Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get Geared Up

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Middle schoolers calculate gear ratio as they solve word problems. They discuss and find slopes as they relate to real life. Additionally, they hey use ratio and proportion to make predictions and solve problems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early Exploration of North America

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders "travel" from Europe to North America as Columbus did. They organize the information into chronoglogical order.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geology Rocks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss information relating to Illinois geology. They examine top mineral resources in Illinois to find detailed information about geodes and where they can be found. Students complete geode lab to explore external structure of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat Happenings

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the characteristics of the Prairie Creek Habitat in Illinois. In groups, they travel between various stations writing haikus and reading brochures. They identify what occurs in each habitat and identify the animals...
Lesson Plan
Foreign Policy Research Institute

A Geography Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Fewer and fewer people have a strong grasp of world geography, but this activity helps high schoolers understand geopolitics by creating their own original historical map. The activity requires selecting a country from the list provided,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Appalachia: Physical Fitness

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students plan a family fitness outing. For this physical education lesson, students will research possible physical activities which might be completed by a family during a daily-long outing in the Appalachian area. Students will...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sunday School Inspiration Lessons

For Teachers K - 2nd
Many activities related to the Chrisitan religion are included in this lesson about storytelling; learners create their own Bible related art from stickers, stamps, t-shirts and hats. Puppets also help to to retell Bible stories and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seed Dispersal

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore seed dispersal by designing their own wind dispersed seed structure. Using one piece of paper and a box fan, they construct a seed dispersal structure, record the distance their seed travels, and answer discussion...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living With the Weather

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Mini-meteorologists visit the National Climate Data Center online to gather past weather information for the area that they live in. They consider how the weather patterns may have influenced the architecture of the area. Finally, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Washington Irving in Context

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the various roles Washington Irving had in his lifetime. Examining the situation in Europe and the United States, they are encouraged to relate Irving's experiences to different events. They examine themselves in many...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cooler In The Shadows

For Teachers K - 1st
Students investigate the concepts of shadows and how they are projected with objects different positions in relation to the sun. They conduct an experiment by observing objects in different positions. Then students record the observations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Says Plants Can't Move?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discover how plants spread their seeds using other plants and animals. For this plant lesson, students role play different plants and how their seeds travel. Students then have a class discussion to ensure their understanding.
Lesson Plan
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

Bad Fish, Bad Bird

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
In an advanced biology lesson, learners see a PowerPoint about biologist Dr. Westwood, a two-time victim of poisoning. Designed to be used with clickers in the classroom, you could modify the lesson by creating a worksheet from the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plan a Mission to Recently Discovered Planet

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students plan a mission to a recently discovered planet. In this science lesson plan, students research spacecraft design, distances in space, long-term missions in space, and life-sustaining planets. Students work in groups to research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Models of American Citizenship

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate the concept of American citizenship by pretending to time travel. They travel back in time to visit the eras of Thomas Jefferson, Hellen Keller, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and community heroes....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Faster speed-Shorter Time

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students calculate the inverse variation, and speed given the formulas. In this algebra instructional activity, students investigate properties of conics, focusing on the hyperbola. They identify the distance between the directrix...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lahar Travel Time

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders analyze published geologic hazard maps of California and comprehend how to use the map's information to identify evidence of geologic events of the past and present and predict geologic changes in the future. They select...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

BATS: NEED NECTAR, WILL TRAVEL

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students play the role of nectar feeding bats on their annual migration and try to avoid the different hazards that hinder their progress. They describe the annual migration of long-nosed bats including key elements such as: where the...
Lesson Plan
Willow Tree

Formulas

For Students 8th - 11th Standards
Help learners understand the benefits of rearranging a formula. Scholars practice rearranging formulas for specific variables. They also analyze formulas to understand one variable's effect on the other. 
Lesson Plan
NOAA

I Can't Breathe!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low oxygen that kills marine life, costs the United States $82 million every year. Young scientists research anoxic ocean environments then come up with a hypothesis for the cause of the Gulf of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Ah! Those Horse and Buggy Days!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss contemporary methods of travel and the time it takes to travel to places. They use the Internet to explore 18th century travel. Students work in small group to research the amount of time it would have taken...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

EcoTravel Log

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students keep travel record over time, analyze data collected and use the information to identify ways in which they can change their behavior to benefit their health and the environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Far Will You Go And How Much Will It Cost?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how places of various size function as centers of economic activity. They develop a list of things that families shop for, analyze a local map, create a chart demonstrating how far they travel for the items they listed,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Now Man Has Gone Before

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the Apollo lunar landings and past theories about the creation and structure of the Earth's Moon as a springboard for investigating missions and milestones in space exploration since the creation of NASA in 1958.