Smithsonian Institution
Latino Expression
How much of your daily life is influenced by Latin American music? Take a listen—the answer may surprise you! High schoolers keep a journal to note any instances they see Latino culture represented, including the media, their school, and...
Endowment of United States Institute of Peace
Active Listening
Ensure that your pupils listen to one another in constructive ways by introducing them to active listening skills through discussion, role playing, and partner work.
Bowland
How Risky is Life?
"Life is more risk management, rather than exclusion of risks." -Walter Wriston. Scholars use provided mortality data to determine how likely it is a person will die from a particular cause. They compare the data to the perception of the...
Global Oneness Project
Resiliency Among the Salmon People
Is losing cultural traditions the cost of social progress, or should people make stronger efforts to preserve these traditions? High schoolers watch a short film about the native Yup'ik people in Alaska and how they handle the shifts in...
NOAA
Plankton
Dive into the world of plankton. The 17th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces different types of plankton. Young scientists then use what they have learned to classify...
Curated OER
The High Cost of Chemical Dependency
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the effect and impact that humans have on the environment based on their choices as individuals, businesses and governments. They assess the balance between human activities and aquatic pollution.
University of Rhode Island
Success Through Self Awareness
Knowing yourself is the first step to a successful life! Introduce scholars to the value of self awareness through an eight-part personal development unit. A series of hands-on activities provides participants with insight into their...
NOAA
Ocean Acidification
If tap water is more acidic than ocean water, why are we so concerned about ocean acidification? The third installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program focuses on carbon dioxide levels in...
Advocates for Youth
Who Am I and What Can I Do?
Knowing yourself is a great start to getting through high school! A series of activities introduce individuals to the rest of the group as they share their backgrounds, their interests, and their goals in life.
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 2: High-Intermediate Level
Need a sentence completion activity to give your pupils practice developing their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills? Whether used as an in-class exercise or take-home practice, the provided answer and explanations key...
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
The Road to Careers (Part 2)
Fourth graders discuss the ways people prepare for their careers. As a class, they discover the many options they have after graduating from high school. In groups, they use the internet to research the types of skills and education they...
Curated OER
Marine Protection Areas
Students explain the importance of having Marine Protected Areas. In this ecology lesson, students research MPA's in any of the Great Lakes. They play a MPA simulation game and identify MPA's on the map.
Curated OER
Assessing Quality of Life
Eleventh graders research quality of life indicators for a list of countries looking at such things as infant mortality rate, and gross domestic product. They rank the countries from best to worst regarding quality of life issues.
Curated OER
Conditions of City Life in the Late 19th Century
Learners examine tenement life. In this lesson on early urbanization, students research the role of journalism for social change in early American cities. Learners write a journal article for themselves that demonstrate an understanding...
Curated OER
Teaching Radioactive Decay: Radioactive Half-life And Dating Techniques
High schoolers generate a radioactive decay table for an imaginary element using a box filled with pinto beans and M&M's. They use their data to plot a decay graph, develop the concept of half-life, and use the graph to "age" several...
PBS
America's Infrastructure: Miller Center National Discussion Debate Series
Junior high and high school learners study infrastructure and its relationship to the current economy. They review handouts, watch a PBS clip, and review case studies in order to answer provided questions and role play over...
Curated OER
X-ray Spectroscopy and the Chemistry of Supernova Remnants
This link takes you to a comprehensive unit that delves into emission spectra and supernovas. There are four parts: How and where elements are created, electromagnetic radiation, spectroscopy, and the newest technology for studying our...
Curated OER
College or Bust?
Based on a New York Times article, "The College Drop-Out Boom," participants in a fishbowl discussion formulate and express opinions about the correlation between level of education, career options, and economic mobility. Ample...
BBC
Anglo-Saxons
This interactive web site invites exploration of Anglo-Saxon history, culture, and daily life. It is easy to navigate, has clear information, and nice features like pop-up definitions when the cursor moves over the highlighted...
National History Day
Helping Life and Aiding Death: Science, Technology, and Engineering at Work during World War I
Science, engineering, and United States history? Pupils research collections of artifacts from the Smithsonian to learn about historical scientific innovations. At the end of the lesson, they write an essay to discuss technology's...
Curated OER
Making a Case
Start the day by sharing opinions about human rights. Then, read "A Defiant Hussein Pleads Not Guilty to Mass Execution" with your middle and high school class. Your pupils research the specific charges in the case against Saddam...
Personal Genetics Education Project
DNA, Crime and Law Enforcement
Civil rights meets biotechnology in a instructional activity that scrutinizes the collection of DNA of citizens who have been arrested, but not yet convicted of a crime. Real-life cases are examined in which the DNA of a relative was...
Steppenwolf Arts Exchange
Fahrenheit 451: Study Guide
Here's a must-have packet for your curriculum library. If you are interested in Fahrenheit 451, if you are interested in Ray Bradbury, if you are interested in censorship, if you interested in programs that make a difference, then...