Curated OER
Cool Stuff I've Done!
Sixth graders reflect on the life experiences they have had and discover how those experiences may be classified on a resume. They begin brainstorming their life experiences and writing each one on a sticky note. At end of brainstorming...
Curated OER
Mealworms
Crawl into the world of the darkling beetle with this scientific investigation. Watch as the insects move through the larval, pupal, and adult stages of life, recording observations along the way. Discuss the necessities of life as young...
EngageNY
Drawing a Conclusion from an Experiment (part 1)
Challenge your classes to complete an experiment from beginning to end. Learners make their own hypotheses, collect and analyze their own data, and make their own conclusions. They are on their way to becoming statisticians!
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Life In A Nest: Exploring Life Cycles With Bird Cams
Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Can Small Pollutants Harm Aquatic Organisms?
Nanoparticles have toxic effects on plant and animal life—even though you can't see them. The second lesson of a two-part series has young scientists conduct an experiment that exposes plant and animals to nanoparticle pollutants. They...
University of Minnesota
C. elegans and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Introduce the topic of astrobiology in a unit that's out of this world. Biology scholars examine the search for extraterrestrial life by culturing roundworms, a species that has been key in helping researchers understand the challenges...
BBSRC
Discovering DNA: The Recipe for Life
A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe for...
Curated OER
Teaching the Life Cycle of a Butterfly Using the Kinesthetic Approach to Learning
The power of movement and silence is learned as small groups create a drama showcasing the life cycle of a butterfly.
Curated OER
Life as a colonial silversmith
Students study the life experiences of people who lived in colonial Boston prior to the American Revolution. They define key terms including Loyalist and Patriot. They write a journal entry as Nathaniel Hurd, a silversmith.
Curated OER
A Science Experiment With Crayfish
A crayfish can lead to a science experiment involving habitats, animal behavior, and anatomy..
Curated OER
The Lifecycle of a Butterfly
Students study the life cycle of the butterfly. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students examine and discuss a large diagram of the four stages of the butterfly life cycle. They read books and access web sites that extend their...
Smithsonian Institution
Art to Zoo: Life in the Promised Land: African-American Migrants in Northern Cities, 1916-1940
This is a fantastic resource designed for learners to envision what it was like for the three million African-Americans who migrated to urban industrial centers of the northern United States between 1910 and 1940. After reading a...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Battling Vector-Borne Diseases: Factors That Affect the Mosquito Life Cycle
Slow the spread of disease by slowing disease carriers in their tracks. Learners explore just how they might accomplish this as they experiment with the life cycle of a mosquito under different conditions. Scholars design and conduct...
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...
K20 LEARN
#Summarize: Summarizing
What are the effects of one's life experiences? Class members view a slam poetry reading, a speech by President Obama, and read a short story by John Steinbeck about responding to tragedies. They summarize these events and then craft a...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Shopping List 2
I've done this exercise with my special needs learners more times than I can count. They practice getting ready to shop at the grocery store by identifying items on their shopping list. They match grocery items to the proper department...
Curated OER
Animal Life Cycle
Students conduct hands-on experiments. In this life cycle lesson, students are able to observe a variety of animals as they travel through their life cycle (brine shrimp, mealworms, frog eggs and chicken eggs). Students respond to what...
Ask a Biologist
It’s a Plankton Eat Plankton World
For as small as they are, plankton sure play an enormous role in maintaining marine ecosystems. Dive into an investigation of these tiny organisms with a hands-on life science activity in which children cut out pictures of sea animals...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Significance of the Novel’s Title: Connecting the Universal Refugee Experience to Inside Out and Back Again
How might different authors approach the same topic? Scholars read a paragraph from an informational text about Canadian refugees using the resource. Next, they participate in a jigsaw activity to connect real-life refugees' experiences...
Cornell University
Metamorphosis
Looking for an insect unit that addresses multiple skill strategies? Young entomologists explore multiple life cycles of insects that go through metamorphosis. The brainteasers and mobile activity spark learner interest before guiding...
Curated OER
Poetry Through Digital Storytelling
Bring digital storytelling to your language arts class! To begin, learners select their own topic, such as a poem that reflects a life experience they had or a historical figure who interests them. Then they work to create a storyboard...
Learning for Life
Trust Me - I Won't Let You Down
What is fairness? What does it mean to be trustworthy? Learners explore these concepts in an important life skills lesson, which includes reading a story, responding to sample scenarios, and classroom discussion.
Biology Junction
Photosynthesis: Energy and Life
All life requires energy ... and the connection between energy and plant life typically requires photosynthesis. Scholars explore photosynthesis in depth from ATP/ADP through the Calvin cycle. A helpful presentation highlights concepts...
Curated OER
Types of Marine Debris
Students conduct an experiment. In this marine debris and environment protection instructional activity, students categorize trash into piles, predict whether these trash items will sink, float or be picked up and carried by the wind...