Reading

Source: Pixabay by John Hain (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

In this activity, students use the Internet to gather information and take notes for a presentation about a civil rights leader. Students work individually or in pairs to enter information and images on a Google Slideshow (or other slideshow software) template file and make an oral presentation.

Source: https://www.abpischools.org.uk/topics/genes-and-inheritance/dna-and-inheritance/ (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

This resource explains and demonstrates with interactive graphics, what are genes, how they are formed, how they affect inheritance, what are chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, fertilization, cloning, and studies a few inherited diseases like cystic fibrosis. The ability to see with graphics how genes work makes this biology topic a much more meaningful experience for students.

Accessibility is a requirement to meet the needs of our learners with disabilities, but as we include these features in our lessons, we improve the success for all our learners.

Source: Unsplash by iMin Technology (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

Source: Pixabay by Jim Jorstad (License: CC0/Public Domain)

Students have conversation about favorite places, learn about a United States national monument by watching a video and answering questions, and then select a place in the U.S. to research and present on.

Source: Free Canva Account page (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

For this project, students will make an infographic to illustrate a topic of their choice. They will then present their topic using the infographic to explain to the class what they learned. Canva's motto is Empowering the world to design. At the site, you can learn to design as well as use their tools to make a vast variety of materials including logos, presentations, photo collages, menus, posters, cards, and infographics. You can illustrate social media posts, documents such as letterheads, certificates, and resumes, blogging, flyers, postcards, invitations, and advertisements.

Use of the site is free, but if you use their images, some of them have a fee. There are plenty of images that are free and you can upload your own pictures to use.

Source: 21st Century Information Fluency Project Wizard Tools (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

Teach your students how to conduct effective Web searches with the Search Wizard tool.

Designed by educators for educators (and students), this site offers three tools that make it easy to teach the essential steps of locating, evaluating, and ethically using digital resources:

1. Search Wizard: helps students learn how to build good Web searches
2. Evaluation Wizard: helps students evaluate Web sites
3. Citation Wizard: helps students build citations (in five styles) to be used in research papers or documents.

Source: Unsplash by S'well (License: CC0/Public Domain)

Students choose a destination for a dream vacation, research a destination, transportation, what to do and see there, and lodging, and then create a simple budget. They then present their vacation in a slideshow to the class. 

Source: Pixabay by Sergei Tokmakov (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

Students engage in conversation about the environment, practice listening comprehension by watching a video and answering questions, read an article about the harm of plastics on the environment, brainstorm ways to preserve the natural environment, write a paragraph, and create an inforgraphic based on their ideas.

Source: Our Story in 2 Minutes by drivinman687 (License: CC0/Public Domain)

In this activity, students are shown a video called “What in the World… History Compressed” and then later asked to write about it. The emphasis is on critical thinking. The Web site contains videos, political cartoons, and pictures that encourage students to think critically.

Screenshot of Working the Web for Education - Tom March - Critical Thinking

Source: 4Tests GED Practice Test page (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

A free online practice test site for the 2014 GED test with the 4 sections of the GED provided by Barrons Educational Series. It includes an explanation for the right answer.

Source: Unsplash by Natalie Pedigo (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

Intermediate and advanced students learn about ancient and modern wonders of the world using the online information on the Google Arts and Culture site and other Web sites and then and share what they learn in a jigsaw reading/cooperative learning activity. As an optional follow-up, write a paragraph and/or make an oral presentation about a wonder of the world of their choosing (a museum, building, sculpture, statue, bridge, canal, dam, temple, church, cathedral, castle, or natural wonder or a UNESCO World Heritage Site) located in their native countries or elsewhere.

Source: Applied Digital Skills (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this series of video lessons, students learn how to use Google Slides in making a personal introduction presentation to the class. 

Source: Pixabay by Gerd Altmann (License: CC0/Public Domain)

Honing their 21st Century Skills of global awareness and teamwork, students work in teams, role-playing international business consultants. Their job is to create a presentation for a group of American business people relocating to another country (students’ native country or a country assigned to them) about business customs and etiquette in that country, especially as they differ from that of the USA.

Source: Pixabay by Scott (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

Students will make oral presentations with visual aides to talk about their hometowns. Students practice present and past passive verb forms by talking about their hometowns or birthplaces (It is called..., It is known for..., etc.). For information that is unknown (such as what is produced there), students can use Web sites such as Wikipedia to find the information.

Source: Unsplash by Jon Tyson (License: Creative Commons 1.0)

 

Students use the Internet to find information about the meaning of their first names, write a paragraph with this information and reflect on the personal connotation of their names, and make an oral class presentation.

Source: Pixabay by PublicDomainPictures (License: Creative Commons 1.0)

 

Intermediate and advanced students or students in Citizenship classes learn about national symbols of the United States through jigsaw reading and follow up by writing a paragraph and/or making an oral presentation about national symbols of their native countries (or state/city symbols if the class is relatively homogeneous).

This is a good unit on consumerism. The lesson is complete with video, note-taking and practice.

Students watch a video which explains advertising strategies. Then, using a note-taking chart, they will practice identifying advertising strategies while watching various commercials. They can also use the form at home while watching TV commercials for further practice. Then as a final activity, students can make a team presentation using PowerPoint.

Source: The Free Dictionary (License: CC0/Public Domain)

Use the online dictionary, The Free Dictionary as a stepping off point for developing research skills and expanding students' vocabulary and knowledge base through exploration of word of the day, today's birthday, this day in history, today's holiday and article of the day.

TheFreeDictionary.com site has many features including Word of the Day, Daily Grammar Lesson, Article of the Day,  This Day in History, Today's Birthday, Quotation of the Day, Today's Holiday, Idiom of the Day and Grammar Quiz. Word games include Hangman, Spelling Bee, Match Up and WordHub.

Source: Snopes.com (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

While learning about urban legends, students practice reading skills, summarizing and paragraphing in speaking and writing, and hone their abilities to view media critically. Students use Snopes, a site dedicated to fact-checking news stories, past events and urban legends, to read and take notes on an urban legends. 

Source: MyPlate (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

In this activity, students identify foods and categorize them according to food group, discuss the MyPlate image, draw a MyPlate image showing how much of each food group they typically eat, write sentences about their eating habits and what they should change, compare their eating habits with other students, and research key consumer messages for each of the food groups on the ChooseMyPlate Web site.

This activity aims to develop student understanding of healthy, balanced eating and provides practice of basic food vocabulary, the present simple tense, comparatives (more than/less than), and the modal "should."

Source: https://crfcap.org/mod/page/view.php?id=205 (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

Civic Action Project (CAP) is a project-based learning model for civics and government courses. It offers a practicum for high school students in effective and engaged citizenship and uses blended learning to engage students in civic activities both in and out of the traditional U.S. government classroom. By using Web-based technology and civics-based instruction and activities, students exercise important 21st-century skills in digital literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, self-direction, and learning to be an engaged and effective citizen in a democracy.

Students also see how the content of a government course can apply to the real world. By taking civic actions, they practice what real citizens do when they go about trying to solve a real policy-related problem. CAP fulfills best practices in service learning with an emphasis on public policy.

Source: https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/anne-frank-one-hundreds-thousands#sect-thelesson%22_blank%22 (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

This lesson invites you to supplement your students' reading of The Diary of a Young Girl by connecting the diary to the study of history and to honor the legacy of Anne Frank, the writer, as she inspires your students to use writing to deepen their insights into their own experiences and the experiences of others.

In the class activity, students look at a series of maps to gain an idea of the territorial changes in Europe after World War I up to the beginning of the defeat of Germany. They complete a map intended to show the speed and reach of Germany's wartime expansion. Then students share information about the German occupation in some European countries, which they then compare to the situation in the Netherlands. Lastly, students analyze a map.

 

Source: http://annex.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/activities/classroom/characteristics/ca_characteristics.php (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students learn to recognize and describe the characteristics of living organisms. Students view several different short videos and complete a worksheet identifying the characteristics of life observed in each video.

In the microscope imaging station (see link in the Example Web Site above), you will introduce students to unique life science activities that let them work with research-quality microscopic images and videos. In the Flipbooks section, you can use printable images from the time-lapse movies to make flipbooks (handheld animations that students can make at home).

 

Source: http://annex.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/activities/classroom/genetic_crosses/ca_genetic_crosses.php (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students explore genetic inheritance patterns in the fruit fly using Punnett squares to predict the results of genetic crosses and determine the genotypes of the parent flies in a particular cross.

Source: http://annex.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/activities/flipbooks/flipbooks_mitosis.php (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students use printable images from a time-lapse movie to make flipbooks—handheld animations. This series of images depicts the process of mitosis in the early embryo of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In this stage of Drosophila development, the nuclei divide very rapidly without cell division, and the divisions are synchronized. The mitosis shown took about 10 minutes from start to finish.

Source: http://annex.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/activities/classroom/wild_mutant/ca_wild_mutant.php (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students are introduced to genetic vocabulary and learn about the inheritance patterns and genotypes of fruit flies by viewing images of fruit flies and drawing conclusions.

This activity, Wild Type and Mutant from the Exploratorium is an introduction to genetics and should be used before, Genetic Crosses, which explores the topic in greater depth. Genetic Crosses goes on to use Punnett squares to predict the results of genetic crosses and determine the genotypes of the parent flies in a particular cross.

Source: Propaganda: What's the Message? Lesson Plan (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

This is a very interactive site that allows for group work (if you have a computer and projector or an interactive whiteboard) or individual work by a student. Students will learn about individual rights, court decisions, presidential responsibilities, how to become a citizen, separation of powers, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, The Judicial Branch, Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Money Management, and Media and Influence.

For this lesson we will focus on Media and Influence: Propaganda, but if another topic meets your needs, feel free to explore and find another lesson.

(License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

Source: https://teachwithmovies.org/amistad/ (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students watch the movie, Amistad, which depicts the 1839 revolt by enslaved Africans aboard the ship, Le Amistad. A U.S. Navy vessel seized the ship and the abolitionists filed a court case to free the Africans. The trial and subsequent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court brought out the evils of slavery to the public and was a major step in turning the North against the South.

There is a post-viewing enrichment worksheet provided which helps to guide the discussion. Discussions can be continued in class or online in a discussion forum.

Source: https://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/art-ren/ (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

This unit will take students through a process in which they will not only experience masterpieces from the Renaissance, but they will also learn to analyze art, draw conclusions, and, at the advanced level, apply lessons from art to their own lives. In doing so, students will gain an understanding of the characteristics that define the Renaissance.

There are two activity paths. One is traditional with teacher-centered activities. The other is student-centered with project-based activities. This activity takes the traditional approach; however, there are detailed lesson plans on the Web site for both activities.

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The “Psych Files” provides information about human behavior and is of special interest to anyone studying psychology. In this activity, students listen to a podcast by Michael Britt titled “5 Reasons Why You’re Addicted to Your Phone and What To Do About It” in which he gives reasons drawn from psychological theories on how we learn. Students are then asked to share their thoughts about cell phone usage and what rules they would implement to help control their teenager’s use.

Source: https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/vitamins/index.html (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

In this activity, students learn the sources, functions, discovery history, deficiency, and excess effects of vitamins. The Molecular Expressions Vitamins Collection contains all of the known vitamins and many biochemicals that were once thought and claimed to be vitamins.