groups to...
Curated OER
Lesson: After Nature: Visions and Visionaries
Build visual literacy, discussion, and critical thinking skills with an innovative art lesson. Young analysts discuss the use of decalcomania, surrealism, and automatism in various contemporary pieces, discuss constructed truth, and...
BBC
Anne Bancroft Dies
High schoolers get together in groups to read and learn about the life of film actress Anne Bancroft. After a teacher-led presentation on her life, each of the groups must complete tasks described by the worksheets embedded in the plan....
US Institute of Peace
Negotiation Role-Play
War-torn Kosovo is experiencing another crisis—thousands of broken-down cars clogging the damaged highways, making travel impossible. Which local auto shop owner will get the contract to clear the road for progress? After some research,...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Myth or Fact
Are opioids the most abused drug after marijuana? How hard is it for young people to obtain painkillers without a prescription? Middle and high schoolers explore the growing epidemic of opioid addiction with a lesson that prompts them to...
American Press Institute
Introductory News Literacy
Aspiring journalists learn about media literacy, journalism, and the press. Units come complete with handouts, assignment rubrics, notes, and extension suggestions. Each unit also comes with a list of vocabulary words and learning...
PBS
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
What rights are guaranteed to students? Do they align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations in 1948? Middle and high schoolers present persuasive arguments about the rights they believe...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr. Team Activity
Young scholars sequence the events of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, after first being read a biography. The facts are on strips of paper, which are later glued end to end.
Curated OER
Life on Earth and Beyond, Our Search for Answers
Students in a special education classroom are introduced to how the universe and solar system was formed. Using the internet, they research the characteristics of Earth that support human life. In groups, they compare and contrast...
Curated OER
Basic Introduction to Foundation of Life: Genes, Genetics and Genetic Diseases
Learners are introduced to genetics along with genetic diseases and heredity. In groups, they complete a Punnett Square to determine the dominant and recessive genes. After viewing diagrams, they identify the characteristics of DNA and...
Curated OER
Use of John Johnson's Life Story in Conjunction With Other Black Entrepreneurs as Role Models for Potential Black Businessmen
Students read an autobiography of John Johnson and discuss how he rose from poverty to be a successful businessman. After reading excerpts of other autobiographies, they brainstorm a list of characteristics of those who were successful...
Curated OER
A Year (a Day or a Week) In My Life as a Shorebird
Students describe the basic life history of one shorebird common to their area. They use the writing process which includes brainstorming, rough draft writing, peer editing, and re-writing to create a factually and grammatically...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a World War II Soldier Webquest
Students complete a web-quest into a day in the life of a World War II soldier. In this webquest instructional activity, students investigate what life was like for soldiers on the front lines during the second World War. They use note...