Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Estimating Distances

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate distance measurement.  For this middle school mathematics lesson, students find the average length of their pace and use their pace to measure various unknown distances in feet and miles.  Students relate...
Lesson Plan
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This Land is Your Land - Delaware

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students determine how land was divided and marked for boundaries in the early days of settlement in Delaware. Students mark out land on the playground according to the methods used by the early settlers. Students write a description of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval Castles

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders design a scale model of a medieval castle and its surroundings including the following items: castle, moat, bailey, drawbridge, turrets, dungeon, grounds, and outer walls. A perfect lesson for those kids who are fascinated...
Lesson Plan
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Plant Life of the Rainforest

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students study pictures of tropical rainforests and discuss its stratified character. Students then work with a partner to make a scale drawing of the rainforest strata.
Lesson Plan
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Evaluating an Illinois Earthquake

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the frequency of earthquakes in Illinois. They discover the distribution of earthquakes in the Midwest. They also practice reading measurements from the Richter scale and Mercalli Intensity scale.
Lesson Plan
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Finding an Earthquake's Epicenter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the process used to identify the epicenter of an earthquake. They identify the Richter scale and interpret a seismograph reading. They also view photographs of the aftermath of earthquakes.
Lesson Plan
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Science: Draining the Land - the Mississippi River

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use topographic maps to identify parts of rivers. In addition, they discover gradient and predict changes in the channels caused by variations in water flow. Other activities include sketching a river model with a new channel...
Lesson Plan
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Globe Lesson- The Revolutionary War

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students discover using globes. In this geography lesson, students use a globe to outline the original 13 colonies. Students also use a globe to measure the distance from London to New York City and determine how many days it would have...
Lesson Plan
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Searching the Attic

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students conduct field research, including the use of a grid system, in order to discover important or interesting family artifacts.They map discoveries of important artifacts on a grid map in order to track and better analyze...
Lesson Plan
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Measuring Distance and Area in Satellite Images (College Level)

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students are able to download, install, and use Image J image analysis software to quantify change over time in satellite images. They access and download satellite images for specific locations and times. Students set a scale (spatial...
Lesson Plan
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Field Trip - San Francisco Bay Model

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate scale models while attending a field trip within the San Francisco Bay Area.  In this oceanography lesson plan, students identify the currents of the Bay Area and discuss how they are created by different tides....
Worksheet
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Where Did We Go on Holiday This Year?

For Students 4th - 6th
In this differentiated whole-group activity worksheet, students list all the places they visited over the summer, record the places on a flip chart, calculate the distances on a road map and graph the data they collect.
Lesson Plan
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Charles Lindberghs's Flight to Paris

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students practice map skills. In this map skills lesson, students locate the cities of New York and Paris on a map. Students read about the flight made by Charles Lindbergh in May 1927 from New York to Paris. Students answer 8 questions...
Lesson Plan
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In a Galaxy Far, Far, Far Away

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders compare distances between objects in the solar system. They investigate how light years are measured and when using them to measure how distances compare with one another. They write an essay exploring the possibility of...
Lesson Plan
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World Cities and the Olympics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine the various cities in which Olympics have been held. Using a map, they describe the reasons why those cities were chosen and choose their own city for the Olympics and state the reasons why. They examine...
Lesson Plan
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Outlandish Landforms

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine landforms. In this world Geography lesson, 7th graders research and create a physical model of a chosen landform. They then draw a 2-d paper map of that model.
Lesson Plan
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The Middle Ages

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students read books about the Middle Ages. They discuss characteristics of the Middle Ages. In groups, students construct a castle and draw a map to scale. Pupils create a Venn diagram comparing rules in different countries in the...
Lesson Plan
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Striking Zone

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students review the states and their capitols. On the teachers signal, each student use their hand or a paddle to strike the ball in different ways towards the wall. When the ball hits a state, students recite the capitol of that state.
Lesson Plan
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The Best Birthday Present Ever

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students view a PBS "In the Mix" video about smoking and identify cigarette ingredients, the physical effects of smoking and techniques used in tobacco advertising. They compose a letter persuading someone to quit smoking.
Lesson Plan
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Earth Science: In Depth Look at Earthquakes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners engage in an interactive Internet instructional activity covering the reasons and results of earthquakes. After reading eyewitness accounts and viewing animations, they use seismograms to measure and locate the epicenters. In an...
Lesson Plan
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Guide Me "Home"

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars find how freedom quilts helped free slaves.  In this American History lesson, students read the story Sweet Clara and The Freedom Quilt and discuss the Underground Railroad.  They use their map skills to...
Lesson Plan
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The Cardiac 100

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers make a full scale diagram. In this heart and blood flow lesson, students pretend they must design the cardiac 100 racecourse and they must teach the new blood cells how to get around the heart. Middle schoolers create a...
Lesson Plan
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A Phylogenetic Perspective for the Cladistically Challenged

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use M&Ms to simulate radioactive decay of elements.
Lesson Plan
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Castle Builder

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discuss the importance of castles in medieval times. Using the internet, they research the parts of a castle and design their own using the components. They use everyday materials to build the castle to a specific scale.