Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Master Genes Control Basic Body Plans
Have you ever been so tired you missed a major announcement? Eric Wieschaus woke to a call explaining he won the Nobel Prize, but he thought it was just a dream until Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, a co-winner, explained it to him later...
Science Matters
Structure-Function
Without structure, there wouldn't be function. Scholars examine the meaning of structure and function with a hands-on experience. Using balls from different sports, they compare and contrast their structures and then analyze how each...
Ashoka
A Toolkit for Promoting Empathy in Schools
Instill kindness with a unit all about empathy. Lessons and activities follow a prepare, engage, reflect, and action sequence. Learning experiences include making the classroom a safe environment, peer-invented handshakes, discussions...
Workforce Solutions
Workforce Solutions Pre-K Lessons
Four lessons, each following the same routine, explore the careers of a teacher, nurse, electrician, geologist, plumber, and police officer. After listening to a read-aloud and thoughtful discussion, young scholars construct puppets...
PBS
Curious George: Blowing in the Wind
A lesson all about wind begins with a short video featuring the loveable monkey, Curious George. Scholars take part in thoughtful discussion then set forth to identify objects that wind can move. They record their findings on a chart and...
Anti-Defamation League
Mo’Ne Davis and Gender Stereotypes
A thoughtful discussion begins a lesson plan about sports and gender stereotypes. After defining stereotypes, scholars highlight how gender stereotypes often have adverse effects. To break through those stereotypes, the class gets to...
Anti-Defamation League
On-Screen Diversity: Why Visibility in Media Matters
Characters play a significant role in why we like certain shows and movies but are the characters we watch representing the diverse society in which we live? Scholars examine this question through thoughtful discussion about popular...
Curated OER
Viewing Bacteria
Have you ever wanted to know the true structure of E.coli? Does the thought of peering into its "small world" sound exciting? Here is a lesson that allows pupils the ability to do just that. Blossoming microbiologists use...
Curated OER
Weight Lifter - An Air Pressure Experiment
First graders participate in a study of air pressure in which the investigate if air has the strength to lift heavy objects. They work in teams to develop a hypothesis about whether air in bags would be able to lift a stack of books....
Curated OER
Thoughts to Page: Explorations and Expressions
Learners are introduced to the correct techniques to use for proper writing. In groups, they practice the use of clustering to help them organize their thoughts and identify the main idea of their paper. To end the lesson, they write...
Curated OER
Sources of Heat
Fourth graders conduct an experiment related to heat sources, and participate in a heat source hunt. They identify sources of heat, then compare the melting rate of ice cubes, illustrating the results in their science journal. Students...
Curated OER
Mirrors and How They Reflect
Students experiment with mirrors. In this Mirrors and How They reflect lesson, students read how mirrors reflect light. Then students perform over ten experiments and record their conclusions about mirrors and reflection. Students create...
Curated OER
What Does it Take to be a Survivor? Part One
Students explore marine animal adaptation. In this introductory ocean life biology lesson, students access prior knowledge by participating in a whole class "thought swap." Students form two lines, respond to a prompt from the teacher...
Curated OER
Experience This!
What would you do if you had to go to school all day every day? Tillie tackles this problem in Sharon Creech’s A Fine, Fine School. After a discussion of how Tillie got the principal to change his ways, brainstorm with your class...
Curated OER
Food for thought
Cake has to be good for something, right? Different foods are used by our bodies in different ways. Learners will first read about what fats, proteins, fruits, and vegetables do for the human body. They will then put each of food shown...
Curated OER
Any Small Goodness
Are you thinking of reading Any Small Goodness with your students? Engage them with these worksheets. Sharpen prediction and response skills, in addition to creating a character analysis map. Also included, are some thoughtfully-written...
Curated OER
What's in a Brain?
Bring the brain to life for your students with thought-provoking activities
Curated OER
Health Conscious?
What is your attitude on health and illness? By considering their own experiences, students will reflect on and discuss their attitudes toward health and illness while educating each other by researching illnesses in small groups,...
Curated OER
Summer Reading to Get Teens Thinking
While summer reading usually involves entertaining fluff, here is a list of books that are thought-provoking, unique, and entertaining.
Curated OER
Puberty/Adolescence, Day 2: "Who AM I? Where Am I Going?"
A great unit! There is a lot of content that is personal so make sure you have created a safe zone in your classroom before doing this lesson. It will have much more meaning if your learners share their life with others in the class....
Curated OER
Esperanza Rising - Literature Circles and Review (Day 3)
Kids love working with their peers. Get your class into small literature circles and have them complete weekly assignments. Before beginning this week's activity, have each learner write a letter from Esperanza in California to Abuelita...
Mathematics Vision Project
Quadratic Equations
Through a variety of physical and theoretical situations, learners are led through the development of some of the deepest concepts in high school mathematics. Complex numbers, the fundamental theorem of algebra and rational exponents...
Curated OER
Trey and Dave go to Africa: Music
Trey from Phish and Dave from the Dave Mathews Band took a trip to Africa to explore music, culture, and history. Your class watches this episode from VH1's Music Studio to understand how African culture and music have influenced modern...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis
Students recognize the importance of plants as they perform an experiment involving photosynthesis. Students determine the optimum wavelength of light for photosynthesis by exposing plants to different colors of light, collecting data,...