Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scaling it Down: Caves Have Maps, Too

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Measurement and map skills are the focus of this activity, where students crawl through a "cave" made out of boxes, desks and chairs, observing the dimensions.  Your young geographers measure various aspects of the cave and practice...
Activity
K-State Research and Extensions

Water

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How are maps like fish? They both have scales. The chapter includes six different activities at three different levels. Scholars complete activities using natural resources, learn how to read a map, see how to make a compass rosette,...
Activity
Curated OER

Middle Ages Cross Curriculum Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers complete several projects on the Middle Ages. In this world history lesson, students complete language arts, social studies, math, and science projects. Some of these include: comparing a teenager's life now to that in...
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Bearing Witness

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
A controversial construction project in South America, the Belo Monte dam, is endangering local cultures, ecosystems, and communities. High schoolers create a concept map based on an online article they read before engaging in...
Lesson Plan
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PBS

Inspector Detector

For Teachers 4th - 8th
How do spacecraft detect magnetic fields? The fourth installment of a five-part unit has learners develop a device with magnets that allows for the detection of magnetic fields. They use a map of an imaginary planet to try out their...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Cats and You: DNA Doubles?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What do cats and human DNA have in common? The second lesson of a series focuses on the mapping of mammal genomes. Scholars learn about the structure of DNA as they compare the chromosomes of humans and felines.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Human Genome

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars study DNA and how it was discovered.  In this biology lesson students see the effects of mapping the human genome would have. 
Activity
PBS

Plants Count

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Changes to habitats mean changes to resources. Groups examine aerial maps to predict areas of low and high plant resources. After formulating a plan, they visit the areas to collect data about the plant resources and then share their...
Organizer
Curated OER

Ecosystem Concept Map

For Students 6th - 9th
How do ecosystems change? How do organisms keep their ecosystem going? Learners use a word bank to fill in 12 blanks that describe the functionality of ecosystems.
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Gorongosa: Making Observations Activity

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...
Lesson Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Peas in a Pod: Genetics

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Can peas have grandparents? Learn about inherited traits and heredity with a set of activities focused on Mendelian genetics. As your class learns about the process of passing traits along in Punnett squares, they take on the role of...
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Highways and Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What is the cost of change? Roberto Guerra's photo essay "La Carretera: Life and Change Along Peru's Interoceanic Highway" asks viewers to consider the impacts of the 1,600 mile-long highway through Peru and Brazil that connects Pacific...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watershed Investigations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the components of a watershed and the factors that affect it. They read a topographical map and use geometry to determine the area of a watershed. Students estimate the volume of a body of water and perform runoff...
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

The Value of Ancient Traditions

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Imagine having to give up cell phones, computers, and TV? What would be lost? What gained? An examination of the Drokpa, a nomadic people who live in the grasslands of Tibet, provides class members an opportunity to consider how access...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genetic Mind Reader Review Game

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students review some important concepts and terms relevant to the Human Genome Project and genetic research. The game is played like a mind reading session between two teams.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Science: Matter and Energy

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Designed to use when teaching adults preparing for their high school equivalency exam, the resource integrates reading practice, writing, and analytical thinking in every lesson. The unit covers 23 topics, but it only includes three...
Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Tracking Hurricane News

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Here is a unique twist for your lesson on hurricanes. After examining extreme weather news headlines, your storm chasers view a PowerPoint about hurricanes and then zoom in on Hurricane Irene. They map a timeline of her trek up the East...
Activity
Star Wars in the Classroom

Star Wars Geography Unit

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What kind of animals live on an ice planet like Hoth? How would the habitat on Tatooine allow different organisms to thrive? Connect social studies, science, and Star Wars in one engaging activity that focuses on the ecosystems...
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Why Can’t I Eat This Fish?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Can turning on the television lead to toxins in the food supply? The lesson offers an opportunity for young scientists to complete guided research. A worksheet lists each question as well as the web page necessary to answer the question....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genome: A Tour and Genetic Disorder Brochure

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use the Internet to gather information about genetics, then research a genetic disorder. In this biology lesson plan, students listen to an interview with a geneticist, watch an animation of "chromosome coiling", then research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth is an Orange

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine and identify the various types of maps. Using two types of maps, they compare the data that can be gathered from each one. They also identify and locate the continents and the oceans. They review the purposes of each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Urban Planning: Plan a City

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students analyze the concept of urbanization by planning the placement of some of the major urban/suburban features that make up most cities. They arrange the cultural features to benefit the people who live there, and maintain respect...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks in our Backyard

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine igneous and sedimentary rocks. They observe and identify geological formations in their community, analyze igneous and sedimentary geological layers using a geological map, and use GPS to locate geological formations.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Organizing your Research

For Students 7th - 9th
In this research worksheet, students read about how to organize themselves when doing research. They read about a student who had a topic to research but had difficulty coming up with books about his topic. Students suggest ways to...