California Department of Education
My Dream Career
Is your job a dream come true? Career seekers research to discover what their ideal jobs might be in the second of five career and college readiness lessons for sixth graders. After determining their occupational clusters, individuals...
Curated OER
Westward Movement/the Oregon Trail Using Power Point
Fifth graders research and examine the Westward Movement using a computer. they create their own word search from facts they discover in their research or while interacting with the Oregon Trail software. They create PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Persuasive Paper: RFID
Students write a persuasive essay. In this persuasive writing lesson plan, students argue either for or against RFID technology. Students research RFID both as a class and individually, and follow paragraph-by-paragraph instructions to...
Curated OER
Communications Technologies
Students explore examples of innovative technology found on the AT&T Labs Technology Showcase Demos website. They take notes in their science journals and describe how each device works.
Curated OER
Summer Trip
Fourth graders search for information and directions to specific cities from their homes, figure cost of trip when given miles per gallon, distance, and cost per gallon of gas, develop outline budget for summer trip, and draw and label...
Curated OER
Mammal's Around the World
Fifth graders, exploring all the ins and outs of using a computer, publish their own mammal papers with the use of word searches, thesaurus and spell checks. While in the computer lab, they research their mammal and country on the...
Curated OER
Chips, Anyone?
Students identify how computer technology affects their lives, then read a news article about the impact of computer chips implanted under some people's skin. For this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...
Curated OER
Plight or Progress?
Young scholars read an online article to study the positive and negative aspects of nuclear energy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. They conduct a debate on technology of the future.
Curated OER
The Last Great Race
Third graders identify and discover why the Iditarod race is done each year. They explore the historical significance of the Iditarod. Students also use web sites to research related topics, i.e. diseases (diptheria), geography of...
Curated OER
Both Home And School On The Range
Students investigate the notion of home-schooling and the use of technology as an instructional tool while comparing these ideas to their own school experiences. They develop and conduct a survey centering around home-schooling and...
Curated OER
Run for your Health
Students, in groups, search the Internet for evidence to support the idea about a relationship between physical activities, health and well being. They create a flyer or newsletter for a campaign to recruit students to the runner's club...
Curated OER
Our Robots, Ourselves
Students imagine how they might use a robot in their daily lives, explore advancements in artificial intelligence, investigate robotic technology under development, and prepare posters that show how robotic technology might be...
Curated OER
Local Weather And Location
Students explain how uneven heating of Earth affects wind and water currents. They describe the limits on current technology in predicting weather and how the Water Cycle is related to local weather.
Curated OER
Driving the Digital Highway
Students research a specific type of innovative computer technology in automobiles or other commonplace products or services and create a radio advertisement 'selling' this innovation.
Curated OER
Making the Future Present
Students draw and describe a new system for prison surveillance. After reading an article, they discover the use of a wearable computer by prison guards. In groups, they develop a proposal for a new type of technology to be used in a...
Curated OER
Appliances with Minds of Their Own
Students examine how everyday appliances might soon possess the capacity "to think" as a result of recent technological advances. A display of their knowledge of this new technology by creating a poster design of a "smart" machine.
Curated OER
Edison and the Light Bulb
Learners explore the impact of inventions on society, specifically Edison and the light bulb. In this technology lesson, students use online resources and listen to a story about Edison to develop an understanding of how the light bulb...
Curated OER
Mom, Where Do TV's Come From?
Students explore the history of television using the lifetime achievements of Milton Berle as a springboard for studying social and technological advances in American entertainment. They, in groups, examine the role of television through...
Curated OER
Step by Step
Students analyze the importance of each step, person, and technology involved in the production of goods from raw materials to finished products.
Curated OER
Get Your Motor Runnin'
Students examine the technology of hybrid vehicles and the claims made on their behalf. Upon further exploration, they research and decide which cars, hybrid or non-hybrid, might perform best under various circumstances.
Curated OER
Connecting the Dots
Students consider familiar audio and imaging devices, researching and analyzing the differences between analog and digital versions. They then reflect on which versions of the technology provide a truer record over time.
Curated OER
All Aboard the Innovation Train
Young scholars read "Next Stop for the Subway, a Fully Automated Future" from The New York Times and consider the effect of technology on their town or city. After discussing arguments for and against the new computer-based subway...
Curated OER
Biology Paired PowerPoint Presentations
Students incorporate technology by creating a Microsoft PowerPoint. Students experiment with various animation techniques and slide formats, so that they become familiar with the program. They gather research information on topics using...
Curated OER
Teach Your Parents Well
Students compare various aspects of their lives with those of their parents or guardians to find out how they are different, and consider cultural gap between parents and their children by reading and discussing article, "??omg my mom...