This series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based lessons have been field-tested by the 4K students of Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science, their teacher and educational assistant. These lessons encourage students to use natural areas around their school as they improve their science and engineering skills as part of a unit on observing changes. Created as a part of a WISELearn OER Innovation project, Connect, Explore, and Engage: Using the Environment as the Context for Science Learning was a collaboration of the Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science and the Wisconsin Green Schools Network. One of the goals of the project was to create standards-aligned lessons that utilize the outdoor spaces of the school . These lessons were created to take place during late winter.

Learn how snowfall happening later in the year than usual is impacting cultural practices in this video segment about climate change adapted from the College of Menominee Nation.

In this video segment adapted from the College of Menominee Nation, tribal members observe lower water levels in lakes and streams and call for global, collaborative solutions to address climate change.

While the United States had officially guaranteed Native American rights and recognized the sovereignty of Native American nations through several legally binding treaties since the eighteenth century, the government repeatedly violated these treaties, opening land that was reserved for Indian nations to settlers, speculators, and developers. Native Americans’ right to a sovereign existence included maintaining traditional relationships to the lands and waters that Native peoples had historically used. But 200 years of treaty violations, land theft, and forced assimilation by the federal government threatened the existence of many Indian nations. In their protests to the federal government from 1968 to 1978, Native American activists demanded that the federal government honor its treaty obligations so that tribes could restore their traditional relationships to the land, an effort that continues today. The National Park Service, as a steward of many Indigenous lands, played a significant role in this history that will continue into the future.

Remix this template to upload your WISELearn Grant lesson and unit plans into WISELearn

After reading The Odyssey, students will write their own hero's journey narrative using Joseph Campbell's twelve steps of the hero's journey. Although students may choose to write a story set in Greek mythology, they can choose any setting for their story. Before writing, the students will discuss the hero journey in the Odyssey and popular books and movies. Then they will write their own hero's journey story with an original character and plot. Students will be assessed on development of their introduction, plot, and conclusion as well as character development, setting, and theme (lesson learned.) They will also be assessed on their organization (structure and transitions), style, voice, and mechanics. This unit was created for a classroom of tier two and tier three students who often struggle with organizing their thoughts for writing.

The Online Macromolecular Museum (OMM) is a site for the display and study of macromolecules. Macromolecular structures, as discovered by crystallographic or NMR methods, are scientific objects in much the same sense as fossil bones or dried specimens: they can be archived, studied, and displayed in aesthetically pleasing, educational exhibits. Hence, a museum seems an appropriate designation for the collection of displays that we are assembling. The OMM's exhibits are interactive tutorials on individual molecules in which hypertextual explanations of important biochemical features are linked to illustrative renderings of the molecule at hand.

Why devote a site to detailed visualizations of different macromolecules? In learning about the intricacies of life processes at the molecular level, it is important to understand how natural selection has fashioned the structure and chemistry of macromolecular machines to suit them for particular functions. This understanding is greatly facilitated by the visualization of 3-dimensional structure, when known. So, if static views of molecules (even in stereo) are worth a thousand words, then interactive animations of molecules should be worth much more. Indeed, we have found the types of displays represented here invaluable in gaining an appreciation for the details of key biochemical processes.

As Carl Brandon and John Tooze stated in their classic text, Introduction to Protein Structure:
"Molecular biology began some 40 years ago with the realization that structure was crucial for a proper understanding of function. Paradoxically, the dazzling achievements of molecular genetics and biochemistry led to the eclipse of structural studies. We believe the wheel has now come full circle, and those very achievements have increased the need for structural analysis at the same time that they have provided the means for it."

It is our opinion that structural analysis should extend into the classroom: as students learn about cellular mechanisms it is important that they study the chemistry of the molecular machines involved. These considerations have motivated the construction of the OMM.

The OMM is part of a collaborative effort by faculty and students interested in macromolecular structure-function relationships. The primary authors of some tutorials are students of David Marcey and he serves as author, co-author and site editor, and assumes all responsibility for content. Any criticisms, suggestions, comments, or questions should be sent to him at: marcey@callutheran.edu. All tutorials are copyrighted.

The OMM was started in 1996 for a Molecular Biology class at Kenyon College, where DM was a professor in the Biology Department (1990-1999). The OMM is now developed and housed at California Lutheran University, where DM has been a professor since 1999.

Students are introduced to the literary device of onomatopoeia and explore how the technique adds to a writer’s message. Students brainstorm a list of onomatopoeic words and then find examples of the technique in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Bells.†Once they find examples, students reflect on how the onomatopoeic words add to the poem and the writer’s message. They then apply their knowledge of the technique by choosing sound words in response to sounds they hear in an online tool. Following the lesson, students can look for additional examples of the literary device in their reading or look for places to add onomatopoeia to their writing.

 
Great way to incorperate Science and literature n honor of Dr. Seuss Day. Messy and fun science! Your students will love exploring states of matter with OOBLECK! A fun and powerful way to teach matter! Teacher tested-students' approved! My students had a blast with this.  Every year when I use this, and my class loves it. This activity is great to use with the book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, a story by Dr. Seuss Once you mix it, it has a very strange consistency - like a solid in the bowl until you pick it up, then it is very liquid.

This instructional package includes readings and assignments in grammar, vocabulary, and writing to develop advanced English skills.

Open licensing of instructional materials such as textbooks, videos, and other related resources makes possible free sharing and remixing which reduces cost barriers for students. Creative Commons provides the legal infrastructure for easily sharing creative works including instructional materials but how do the different licenses indicate a resource can be re-used. Join us for an interactive session of playbook license scenarios where you test your knowledge of the OER re-use based on license type.

This YouTube channel contains OER media with a CC 4.0 license being used by the Open RN project. The Open RN project is funded by a $2.5 million dollar grant from the Department of Education to create 5 OER Nursing Textbooks with 25 associated Virtual Reality scenarios.

This collection combines original content from OpenSciEd Unit 7.1: Chemical Reactions and Matter and teacher-developed slides and lessons and student note templates for lessons 1 thorugh 6  

This website provides a model human body for students to explore organ systems, along with a mind map activity. By using the model human body, students can visualize each organ system, explore how the organ systems overlap, and learn the function and parts. Afterwards, students can be placed into groups and given 6 prompts that describe organ systems working together - each prompt corresponds to one box on the mind map. This collaborative exercise can be used as a formative assessment to ensure that students understand how organ systems work together. This website comes with teacher tips, teacher notes, learning objectives, and suggested times. For a potential supplemental activity, teachers can print the body system diagrams on overhead transparency sheets. Teachers can make several sets of transparencies and hand them to students working in small groups. It would be like a mini "See Through Sally" for each group.

The Organizing Data POGIL is designed to allow students to discover the difference between the dependent and independent variables, and on how to handle data from labwork.  The activity goes on further to address various methods of graphing data including line graphs through bar.  The POGIL forms an excellent basis for preparation for the ACT exam science component and similar assessments.

This lesson will assess student understanding, comprehension, and knowledge of the book, The Outsiders.

This website by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality clearly explains the common communication barriers in a medical setting, along with techniques to overcome them. Language, hearing, and visual barriers can be overcome by visuals, video aids, written instructions, and medical interpreters. The website provides directions on how to facilitate conversation between the patient, medical professional, and translator. As an interactive activity, students should role-play how they would introduce each communication technique to a patient when there is a communication barrier. By reading and role-playing, students should feel confident communicating with patients through the use of communication aids.

Have we overstepped Mother Earth's boundaries? What are the consequences? In this video segment adapted from Haskell Indian Nations University, hear a Native perspective on our relationship with the natural environment.

"The Supreme Court, of course, has the responsibility of ensuring that our government never oversteps its proper bounds or violates the rights of individuals. But the Court must also recognize the limits on itself and respect the choices made by the American people."

⁠—Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and the first woman to serve as Solicitor General of the United States.

As one of the three branches of the U.S. federal government, the Supreme Court is an essential part of civics education. In this lesson, students will learn about the structure and purpose of the Supreme Court and analyze the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) case about student free speech in schools. Once students have analyzed the case and its significance in U.S. history, they will participate in a research-based simulation about student free speech and social media before their own Supreme Court.
What are the Constitutional responsibilities and powers of the Supreme Court?
How does the judiciary system function alongside the other two branches of government?
How does the Supreme Court protect your First Amendment rights?
Analyze the Constitutional roles and responsibilities of the judiciary system and the Supreme Court.
Analyze Supreme Court rulings and develop an evidence-based argument regarding the First Amendment.
Simulate how a Supreme Court case is researched and argued, and evaluate the proceedings and outcome.

This is a great video to teach about the ecology of creeks. Teaches students about different wildlife, things that naturally occur in creeks, and how to care for the organisms that call creeks home.