It seems each new school year brings its own opportunities to grow as an educator. As teachers in a STEM focused school that serves primarily at-risk students, the authors face a new challenge in rethinking their instruction to align with the "Next Generation Science Standards". This involves changing the focus of units previously taught…

Contrasting cases are a way to stimulate productive student discussions, discussions that prepare students to learn from more traditional activities such as classroom lectures and worked examples. Examples from a unit on variability show that students gain long-lasting insight into the structure and purpose of statistical formulas. (Contains 2…

This document features a lesson plan in which students work in teams to act out different ecosystem services, describe several free services that biodiversity provides to human, and explain how these services make life on earth possible. Samples of instruction and assessment are included. (KHR)

This document features a lesson plan that examines how maps help scientists protect biodiversity and how plants and animals are adapted to specific ecoregions by comparing biome, ecoregion, and habitat. Samples of instruction and assessment are included. (KHR)

Children learn about maps and develop self-confidence in their ability to get where they want to go in a unit of adventurous learning activities. A variety of kinds of maps help children learn about their community, state, country, and the weather. (DF)

An activity unit for teaching students how to write a summary and a precis of a written work is presented. Instructions to the teacher for introducing and carrying out the unit are given along with a list of student objectives. Definitions of relevant terms are included. The activities, some of which are to be done individually and some with a…

An individual folk anthology unit covering eight topics is described in this paper. The eight topics include (1) I have an identity, (2) my interesting name, (3) mandalas and sentences, (4) rhythms and rhymes of old times, (5) myths of my childhood, (6) folk legends/old and new, (7) aspects of folklore, and (8) slang. The activities accompanying…

The rights and responsibility teaching module is one of a series of six modules prepared by Project SPICE (Special Partnership in Career Education) as a means of providing career awareness information to educable mentally handicapped students (ages 11-to-13 years). After an overview, a module profile is provided which charts the activities, and…

Describes activities for K-12 students, most of which are adapted from "The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Scientific Discovery Educator's Resource Guide" created by the partnership of Fort Clatsop National Memorial and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Author/KHR)

Describes a map skills unit used in a second grade classroom in which teachers and students engaged in activites that moved from the concrete to the abstract and from trips around the school neighborhood to a "trip" to Europe. An insert includes two map study ideas for use in intermediate grades. (SM)

The self awareness teaching module is one of a series of six modules prepared by Project SPICE (Special Partnership in Career Education) as a means of providing career awareness information to educable mentally handicapped students (ages 11-to-13 years). After an overview, a module profile is provided which charts the units, the activities in each…

This document features a lesson plan in which genetic traits are identified and classified using a genetic wheel by playing several different games that introduce genetic diversity and highlight why it is important within populations. Samples of instruction and assessment are included. (KHR)

Suggests the study of local issues as an active approach to citizenship education in the elementary and secondary grades. Presents a model activity for high school civics students on investigating the impact of a new shopping mall. (SJL)

Presents low-cost learning activities to help teach elementary students about the earth's magnetic field. One project has students make a model of the earth's magnetic field. Another has them experiment with magnetism. (SM)

This publication, a collection of instructional activities with decision-making as the main focus, is correlated to the "Give and Take" video/film series developed for a consortium of state and provincial education agencies. Presented are concepts related to the risks in taking advantage of economic opportunities, and instructional activities…