Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topographic Connections: Earth's Surface Shapes Streams; Streams Sculpt the Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners identify physical characteristics of developing streams and infer changes in the landscape by creating a river model.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drinking Water and Water Purification

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders design experiments to compare the amount of bacteria in river water to the amount in purified tap water. They explore how water purification removes bacteria and pollution from the water. Students examine the steps of the...
Handout
National Institute of Open Schooling

Heavy Metal Contamination

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An informative lesson focuses on heavy metal contamination of environments. Classes read about, discuss, and answer questions pertaining to sources of heavy metals in the environment. To finish the 35th installment of 36, individuals...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

T3 Lesson Plan: Number 3

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate local water. In this water cycle lesson, 6th graders take samples from surrounding water sources. Students record data from the samples, compare and graph the results.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chemical Consequences of Burning Fossil Fuels

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Future scientists are introduced to the chemical consequences of burning fossil fuels, learning that fossil fuel combustion leads to the formation of oxides of three nonmetals: carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, all of which end up in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln's Spot Resolutions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers take a closer look at historical relations between the United States and Mexico. In this Texas annexation lesson plan, students examine primary documents authored by Zachary Taylor, James Polk, and Abraham Lincoln to...
Unit Plan
Chymist

Testing the Waters

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Should you trust the water you drink every day? The hands-on activity has scholars test water from different sources for contaminants. Pupils perform chemical testing and make conclusions about pH, hardness, iron, chlorine, lead,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Would You Drink This?

For Teachers K - 9th
Students examine how they affect water quality of those who live downstream after identifying rivers and river basins in Kansas.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interpreting Photographs

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine photographs and complete research on river transportation. They describe the beginnings and innovations of the steamboats. Students research the development of trade from the 1700s through the 1800s. They write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pros and Cons of Dams

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students investigate the use of dams on rivers in order to manage water uses in particular the Flathead River and Lake. They make presentations about dam management and write a persuasive paper on the issue. If possible they visit the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map of the Ottawa Valley

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students locate Ottawa Valley on a map. They then answer questions in reference to the map such as: What was the first use of timber in the Ottawa Valley?, What occurred first in Gatineau?, and On the Ontario side of Ottawa River, how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deerfield Debates Its Future: What Constitutes Progress?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the many resources that one can use to explore a community, the Colonial Revival movement, and how the industry and technology reshaped life in Deerfield the Connecticut River Valley.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Road to Indiana

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students explore the National Road to Indiana. In this U.S. highway history and primary source research lesson, students read an original journal written by Jane Voorhees Lewis in 1806 describing her trip west on the first federally...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Impact of the Cotton Gin

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study Eli Whitney and the cotton gin. In this instructional activity on the cotton gin, 4th graders use primary and secondary sources to gather information about Eli Whitney, the cotton gin that he invented and how it...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

River of Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the composition and function of blood through a variety of media and hands-on experiences. This lesson is a very good introduction to blood and the circulatory system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle and Sources of Pollution

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars make an island that has a construction site on it. They spill siulated pollution and trash on top of the island and then water it to simulate rain. They will observe how the rain washes dirt, sand, and pollution off the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go to the Source- Your Town's Tap Water

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate their town's tap water. In this water quality activity, students complete a simple taste-testing experiment and online research to investigate tap water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rivers to the West

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the reasons they may have chosen to follow certain rivers. They list the rivers that start from St. Louis and follow the route of Lewis and Clark. Students trace and label the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Language Arts: Mississippi River Brochure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create brochures about recreational activities along the Mississippi River. Focusing on points of interest, they research attractions and create maps of the surrounding area. Once students write descriptions of their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration in the Connecticut River Valley

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students discuss and compare immigration during the 18th century to the Connecticut River Valley to that in America during the turn of the century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"You Shall Do Your Best Endeavor" - Working With Primary Documents

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students read and interpret primary source documents regarding historic Jamestown. In small groups, they read the primary documents, answer questions, and view online maps of Jamestown Island and Virginia.
PPT
Curated OER

Antebellum American Art

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Dividing the art of the Antebellum period into several different genres, this vibrant presentation is sure to get your students' attention. It takes your students on a walk through an art museum with famous paintings, architecture, and...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads: The Hetch Hetchy Controversy

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Should wilderness areas be preserved or managed? Class members examine primary source documents, including lecture notes, articles, essays and congressional records to better understand the Hetch Hetchy controversy that created a split...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Snapshot Day Definitions and Activities

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Here is a document full of teaching notes on water quality and bodies of water that you can use in your ecology curriculum. It has information specific to the Hudson River area, but can easily be adapted to any local body of water....