Curated OER
Death On Board La Belle: Finding Clues from Old Bones
Students practice analyzing skeletal remains for clues by using the Internet. In this scientific investigation lesson, students research the La Belle shipwreck using the Internet and written materials, later completing a Skeletal...
New York City Department of Education
Egypt
This six-week unit encompasses all subjects with a focus study on world history and the development of ancient civilizations. As gifted and talented students dive into the interesting yet challenging topic of Egypt, they...
Orange County Water Atlas
Location, Location, Location…
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
Curated OER
Steps To An Inquiry Process
Fourth graders investigate the research process. The finding of information about the indian tribes of Montana provides the context for student practice. They identify the problem and generate questions to find answers. The main...
University of Minnesota
Dendritic Spines Lab
This is your brain on drugs ... literally! Your neuroscientists-in-training examine the evidence of drug use on the human brain and how neurons change their connectivity when altered by drugs. They then work together to create testing...
Curated OER
Water: Our Most Important Beverage
Third graders complete a KWL chart on what they already know about water and what they want to know. As a class, they participate in an activity in which they discover the amount of drinkable water on Earth and are introduced to the...
PBS
Predicting/Making a Hypothesis
As an introduction to the hypothesis and testing method of investigation, young history detectives engage in a special investigation of a family artifact. After watching a short video that demonstrates the method, they develop a...
American Psychological Association
Psychology Goes to Madison Avenue
As part of a study of well-known psychologists, class members create a name, a business logo, an advertisement for TV, online, radio, or print, and a pamphlet for the business run by one of the psychologists on a provided list. An...
American Psychological Association
Facebook Activity
Imagine if Sigmund Freud or Charles Darwin had a Facebook page. As part of a study of major historical figures in the field of psychology, class members are assigned a psychologist and design a mock Facebook page that includes...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—Fifth Grade
Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this...
Curated OER
The Fault Line
Students use cardboard models of the North American and Pacific plates and sand to investigate what happens when there is an earthquake or movement along the boundaries of the plates.
Curated OER
Community Journals
Students visit a multimedia online journal as a model for their research and journal about their own communities. They examine writing for themselves and writing for an audience as they study the community and present it in more than one...
American Psychological Association
Resource Vetting Rubric
How do you assure that the resources you find for your classes are of good quality? Check out a vetting rubric that suggests eight questions to ask when considering lesson plans, activities, demonstrations, and pictures for classroom use.
Curated OER
Milestones of Flight
Students identify significant milestones in the history of flight. For this aviation history lesson, students study various resource materials and construct timelines of significant achievements.
Curated OER
Dirty Decomposers
Students explore the ecosystem by conducting a ziploc bag experiment. In this recycling lesson, students identify decomposer organisms in our environment and how they speed up the recycling process. Students utilize a ziploc plastic bag,...
Curated OER
Net Results
Students investigate through role play how decisions by watermen, recreational fisherpeople, and lawmakers influence and are influenced by economics and the abundance or scarcity of fish and shellfish stocks. They consider social,...
Curated OER
Secrets from the Sea
Students utilize technology for research. They research the potential causes of the sinking of the Hunley.
Curated OER
Sundials: Keeping Time Like Native Americans
Students explore the use of sundials. They observe the shadows cast by the sun and record the times at various points throughout the day. They create sundials and record the location of the shadows and the time of day. They view a...
Curated OER
Chihauhan Desert Journaling Activity
Learners explore U.S. geography by completing an observational activity with classmates. In this New Mexico lesson, students research the Chihuahuan Desert by visiting several Internet sites. Learners write the data they've collected in...
Curated OER
Thanks Be To You
Learners research U.S. history by completing a worksheet activity in class. In this historical figure lesson, students identify the contributions and risks taken by the former African-American leader Martin Luther King Jr. Learners read...
Curated OER
The Best Place in the United States to Live
Students, working in small groups, analyze information provided in U.S. maps to make a logical determination of the best place to live in the United States in regards to natural and human-made hazards. Then, working individually, they...
Curated OER
Tracking the Weather Using Technology
Fourth graders explore the use of technology to monitor and forecast weather. They investigate the different types of weather monitoring and forecast tools. Students interpret radar images and discuss the traditional types of weather...
Curated OER
Tall Grass Prairies of Arkansas
Learners compare maps depicting the past and present range of tall grass prairie in Arkansas. They research to discover what has happened to the prairie, why it is unique, how it contributes to the biodiversity of Arkansas, and why...
Curated OER
Automated Vehicle Programming Design
Students design a program to make an automated vehicle perform a specific task. In this robotics lesson, students play the role of scientists competing to win a factory's contract. They present their algorithm to class.