Scholars build a compass using a needle, cork, magnet, and a water-filled cup in order to locate the magnetic north and south.

Critical thinkers consider how word choice in speeches impacts the meaning and effectiveness of the message being presented. They examine and respond to some of the speeches made at the 2004 Republican and Democratic National...

Scholars investigate events in the civil rights era in their community and develop a multimedia presentation of their findings. They compare local events with national events discussed on a NewseumED timeline.

Here is an ongoing activity intended to build interest in local, national, and world news. The class is divided into four groups of approximately five pupils each. The groups are responsible for monitoring the daily news. They compose...

Students study about Jessica Gaulke, a beauty queen from Minnesota. She is then deployed to Iraq with the National Guard unit she is in. They have to role play her and react to what they think they would feel if they were in her shoes.

Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...

Students research and analyze nation building, identifying countries established for various reasons. They study the history of the land now called Turkey and Ataturk, Father of the Turks. They identify the different ethnic groups that...

Students study the different parts of a tree and the significance of each part.  In this build a tree lesson, students use role-playing theater to reinforce what they are learning. Students use their imagination to become tree parts...

High schoolers discuss the benefits of the International Space Station. They evaluate the challenges the designers faced when trying to design the space station. Students discuss the use of scale models when designing large structures...

Learners use a variety of linked sites to research information about student inventions and contests that are available for them. They research an invention they would like to see become available. They communicate their results to their...

Students ask testable questions. They explain the relationship between insect behavior and insect trapping techniques. Students design their own insect traps to collect a new unknown insect, in the same way that entomologists collect the...

When it comes to all the ways money management and financial responsibility weave into our daily lives as adults, make sure learners are prepared to locate resources for managing their finances, such as a financial advisor. 

Turn young mathematicians into landscape architects with this four-lesson series on area and perimeter. Beginning with a basic introduction to calculating perimeter and area using non-standard units of measurement, this...

Tap into your pupils' imagination by asking them to design futuristic, ideal cities. They must discuss and take scale and size into account, looking at some model pieces of art for inspiration and analysis. The final product for each...

The firsthand accounts of what it was like to be an enslaved person in the mid-1800s riveted a nation and the issue ultimately led to civil war. Using excerpts from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, budding historians examine what it...

Learners compare and contrast communities.They explore factors that influence how people live, the roles of adults and children, and the interaction of people who live and work within a community. The lesson focuses on the country of...

Reverse the wrapping to get to the gift. Using the idea of unwrapping a gift, the activity introduces the concept of inverses. Pupils first determine the order needed to evaluate a function at a point, then use the reverse to find the...

Is the inverse a function? Scholars learn how to examine a function to answer this question. Using an online interactive, they examine the properties of inverse functions to compare to the original function.

While the 1950s seemed to be a time of peace and prosperity, Sputnik, the Korean War, and the Montgomery bus boycott were symptoms of the turmoil that loomed under the surface. Using documents, class members investigate what these events...

A good diplomat needs to know how world events can affect their country. First, class members examine the Papal Bull that excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I from the Roman Catholic Church. Then, learners playing the role of diplomat from...

Students investigate the history of fighter kites and build their own.  For this aeronautics lesson, students discover how other countries utilize fighter kites and where they originated.  Students create their own fighter...

Students examine the role of Sport Relief in aiding developing nations. In this global issues instructional activity, students visit selected websites to learn how Sport Relief provides educational resources to nations in need.

Eighth graders examine treaties pertaining to Canadian natives. In this Canadian history instructional activity, 8th graders watch "Frist Nations: The Unbroken Circle," and then discuss the negotiations that took place between the...

Students explore the architecture of New England by identifying geometric shapes.  In this architectural lesson, students examine photographs of classic building architecture and use a transparency to trace geometric shapes they...