Lesson Plan
Desert Discoveries

The Sonoran Desert

For Teachers 3rd
Elementary schoolers study the geographic location of the Sonoran Desert. They pay close attention to the characteristics of the plants and animals found in this desert environment. The student handouts embedded in this plan are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading a Local and National Weather Map

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students practice reading a national and local weather map. Using this information, they work together to make predictions about the weather for the next few days. They discuss the use of symbols and maps as a class and discuss how...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Mapping the Ambient Magnetic Field

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
No GPS allowed! High school scientists continue to explore magnetic fields with a hands-on activity. After mapping the ambient magnetic field in the classroom and completing data analysis, they write about the similarities and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can a Mouse Lift an Elephant?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Read Just a Little Bit, by Ann Tompert as an introduction to levers. Discuss playground seesaws and then turn learners loose to experiment with the placement of a fulcrum. Their goal is to determine where to place it in order to lift ten...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 5 - Dear Mem

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...
Lesson Plan
Wild Screen

Design a Conservation Programme

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In a comprehensive project, teen ecologists read case studies to learn about successful conservation programs, then work together to research an ecosystem. The project culminates with either an in-class presentation about a conservation...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Arizona's Biotic Communities Lesson 3: A Day in the Life

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Junior ecologists examine Arizona's biotic communities and research an animal or plant that is found in this community. In this lesson, learnerss write a narrative essay about their assigned animal or plant. They research online and in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Read a Transportation Story

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders research the career of Arctic transportation. In this arctic transportation lesson, 8th graders read a book about Arctic truck travel and review the historical aspects of transporting goods in the Arctic. Students review...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Drones Take Off

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Ever wonder what drones are doing high above us in the sky? This article gives your class an insight to what those robots in the sky are doing. After reading an article on drone technology, pupils are prompted to respond to a...
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Development of Baking Powder

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know baking powder can be used to treat acne, whiten teeth, and make sugar cookies? The lesson plan on the development of baking powder is ready-to-go with no preparation required. Through readings, pupils answer questions,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map of the Human Heart

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Click on this link and find two animated graphics of the pumping human heart. The path of blood-flow is listed in steps. The connection to the "teacher lesson plan information" does not work, but there are other links to superb resources...
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Refugees From Vietnam and Cambodia

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The United States may have pulled its troops from the Vietnam War in 1973, but the conflict was far from over for the citizens living in Asia at the time. An informative resource lets learners know about the wave of over 220,000...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading a Local and National Weather Map

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars investigate weather maps. For this weather lesson, students discover the meaning of different weather icons and symbols. Working independently, young scholars use the local forecast to correctly label a state map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading Weather Maps

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders the symbols that are used on weather maps. They develop five day forecasts based on information they gather from weather maps in the newspaper and on the Internet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Shuttle's Eye View

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the goals of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission as a springboard to exploring the topographical features of their own state or region. They synthesize their understanding of landforms and topography by mapping their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking Pollution - A Hazardous Whodunit

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read a story problem about the issue of hazardous waste and pollution in a fictional town. In groups, they create a topographical map and predict how the water might flow and determine the place of contamination. To end the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Will Smog be a Problem at the Olympic Games?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students locate China on a world map, then read a news article about pollution in Beijing. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion about smog and a vocabulary activity, then students read the...
Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

Phases of Charon

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Charon, the largest of Pluto's moons, was discovered in 1978. Lesson is a walk through of how to solve for the phases of Charon. It uses two different points on Pluto and takes into account the tilt of the pole, the rotational axis, and...
Lesson Plan
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August House

The Archer and the Sun

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
Reinforce reading comprehension with a instructional activity about The Archer and the Sun, a Chinese folktale. Kids learn some background information about Chinese culture before reading the story, and answer literacy...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Ring of Fire

For Teachers 6th Standards
Over a period of 35 years, earthquakes and volcanoes combined only accounted for 1.5 percent of the deaths from natural disasters in the United States. The 15th lesson in a 20-part series connects the locations of earthquakes and...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Extreme Weather's Impact on Our Resources

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
How dry is it? It's so dry, the river only runs twice a week! Through an analysis of maps and discussions, pairs learn about droughts across the United States in the ninth of 12 lessons. They then read about, answer questions, analyze...
Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Coloring Discrete Structures

For Teachers 6th - 9th
What's the least number of colors needed to color a U.S. map? The lesson begins by having pupils view a video clip on continuous and discrete phenomenon, then launches into an activity reminiscent of Zeno's paradox. A separate video...
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Strange New Planet

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

How To Travel On Earth Without Getting Lost

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Take a virtual trip with a geography lesson that uses longitude and latitude, the position of the sun, an astronomy app, and a classroom globe.