Curated OER
Must Be Something in the Water
Students research water pollution and create a class guide to raise the public's awareness about this issue. They write papers analyzing the effectiveness of the guide after it is read by members of the community.
Curated OER
Dedication to Douglass
Students study the controversy surrounding the proposed Frederick Douglass Circle monument in Central Park. They review the notion of historical inaccuracy by reading and discussing the article, "In Douglass Tribute, Slave Folklore and...
Curated OER
Miriam Schapiro Action Figures Collage
Students create a background with a marbling technique. They plan and create a figure from assorted papers, mixing solids and patterns. Students glue the figure to the background, and embellish negative space with glitter.
Curated OER
Big Dipper Story Wheel
Students research a Canadian Indian Tale. In this constellation lesson, students hear the story "Never-Ending Bear Hunt" which describes the constellations from the Native American perspective. They create their own constellation wheel...
Curated OER
Meting Out Justice
Students investigate the murder case of Emmett Till and identify the missing pieces from the case. Through research, they then work to fill in the gaps to create a basis for examining how justice might be served anew in this...
Curated OER
Occupational Oxymoron
Students consider their own notions of poverty, examine the life of a woman classified as "working poor" from a variety of perspectives, and present their findings to the class. Then, students synthesize their knowledge in a paper.
Curated OER
Power Plans
In this instructional activity, students consider what they already know about nuclear power and its uses and then examine an accident at a nuclear power plant. They then research and create reports on nuclear energy.
Curated OER
PHYSICS LESSONS
Students study the concept of electricity, what an electric current is and its relationship between voltage and resistance.In this electrical lesson students solve problems using Ohm's law, and research alternative sources of electricity.
Curated OER
Forest Activity: Leaf Collection and Creating a Herbarium
Students identify and categorize leaves. They collect leaves from trees, research the leaves using field guides and the Internet, press, label, and display the leaves, and discuss how the leaf reflects adaptation to its environment.
Curated OER
Hearing The Warning Bells
Explore hearing loss and ways in which technology can help the hearing impaired by experiencing a simulation of hearing impairment and by researching in order to present related topics. Learners will also investigate and evaluate dangers...
Curated OER
Finding and Gathering The News
Eighth graders discover what makes an event newsworthy. They research topics by using the five W questions. They examine the difference between facts and opinions and practice interviewing people for stories.
Curated OER
To Freeze or Not to Freeze
Students examine the non-verbal elements of a theatrical performance. They read an article, answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research, and stage frozen tableaux based on lines from Shakespeare's works.
Curated OER
Rock Around the Map
Students research the geographical histories of various musical genres and make maps that note important places in music history. They Write geographical biographies about one of their favorite musical artists.
Curated OER
Red Tail Ridge Wetland Study Project
Fifth graders use a real life scenario of the wetlands to gather information on creatures of the habitat. For this wetlands lesson, 5th graders research the interdependence of organisms in a healthy habitat. Students collected samples...
Curated OER
Mmmm, Mmmm ... and Good
Students consider their own diets and examine an op-ed article about organically produced foods. They research alternatives to various foods for the creation of a supermarket and reflect on their own diets after keeping a food journal.
Curated OER
Classifying Waste: What Kind is Mine?
Students discover what happens to their trash and garbage once it is collected off of the curb. In groups, they classify garbage and waste into seven different categories and estimate how much waste is created in each one. Using the...
Curated OER
Density Challenge
Students calculate the densities of several liquids that appear similar. In this physical science lesson, students go beyond understanding the way liquids of different densities behave to researching how this knowledge applies in real...
Curated OER
Creatures of the Skies
Students create a bird identification game. In this classification lesson, students work in pairs to collect information about a specific bird. They use a bird field guide to aid in the research. They challenge other students in their...
Curated OER
Ag in My Community; Agriculture
Learners build knowledge about agriculture as it relates to their communities' commodities. In this agriculture lesson plan, students brainstorm about conditions in their community with regards to growing different types of crops....
Curated OER
A Big Purchase
Investigate the process of buying a car. High schoolers will use the internet to find cars that are for sale, that they are interested in, and review each car in detail in order to prepare a 3 page paper on which they give the details of...
Exploratorium
Penny Battery
Use pennies to light an LED. Class members follow the provided directions to build a multi-celled battery powered by pennies. Using stacks of pennies of varying heights, pupils control the voltage of the battery to light different colors...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Male deer growing antlers to begin the breeding season is an example of a phenological event. First in a four-part series is an activity requiring individuals to collect phenological data on their campus. Classes discuss phenology, the...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
Sometimes, the best solution to a problem can be found by walking in someone else's shoes. Here, scholars use character cards to take on the roles of people around the world. They determine how their character's life affects our...
Curated OER
Life in the Kelp Forest
Students research and create a marine food web to learn about plants and animals in a kelp forest. In this marine food web lesson, students draw lines between kelp forest predators and prey and show the flow of energy in the food web....