Composing a Melody

Students compose and notate short melodies using their names.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Lesson Plan

Reading Comprehension Student Template: Question-Answer Relationship

This template is an instructional tool that can be used to guide elementary students (grades 2-5) through the reading strategy of questioning. The template is based on the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) approach in which students classify questions according to type and then provide answers from text. The template was designed to be used with the Feature Story, The Dance of Life, by students in grades 2-5. It is a PDF document that can be copied and distributed to students.

Material Type: Student Guide

Author: Jessica Fries-Gaither

Asking Questions, All the Time

The ability to ask and answer questions while reading is essential to comprehension. This article discusses instructional strategies used to teach questioning and provides many online resources. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which explores the seven essential principles of the climate sciences for teachers in k-grade 5 classrooms.

Material Type: Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Jessica Fries-Gaither, National Science Foundation

Introduction to Literacy Shifts in Content Areas

This 1-2 hour module provides an introduction to the key shifts required by the CCSS for Literacy in the content areas: history / social studies, science, and technical subjects.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

What Is The Matter?

The students will use investigation and data collection to investigate the three states of matter. They will draw conclusions about the physical properties by answering questions.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Animals and Engineering

Students are introduced to the classification of animals and animal interactions. Students also learn why engineers need to know about animals and how they use that knowledge to design technologies that help other animals and/or humans. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Denise Carlson, Katherine Beggs, Malinda Schaefer Zarske

Design a Hiking Trail

This lesson provides experience working on a real-life scenario by allowing students the opportunity to use topographic maps to design a hiking trail system based on access from road, range of habitats, and other specified criteria. They will also complete a data sheet and produce an informational brochure.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive, Lesson Plan

Authors: Becky Remis, Rose Hochmuth

The Atom

In this interactive activity from ChemThink, take a closer look at atomic structure, properties, and behaviors.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Caves and Karst

This interactive resource adapted from the National Park Service presents the key concepts of cave and karst systems, including how and where they form, different types, and various cave environments.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Cells: Discovery and Basic Structure

This lesson introduces the cell as the basic structural unit of life, and details modern cell theory.

Material Type: Interactive, Unit of Study

Author: Carl Shuster

Are Child Actors Exploited By the Film and TV Industry?

Consider are the pros and cons of children performing for TV and in other competitive performing environments.

Material Type: Homework/Assignment

Author: Kristin Robinson

Describe That Face: An Interactive Writing Game

Students write descriptions of characters, incorporate new vocabulary words, practice using simile and metaphor, engage in peer editing, and post their revised descriptions on the walls for a matching game.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Air - Is It Really There?

By watching and performing several simple experiments, students develop an understanding of the properties of air: it has mass, it takes up space, it can move, it exerts pressure, it can do work.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Amy Kolenbrander, Daria Kotys-Schwartz, Denise Carlson, Janet Yowell, Malinda Schaefer Zarske, Natalie Mach

Moral and Political Philosophy

This course introduces students to the basic concepts and methods of moral and political philosophy. Its primary focus is on the development of moral reasoning skills and the application of those skills to contemporary social and political issues. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Discuss several major theories of justice and morality, including utilitarianism, libertarianism, social contract theory, deontology, and the ethics/politics of virtue; Demonstrate how moral and political dilemmas are handled differently by each set of theoretical principles; Develop their analytical skills through interpreting the consequences of various moral principles and revising principles to correspond with their own conceptions of justice; Discuss the relationship between morality and politics; Formulate their own positions concerning moral and political principles, especially in regards to particular issues discussed in this course; Discuss the origins of western democratic politics and constitutional government; Address a range of difficult and controversial moral and political issues, including murder, the income tax, corporate cost-benefit analysis, lying, affirmative action, and same-sex marriage. (Philosophy 103)

Material Type: Assessment, Full Course, Lecture, Reading, Syllabus

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

A lecture series examining Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. This series looks at German Philosopher Immanuel Kant's seminal philosophical work 'The Critique of Pure Reason'. The lectures aim to outline and discuss some of the key philosophical issues raised in the book and to offer students and individuals thought provoking Kantian ideas surrounding metaphysics. Each lecture looks at particular questions raised in the work such as how do we know what we know and how do we find out about the world, dissects these questions with reference to Kant's work and discusses the broader philosophical implications. Anyone with an interest in Kant and philosophy will find these lectures thought provoking but accessible.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Dan Robinson

Systems Thinking 4: Using Aristotle's Model of Causality to Understand Systemic Behavior

This video explains Aristotle's model of causality and how it can be used to gain insight into systemic behavior. Many of the ideas presented in this video have been contributed by Roger Burton. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives, Assessment, and Activities.

Material Type: Lecture Notes

Author: Linda Vanasupa

Introduction to Civil Disobedience | Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"

This is the first lesson in a week-long, mini-unit contains four individual lessons.  Through the course of all these lessons, students will be introduced to the concept of civil disobedience—people purposefully disobeying a law or protesting nonviolently about laws or social issues they feel to be unjust. They’ll read from, watch, and listen to three examples that address the issue: Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience," Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail," and the Teaching Tolerance documentary Viva La Causa written and directed by Bill Brummel.Activity Description: This lesson focuses on introducing, defining, and providing a basic example of historical civil disobedience using Henry David Thoreau's experience and an excerpt from his essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience."This lesson is designed to be used in a blended environment.  Accommodations are listed for non-blended courses.Time needed for activity: ~45 minute class periodResources needed: Online discussion board(s) set up at either pinup.com or answergarden.ch; copies of the "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" excerpt (printed or electronic)

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Wendy Arch

History of the Atom

This video will describe the history of the atom starting with Democritus and Aristotle all the way to Erwin Schrodinger and Louis De Broglie

Material Type: Lecture

Reading Like a Historian: Hamilton vs. Jefferson

In this lesson, students analyze two primary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: What were the differences between [Alexander] Hamilton and [Thomas] Jefferson? Students first read a textbook summary/description (not included) of the Hamilton/Jefferson dynamic. Then, students are given a letter by each man‰ŰÓboth addressed to George Washington and written on the same day‰ŰÓeach of which addresses the ongoing feud with the other man. In pairs, students read the documents and answer sourcing, corroboration, contextualization, and close reading questions, including some intriguing ones which encourage students to “pick sides” in the rivalry.

Material Type: Lesson

Some Ideas for Instructing Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This article includes ideas for effectively teaching students with autism spectrum disorders, including the visual presentation of information and teaching social skills.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Ann Pilewskie