Curated OER
The Things they Carried: Directed Reading Thinking Activity
To generate interest in and enable readers to connect to The Things They Carried, class members write about what they carry—both tangible and intangible things. The class then makes a list of these things and compares the list to...
Curated OER
Holidays: Often Happy, Sometimes Sad
Students examine holiday stress. In this current events instructional activity, students read the provided article "Holiday Stories from Street Corner and Coffee Shop." Students respond to the provided discussion questions.
Curated OER
Studying Contraception
Abstinence, different contraceptives, decision-making about sexual activity, and peer pressure are a few of the topics in this lesson. Did you know the majority of youth are not sexually active? This would be a great jumping off point...
Western Justice Center
Emotions, Regulation Strategies
To regulate emotions in a conflict it is first necessary to be able to identify those emotions. To that end, class members engage in a series of activities, watch a series of videos, and compete worksheets that help them understand and...
Curated OER
ICYouSee: A Lesson in Critical Thinking
Stress the importance of authenticating online resources and understanding the sources of websites' information with this activity. Using a Web-based activity, the activity prompts young learners to think critically about determining the...
Teach Engineering
Strength of Materials
Pupils examine a stress-strain diagram that compares the advantages and disadvantages of the two common bridge building materials, concrete and steel. The also consider the factors that influence the materials builders choose for their...
Perkins School for the Blind
A Visit to the Doctor
Going to the doctor's office may be a source of stress and uncertainty for some children. Help your learners with special needs discover what to expect at and how to cope with their next trip to the doctor. They explore real medical...
California Department of Education
Transitioning to High School
How do scholars prepare to take their next big step? The second in a series of six career and college readiness activities focuses on making a smooth transition from middle to high school. Groups research the resources available at their...
Baylor College
HIV/AIDS in the United States
In the final of five lessons about HIV/AIDS, groups create presentations to share data about the infection rates in the United States, examining demographic and geographic trends over the past ten years. Depending on how much time you...
University of Washington
Pasta Genetics
Four different-shaped and dyed pasta types represent four different alleles. Following a guide sheet, young geneticists practice randomly selecting alleles and discover the traits of the resulting offspring. This is a fun and solid...
Curated OER
Identifying Conflicts
Students examine different types of situations that involve conflict. They write about one type of conflict in their journal and share it with the class.
Curated OER
You Can Survive! (Math Anxiety)
Students explore strategies to manage stress in the math classroom. Through various activities, students discover the characteristics of math anxiety and determine if this affects them. Using computer technology, students complete a...
NOAA
It's a Roughy Life
Scientists recently discovered several previously unknown species at the Bear Seamount off the coast of New England. Scholars research these new species — benthopelagic, benthic, and seamount fish — and find out what makes them...
Advocates for Youth
How Can I Take Care of My Health?
Life is all about choices, and a healthy life tends to involve a lot of healthy choices. Guide teenagers toward a life full of nutritious food, regular exercise, and responsible decisions with a series of lessons on healthy habits for...
Overcoming Obstacles
Playing by the Rules
The takeaway from the "Playing by the Rules" lesson is that it is each person's responsibility to learn the rules in a given situation and that they must accept the consequences if they choose not to follow the stated rules. Class...
Curated OER
Health And Life Skills Outcomes
Students use skills that are directly related to alcohol, tobacco and other drug choices (e.g., refusal skills, decision making, stress reduction skills)
Curated OER
Tree Cookies
Students identify heartwood, sapwood, and a tree's annual rings, infer from a tree's rings what damage or stress might have occurred in its life, and make a time-line of human history that coincides with a tree's rings.
Curated OER
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Young scholars, after reading and discussing, "The Metamorphosis," by Franz Kafka, explain the symbolism of Gregor's metamorphosis moving beyond a literal view of "he turned into a bug" into the idea that...
Curated OER
Distribution of Active Volcanoes Exercise
Students collect and plot data, then interpret the results and answer questions about the geologic causes and the human effects of volcanic eruption. They participate in a role-play activity and a virtual field trip, as well.
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!
Learners become entomologists for a day. In this life science lesson plan, students go on an insect hunt and investigate insects and their homes. This leads to the creation of an insect by each student. Lesson includes a take-home...
Curated OER
Waste Management
Students explore the impact on waste on the environment, and the impact of the 3R's (reduce, reuse and recycle) as a means of diminishing the waste created by humans.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Adolescent Characteristics
Students examine the various characteristics of adolescence. In a Powerpoint presentation they observe the physical, emotional, and social traits of adolescence. In groups, they investigate researchers associated with developmental...
Cornell University
The Physics of Bridges
Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.
California Academy of Science
Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates
Here is a comprehensive package in which middle schoolers learn about types of seismic waves, triangulation, and tectonic plate boundaries. Complete vocabulary, colorful maps, and a worksheet are included via links on the webpage. You...