Curated OER
Comparison of Political Life
Students research and compare and contrast the political leadership of three cultures.
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Creating a Leaf Collection and Herbarium
Students gather and identify leaves for a collection. They discuss how a leaf's form reflects its adaptation to its environment. They press the leaves in a book and glue them on construction paper.
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Butterfly/Moth Poster
Students learn how to identify which species of dragonflies or butterflies are found in their County by learning to read the Odonata or Lepidoptera checklist to find the scientific names; they also search field guides and the Internet...
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County Butterfly/Moth Poster
Pupils discover how to identify the butterflies or moths found in their Illinois County. They use the Lepidoptera database list to find the scientific names, searching field guides and the Internet for the common name.
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Collecting Rocks
Students investigate how rocks are formed, how they are used, and how to collect them by listening to a read aloud of Roma Gans, Let's Go Collecting Rocks.. They discover background knowledge of rocks.
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Using the Software Program "Kid-Pix"
Students create a slideshow using the software program Kid-Pix. They use the differences in rocks and minerals for their presentation. They also demonstrate different ways to import and save pictures using the program.
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Mussel Identification Activity
Students participate in an activity in which they identify mussels by choosing a set of characteristics. They review the parts of a mussel before and after the activity. They complete a worksheet to finish the activity.
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Forest Activity: Interpreting a Graph
Students research forest growth online. They analyze the parts and contents of a graph, then summarize in narrative form the changes in the forest over time.
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Insects Preserved in Amber
Students examine and discuss amber and fossils in amber. They simulate the preservation of an insect in amber using glue, a dead insect, and food coloring, listen to a poem about amber, and view real amber under a magnifying glass or...
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Illinois County Dragonfly Poster
Learners identify the dragonflies found in their Illinois County by using the Odonata database list to find the scientific names, searching field guides and the Internet for (1) the common name (2) description (3) life habits and (4) a...
Curated OER
Beyond the Tap
High schoolers explain the basic properties of a watershed including how water flows from higher to lower elevations and how watersheds are interconnected. They comprehend how the placement of buildings, roads, and parking lots can be...
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Exhibit Scavenger Hunt
Students fill in a worksheet from a scavenger hunt about submarines. A tour guide has to stamp it to make it validated. They have various questions to answer ranging from when the first underwater vessel was created, who created it,...
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Mussel Identification Activity
Students identify given species of animals, such as various
mussels, by sets of physical characteristics as they use a key. They also read about mussels on the Illinois River and look at mussel species in the online database. Finally,...
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Sorting Rocks
Students develop a rock word web during a large group discussion. Using the categories generated during that discussion, they sort their rock samples accordingly.
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How Things Fly
Learners research the mechanics of flight and create a slideshow with one slide dedicated to each of these topics: lift, drag, thrust, and weight. They create a short quiz regarding the material that they presented and give it to their...
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Exploring Fish Anatomy and Commercial Fishing Gear
Students investigate commercial fishing by exploring the technical methods. In this environmental lesson, students identify the fish that are most commonly consumed by humans and trace their path from ocean to plate. Students...
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Curious Curators
Students write a theme statement for a collection of diverse objects. Using the internet, they research and write descriptions of various artifact. They role play the role of a museum curator and produce a museum style exhibition. ...
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Sounds of the Heart
Pupils investigate the sounds of the heart, construct a stethoscope, and explore the workings of valves.
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Inquiry Lesson About Color
Pupils investigate the color choices artists make in their work, and to practice the scientific process of predicting, observing, inferring, and interpreting. This lesson's purpose is to prepare students for a museum visit.
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Raleigh Bound!! A Virtual Tour
Fourth graders navigate a DPI web site to answer questions as they preview the Capitol, Legislative Building, and Museum of Natural Sciences before an actual trip to Raleigh.
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Personal Reflections
Students culminate and extend the Museum visit back into the classroom. They consider the choice Telemachus made to continue searching for his father. They relate the moral dilemma to their own personal experiences.
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Rules, Resistance and Repeal: How the Stamp Act Was Repealed
Eighth graders examine the causes of the American Revolution. Participating in activities, they discover how it would have felt to be taxed without representation. They identify an object from a museum and discuss how it might have been...
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From the Rise of the Absolute Monarchy to Democracy on the American Frontier
Students use a teacher-made museum guide with questions that allow them to analyze and compare the patron art of seventeenth-century France with portraits of later periods at the Joslyn Art Museum. Students also read The Little Prince...
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Global Studies Religion Fair
Students review the major religions of the world. Using the internet, they research the impact of religions and the development of the area in which they originated. They work together to create a museum display and brochure showing...