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the Business of Good Ideas
Learners consider economic factors in patenting a new invention. They research an already-patented health product and assess its profitability.
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"Retale" Value: Exploring Plot Similarities in Fiction and Nonfiction Stories
Students explore seven basic story lines and apply these story lines to news articles in the New York Times. They write reports comparing the plot of a news article to novels, plays and movies with which they are familiar.
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Putting It on the Map
Students consider the purpose of various types of maps and their different uses throughout history. They create their own maps and reflect on the map-making process.
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Shaken Up
Pupils discuss the type of information that they expect to read in news coverage of earthquakes. They explore the devastating aftermath of an earthquake in South and Southeast Asia and research and write their own articles describing the...
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Mine Over Matter
Students explore the January 2006 Sago, West Virginia coal mining accident. They research coal mining in the U.S. and use their data to illustrate posters.
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Not Just Books
Learners consider uses of a library and explore the collections at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City, and create proposals for exhibits of various artifacts.
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It's Gas, Gas, Gas
Students examine America's dependence on oil. They read an article, research how gas prices are established, and create and conduct a survey regarding people's knowledge of gas and gas prices.
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Protect Yourself
Students read about the marketing of permethrin-treated clothing to help prevent insect borne illnesses. They design a poster to create awareness of an insect, animal or plant species which is harmful to humans.
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Another Way of Life
Young scholars read about the 2006 Amish school killings. They explore Amish life, including how loss and tragedy are handled and compare it to how they, themselves, would handle the same situation. They write fictitious dialogues...
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Russian History, in an Eggshell
Students create Faberge-inspired art objects, depicting events in modern Russian history since Peter Carl Faberge's death in 1920. Students research the life of Peter Faberge. They write a short biography explaining how he became an...
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Replicating Controversy
Student act as a research scientists and investigate the development of animal and human cloning. They then report their findings, both orally and visually, to their "colleagues" at a symposium on cloning research. Learners explore the...
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Scientific Scenes
Students discover how the public's perceptions of science have changed throughout recent history; then research scientific and technological breakthroughs in a variety of areas. They then create plays that allow scientists to encounter...
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Terror on Trial
Students think critically about their perceptions of terrorism and examine the motivations, goals and actions of countries against whose "state-sponsored terrorism" the United States State Department has issued sanctions.
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Unplugged
Pupils read the article "Power From the People Breaks the Hold of Batteries and Plugs." Students work in groups to examine various sources of power. Pupils debate the advantages and disadvantages of each power source. They assume the...
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Foreign Policy: Containment
Students examine opinions regarding the American policy of containment. In this Cold War lesson plan, students read articles by George F. Kennan and Walter Lippmann. Students compare the perspectives of the 2 men on U.S. foreign policy.
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Experimenting with Sound
Students explore physical science by completing a worksheet. In this sound perception lesson, students collaborate in small groups to research sound properties on the Internet and in libraries. Students conduct a listening experiment by...
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The Numbers in Nonfiction
This library media PowerPoint introduces the system of nonfiction call numbers. Each slide includes information on what numbers go with each subject, along with colorful illustrations.
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Tolerance: Gender Issues
Students explore why some professions have been gender-dominant in the past. In this lesson, students identify some professions that have typically had one specific gender employed in the past, then research that job to see when it...
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Technology: The Digital Classroom
Students discover how to integrate file management systems on Web servers into the classroom. In addition to maintaining digital portfolios, they develop various Internet functions such as authoring directly onto an Internet domain.
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Let Me Be Your Guide - A Guided Tour of the Dictionary
Fifth graders, in teams, compete arranging vocabulary words into alphabetical order. They complete different worksheet activities to practice locating designated words in a dictionary.
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Model Professionals
Students learn about one scientist's quest to make her field of canopy ecology accessible to a wider audience and to synthesize their knowledge by developing toy figures that could potentially educate children about different scientific...
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Sizing Up Schools
Students explore the meaning of education and research the various strategies different American states are using to try to meet the academic requirements of the public school system.
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The End of an Era
Students explore the American-Mongolian paleontology expedition of Cretaceous fossil beds at Ukhaa Tolgod in the Gobi Desert. They present information about the life forms, tectonics, climate and geology of this time.
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Sunscapes
Students share their observations of the Sun, then analyze images collected by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. They create exhibitions for presentations.