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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is That a Fact?

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Investigate popular scientific claims and gather evidence to defend or argue against an author's stance. Writers synthesize information and compose their own "Really?" columns modeled after those found in the weekly "Science Times"...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Save an Endangered Species

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Have your young learners work in pairs to find and research an endangered species. They use research to develop ideas about saving their animal from extinction. Pairs develop a three-dimensional model of the animal's habitat. Then, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hare and the Water: A Tanzanian Folk Tale

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
"The Hare and the Water," a Tanzanian folk tale, lends a global perspective to literary analysis. Learners spend the first two days reading and storyboarding. On day three, they examine folk tale elements (worksheet included), and design...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Module: Self Awareness

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Get your scholars ready for the workplace! This is a comprehensive plan that will really prompt a big picture approach to career planning. Learners consider whether or not school is a real job, and how well it prepares them for the...
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Lesson Plan
5
5
Curated OER

The Internet of Things: IoT

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
How has the Internet of Things affected our lives? Scholars examine the massive influence of mobile devices in this analysis lesson plan, which begins with a seven-minute documentary clip. They also read a New York Times article (linked)...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: A Compare and Contrast Lesson Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Two great men, one time period, and one purpose; it sounds like a movie trailer, but it's not. It's a very good comparative analysis lesson focused on Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Learners will research and read informational...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
WindWise Education

How Do You Feel About Wind Energy?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Tell me what you really think. The class reviews articles related to wind energy to see how the author uses words, phrases, and images to sway the reader. Through a class discussion, individuals share their feelings from the media...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage: Grades 6-8

For Teachers 6th - 8th
To gain a better understanding of Hispanic heritage and culture, as well as to build informational comprehension skill, learners explore facets of Hispanic American History. They engage in a class discussion, research three facts, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Colonization of the United States

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Bring the Age of Exploration into the 21st century with this ancestry activity! Learners get a chance to explore the complex genealogy of the Spanish settlers through watching two video clips (approximately five minutes each) featuring...
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Activity
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.2

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
One way to get your class to evaluate and synthesize multiple multimedia sources is through a research project. The idea here is that class members will watch videos and listen to scientific debates in order to create a casebook about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whose History Is It Anyway? Patterns in History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Read and examine primary source material in order to analyze, synthesize, and debate information about the Great Depression. Critical analysts research various source materials related to the Great Depression. They work in teams to...
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Activity
Novelinks

Tuck Everlasting: Titles for Chapters

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
High schoolers synthesize the information they've learned from each chapter of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting with a creative summarizing activity. With a graphic organizer for all of the book's chapters, readers title the chapter...
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

The Effects of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Brine Shrimp: A Toxicology Study

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Who doesn't love gold and silver? Brine shrimp, that's who! Learners conduct an experimental lesson to monitor the toxicity of gold and silver nanoparticles on brine shrimp. They synthesize solutions to expose the brine shrimp to and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Visit to Hogwarts

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars collaborate in groups to read excerpts or entire selections from two Harry Potter books, use educational software to create concept maps detailing similarities and differences between first two Harry Potter books, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Newimals"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
It's fun to dream up crazy or new types of animals. Let your high schoolers' dream animals become a reality by engaging them in a fun photo manipulation activity that requires them to synthesize two images, match colors, textures, and...
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Synthesis and Characterization of CdSe Quantum Dots

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed Standards
Does the size of a sample change the physical properties of that substance? It turns out it can! Young scientists combine physics and chemistry to synthesize CdSe quantum dots and record their color properties. Learners should notice a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: One Tiny Turtle (Davies)

For Teachers K - 3rd
The loggerhead turtle is a fascinating species, and budding readers learn all about it in Nicola Davies' account One Tiny Turtle. This informational narrative offers excellent vocabulary in context, and you'll find guidance here to...
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Activity
iCivics

Drafting Board: Electoral College

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Should the president of the United States be voted by the Electoral College or the popular vote? Your young historians will consider the pros and cons of the Electoral College, and make an argument using reasons and evidence provided in...
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Lesson Plan
EduGAINs

Coureurs de Bois, First Nation Peoples, and the Fur Trade

For Teachers 7th - 10th
The interactions between the Coureurs de bois (runners of the woods) and the First Nation Peoples as they engaged in the fur trade are the focus on this Canadian history exercise. Kids select learning centers based on their learning...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sufferin' Stereotypes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Examine how the media informs the way your class thinks about racial and ethnic differences. Additionally, middle and high schoolers discuss whether "objectionable material" in mass media from the past should be preserved.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One Grain of Rice

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Upper graders read the story One Grain of Rice, and use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast topics found in the story to current event topics today. Groups of three learners work together to create their diagram. The topics they must...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Condensation Polymerization

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
This organic chemistry lab activity is appropriate for teaching polymerization, percent yield, melting point, or the types and uses of polymer materials. Chemistry pupils imagine that they are working for a company to develop a special...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 6–8

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's time for the feast! Young historians complete their study of the First Thanksgiving by completing an online activity, watching a slideshow, and examining a First Thanksgiving timeline. After answering text-dependent questions to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Validating Votes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Explore the discrepancies in Florida's vote counting process in 2000 and 2002 with this New York Times reading instructional activity. Middle schoolers study the viewpoints presented in informational text, paying attention to how word...