Here is an impressive instructional activity on how agricultural practices and technology have advanced over time. Thoughtful discussion topics, good warm up activities, and fine worksheets are all embedded in this eight-page plan. The...

Students research types of technology available to Americans at the beginning of the 20th century and compare the style of living to modern times. They identify Thomas Edison's contributions to technology and their own current lifestyles.

Discover the rich Native American culture that existed at the time of early European exploration into the Chesapeake region through analysis of several primary and secondary sources.

5th graders will gain an understanding of how, what, and why people invent tools. This PowerPoint provides a complete description of what tools are, types of tools, why we make tools and what impact they have had on society. There are...

Fourth graders practice using a graphic organizer to record their notes and answer text-dependent questions while supplying evidence of how they found their answer. They focus on a machine called the wheelright, which was commonly...

Got a rainy day and need a few fabulous activities to foster creative thinking skills? The class works to understand the three types of human power; direct, indirect, and stored. They do this by first creating a parade float like the...

Imagine there's a recording studio on your smart phone or tablet. Its easy if you try this tool. Imagine all the instruments you can play. Imagine there's no charge. You may say it's a dream, but you can join this band with just a touch.

Celebrate the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day with a collection of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics activities, each linked to a popular Dr. Seuss story. 

Planning a physics unit on energy can take a lot of work, luckily this instructional presentation is here to help. Covering everything from work and energy to elastic collisions and the conservation of momentum, this comprehensive...

A fast-paced activity focuses on the development of technology during World War I. Young historians match images of new technologies and complete a worksheet. Scholars also read an account of the war from the perspective of an American...

Students view a documentary on automobiles. Americans have always been in love with automobiles. They are a definition of character, and a representation of social status. After viewing, students discuss what they saw and create an...

Fifth graders use information from their text to read and discuss pulleys and levers. They examine a top sketch of the arrangement of a fixed pulley. Working in groups, 5th graders perform experiments to test the effect of using a pulley...

After getting to know the inventor, Leonardo da Vinci and his many inventions, scholars think up their own invention. Following a written description and a hand-drawn picture, learners use a method of mirror writing and antiquing to give...

Investigation of a nomograph teaches young scholars to determine the rule of a function by examining the input and output values.  Students use a nomograph on their Ti-Nspire to determine the function rule.  Young scholars make...

Students role-play as engineers designing wedge tools. They devise methods for shaping quarry rocks into pyramid blocks. Following a teacher demonstration, they use materials such as soap, clay, and foam for blocks and wood, plastic,...

An engaging and unique instructional activity that combines literature and economics is here for you. In it, learners read the short story, "The Doghnuts" found in  the book Homer Price. Pupils define "capital resources," and...

When you take a simple task and create an exceptionally difficult way to complete it, it is known as a Rube Goldberg machine. These machines are filled with many types of energy transfers and energy transformations. Here, pupils...

A gumball machine art project is a great way to learn about optical mixing in a study of pointillism and Georges Seurat. Kids create their own masterpieces and learn about primary and secondary colors in the process.

What does an MRI machine have to do with a slinky? This activity challenges learners to run a current through a slinky and use a magnetic field sensor to measure the magnetic field. Groups then change the length of the slinky to see...

Here is an engaging lesson which invites learners to cut a strip of adding machine tape that is their height. They decorate their strip, arrange the strips from shortest to longest, and then discuss predictions.

Time to see what they've learned. Seventh graders solve a set of seven short problems in the ratios and proportional relationships domain. Applications include photo negatives, washing machines, coffee powder, sleep, stamps, etc.

Sixth and seventh graders construct a "metric machine" as a kinesthetic aide in converting from one unit to another in grams, liters, or meters. They complete a metric activity on the Internet and view about five minutes of a video on...

Here is a fine lesson on reading and understanding expository text designed for 4th graders. With a partner, learners read a passage of text about a machine called a wheelright. This machine was commonly used in the colonial...

How can acknowledging opposing viewpoints reinforce one's argument? Use this New York Times activity to study consumerism and the environmental impact of new products. After reading the article "Whether a Hummer or a Hybrid, the Big...