Curated OER
Robot Gears
Learners build simple gear trains and record data to discover how to compute gear ratios. They investigate the definition of torque and how torque can be increased or decreased in a gear train.
Curated OER
The Science of Color
Learners use the scientific method to explore how to make different colors with paint. They problem solve ways to darken and lighten colors without using black and white paint. Students hypothesize how to create new colors, and describe...
Curated OER
A "Capital" Idea
Eighth graders prepare for a field trip to Washington, DC by researching landmark, monument, or building in Washington. They use the information in small groups to design a multimedia presentation. They include a spreadsheet that shows...
Curated OER
Binary and Communication Systems
Students participate in an activity that introduces them to the concept of binary coding as a language. They decode messages using special boards that has its own code for different letters. They create new codes by rearranging wires...
Curated OER
Candy Land
In this activity students pretend that they have been hired by a candy manufacturer to design a box for a new product they are beginning to market. The manufacturer has pre-determined the volume of the candy box. It is the students' job...
Curated OER
Banking for Your Future
Young scholars get a handle on their own personal finances. They discover how banks work, how to plan and stick to a budget, and other helpful tips on managing money. They study the Federal Reserve System, which oversees the nation's banks.
Curated OER
Find Yourself with Global Positioning
Students examine different types of new mapping technologies. They use the internet to gather information about mapping and navigation. They create their own global positioning tool and defend it to the class.
Curated OER
Cardboard Structure: Pyramids
Students design a structure made of cardboard pyramids that will hold their weight. In this pyramid structure lesson, students determine a way to make a structure of interlocking pyramids that are sturdy enough to hold a student's...
Curated OER
Composting Conundrum
Students research cafeteria composting. In this composting lesson, students design a vessel that would allow the cafeteria staff to collect food scraps for composting. Then students build a prototype and present it to the class. Lastly...
Creative Educator
Sell It with Propaganda
Augment a unit on propaganda by prompting class members to create propaganda. Using Frames software, groups demonstrate their understanding of propaganda techniques by designing a new product, creating a commercial to sell...
Curated OER
What's My Rule for Sorting?
Students view objects sorted by one characteristic and name that characteristic. In this sorting rule lesson, students explore to find a new characteristic and write a description of that rule. In early grades the rule might...
Discovery Education
Clutter Cutter
Challenge young learners to cut the clutter with this fun engineering project. As employees of a home and office supply company, young engineers are asked to develop devices that organize everyday items. After participating in a...
Learning Games Lab
Nitrogen in Pollutants
Responsible farming is important for maintaining natural resources. Eager scientists complete a WebQuest to explore what happens to nitrogen when it enters the soil. They learn about the chemical makeup of nitrogen-based molecules...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Thomas Jefferson, Message to Congress Concerning Louisiana
Proficient reading of informational text, especially primary source documents, requires practice. This message from Thomas Jefferson about the Louisiana Purchase offers readers a chance to develop these comprehension skills.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Founding Documents
Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Theodore Roosevelt, Excerpt from Inaugural Address
"Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us." As part of a series of worksheets that provide readers with an opportunity to develop their primary source comprehension skills, kids examine an excerpt from...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Stars
A Reading Adventure Pack explores the night sky. Reading Her Seven Brothers by Paul Goble and Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey begin the learning experience. Scholars craft a night sky mobile, go stargazing, and write a mythical story...
National Sailing Hall of Fame
How a Sailboat Works: Hull Speed and Buoyancy
How can you determine the maximum speed of a sailboat? A sailing presentation included with a straightforward lesson plan prompts learners to calculate the maximum speed of a sailboat with a displacement hull. The...
California Department of Education
Due Dates, Deadlines, and Decisions
Get high schoolers thinking about their post-secondary plans with a lesson plan that teaches them how to navigate the application and financial aid process. They create a junior/senior calendar identifying time-sensitive tasks,...
Curated OER
Great Monuments of the World
Young scholars explore the wonders of the world through inquiry. In this world monuments lesson plan, students investigate famous landmarks around the world as they conduct and apply research. Young scholars create products that feature...
Curated OER
A Full Military Experience
Eighth graders watch electronic field trip entitled Call to Arms, and simulate daily life of eighteenth-century soldier, including marching, camp building, cannon firing, and sharing common meal. Student groups form regiments by signing...
Curated OER
Sim's Cities
Learners investigate city management and government by creating a fictional city in groups. In this civics lesson, students create rules and a mascot for their fictitious city which they create from poster board cubes....
Curated OER
The Role and Influence of Salem's Merchants in Building Salem's Wealth and Expanding the East Indies Trade Through an Examination of Elias Hasket Derby
Fifth graders examine the role of Salem's merchants. Using the live of Elias Hasket Derby, they identify how he helped open up Salem's ports to the world and how it helped America grow as a country. Reading primary source documents, they...
Curated OER
"The Nation's Playground": A Matter of Perspective - A Hearing
Students watch a video and role play the development of a luxury hotel and how it effects the various groups in Maine. They write an editorial for a local newspaper expressing their individual opinions about the project.