It's "Green light, go!" with this instructional activity! STEM classes are illuminated with the history of traffic signals and how the engineering design has improved over time. They also learn about patents for new inventions. Finally,...

Here, dog lovers can enjoy an educational lesson about the ways puppies are trained to become service and guide dogs. Based on The Right Dog for the Job by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, the lesson provides discussion questions for...

It's no small wonder that a lightbulb has come to represent a bright idea. The light bulb, the bright idea of Thomas Edison, was just one of his over 1,000 inventions. A teacher's guide introduces young audiences to works of the man who...

"Go West, young man!" is a familiar refrain in American history. But why did people leave their homes in the East to travel westward and what impact did that movement have on people already living in the American West? By examining...

Students research one of the simple machines listed in the lesson and review several simple machine websites to complete their research. Students use software and a watch a video to learn more about machines. Students create a poster...

In this inventors scavenger hunt worksheet, students research 10 different significant inventors known to history. First, they read each question to determine which inventor to search for using the Internet. Then, students write a...

Twelfth graders examine the educational system in the United States in reference to the job market and available expertise. In this Current Events lesson, 12th graders read an article and discuss their opinions with the class.

How do you get started designing a product to meet your engineering design goals? Here, learners gain understanding of an important aspect of the engineering design process: background research. Through brainstorming and worksheets,...

Fifth graders learn the importance of a patent for a new invention. They use the internet to practice typing a classroom patent for a compound machine that their class invented. While on the website, 5th graders choose a month and...

Young scholars, while examining inventions and innovators, identify, differentiate and discuss five Canadian inventors/innovations. After applying creative thinking strategies to a promotional piece, students brainstorm patents.

Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution expressly lists powers given to Congress. Over the years, lawmakers have expanded the enumerated powers to include powers implied by the list. To better understand the significance...

Students discuss the invention of barbed wire and how it affected various groups of peoples in the U.S. after its invention.

Eighth graders study the lives and creations of several significant inventors as well as designing their own invention and submitting it to a mock patent process. They determine the importance of notable inventions and their impact on...

Students are provided with a real life example of research in the areas of genetic and molecular biology. Students examine ethical considerations and related issues such as patent laws and regulatory procedures.

High schoolers investigate a case study and discuss whether scientists working on the Human Genome Project should be allowed to patent their work. They consider ethical and legal issues, and determine who owns genetic information.

Students create a class timeline using the patent year for their selected inventor or invention. Using a piece of yarn, they physically create a timeline, and create and answer math word problems using the years from the timeline.

There is no such thing as someone who is not artistic when using this app. In fact, this is the type of app that makes you want to go out and buy a tablet computer. Whether you have a creative lesson planned, or just need a place to take...

This site contains a variety of worksheets and activities to supplement the on-line problem-based learning activity about how imagination and how inventions are created. TheWright Brothers are used as a case study. The links and...

What does it mean to be American? Explore the constitution and what it really means to be a citizen here. First, learners of all ages will investigate different primary source documents. Then, they establish each document's...

Learners formulate new applications for simple machines in an original invention that solves a common problem. They brainstorm ideas for a new product using simple machines and communicate a finished project through an oral,...

Learners study the government's involvement in the U.S. A's food production and make connections relating to farm programs. In this historical agriculture lesson, students read content and research significant information....

Include moments of heroism in a social studies module that includes three units. Focusing on the murder of Emmett Till, the movement of nonviolent resistance, and segregating schools in Boston, the units explore key events of the...

The murder of Emmett Till, the Selma to Montgomery march, and the desegregation of Boston schools are the focus of three units that ask class members to investigate why these events were so key in the struggle for civil rights....