This hands-on activity allows students at all grade levels and abilities to explore concepts of buoyancy by attempting to submerge a small object in a water bottle. Discovery should be supported by guided inquiry and open-ended questions to scaffold understanding and learning. Once the students are done exploring and sharing their discoveries, reflecting on what they learned and asking questions about what they did not learn, a video showing how the experiment works will be shown and students will get an opportunity to view it. There is also a detailed explanation of this experiment and a diagram illustrating how to conduct it for further study of the scientific concepts involved. Additional video links showing how to build a submarine in Minecraft and similar videos are also included for older and/or more advanced/tech savvy students. Technology needed include a whiteboard, students cell phones for taking videos and sharing them using the KlipMix app, as well as Skype if collaborating with another class. Performance assessments are embedded in the activities in the form of reviews and using inquiry and open-ended questions to assess understanding.

This PBL project-based unit continues where "When We Couldn't Drink the Water," a unit based on the 2014 Toledo Water Crisis, stopped. WWCDTW reflected all that happened in Ohio's fourth largest city the first weekend in August just weeks before the start of the 2014-2015 school year. This project seeks a solution that will prevent a future water crisis like the one in Toledo. Based on scientific principles and concepts, this project involves students in collaborative research, investigation and experimentation to help them understand processes like algal blooming, denitrification, and bioreactors. Students will be emerged in the ongoing struggle for water quality in the Great Lakes , the cycle of denitrifcation, beaver dam-building, and bioreactors designing and construction. Students with advanced scientific skills and/or gifted students will have differentiation, as well as will students with special needs. Assessments are imbedded. There is also a pretest to assess prior knowledge. A Hands-On Biochemistry PBL Project Goal Students will engage in a PBL project to find a way to keep the algal blooms resulting from the nitrogen in agricultural run-off from farms into the Great Lakes in collaboration with other schools, studying the 2014 Toledo Water Crisis and researching, investigating, and experimenting to find solutions that can be shared through a variety of digital formats. Toledo Water Crisis http://voicethread.com/share/7306686

Goal Students will be able to research facts about rabbits and compare fact with fiction, then use their creativity to create their own bunny stories or plays. Objectives 1. Students will learn that rabbits do not lay eggs, but give birth to living children 2. Students will learn how rabbits became part of Easter traditions. 3. Students will use information gathered to decide if they want to have a rabbit in the classroom. 4. Students will work together in groups to research the following information about caring for rabbits a. What is the best place to house a rabbit? b. What rabbits eat and how much? c. How to breed a bunny and care it's babies. 5. Students will use their creativity to act out or write stories about rabbits 6. Students will use cover illustrations of rabbit stories to create their own. 7. Students will browse the library for stories and/or books for more rabbit stories. The following video can be used to demonstrate how rabbits are born, but it may not be appropriate for some children. Use discretion. Watch "Rabbit giving birth-baby bunnies" on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/9ohMZF5C-i8

A Story is a Great Way to Engage Students. This story is an old one that was handed down through many generations, told usually while sitting on a front or back porch. The goal for this lesson is to allow students to discover the role language, math, history, science, and art have in storytelling and to get them to create their own stories using skills they learn in the classroom.

Goal: To facilitate understanding of solar energy and its uses and develop an appreciation on how animals depend on humans during cold weather, as well as undertaking an engineering project and conducting an informal scientific study Objectives: 1. Students will learn how to use passive solar energy to melt ice in a bird bath so the birds can have a water source for drinking during the winter 2. Students will create the schematics to use in constructing a passive solar bird bath with assistance and/or guidance from an adult expert. 3. Students will use the schematics to build the passive solar bird bath with expery adult assistance. 4. Students will install the passive solar bird bath with expert adult assistance and present the project to parents, peers, and school staff. 5. Students will conduct and present the results of an informal scientific study. This unit project can be used at any grade level; however, the informal scentific study should be conducted by older children and gifted students Younger children and students with special needs can learn to observe and count/record data with teacher assistance.

Goal: This unit teaches students in grades K-1 (2-4 remedial) about ones, tens, hundreds, etc. Objectives: 1. Students will understand that ten pennies are equal to one dime or ten cents. 2. Students will make and defend choices regarding spending and saving. 3. Students will generalize the relationship between pennies and dimes to that between dimes and dollars, pennies and nickels, and nickels and dollars. 4. Student inquiry questions and discussion will be used to determine student understanding and need for individualized instruction when applicable. 5. Students' knowledge will be assessed before and after activities using open-ended questions and friendly debates. (NOTE: GRADES 2-4, use dimes and dollars)

This history unit follows Harris Stone's advice and takes students on virtual tours of national landmarks and attractions, provoking curiosity and inspiring students to learn the history of each architectural site. From the website: Virtual Tour of 15 Historic Places: Take a Virtual Tour of Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg – Take a virtual tour of Colonial Williamsburg. Select a location on the map to read a description, watch a video, see a timeline, or look at pictures. Additionally, various teacher resources, such as lesson plans and pre-visit activities, are available to enhance your class’s learning experience. Gettysburg – Take an interactive battlefield tour of Gettysburg. View 21 battlefield panoramas! Mount Vernon Mansion – Take a virtual tour of the estate of Mount Vernon. Not only will you experience 360 degree views of each room, but you can also select objects in the room to learn more of their history. White House – Take an interactive tour inside the White House. Select rooms to view pictures and descriptions. You can also explore the White House at home by watching the Inside the White House video series or the Google Art project. Take a virtual tour of the Supreme Court Take a virtual tour of the Supreme Court Supreme Court Building – Stand on First Street in front of the Supreme Court Building. Select statues or the portico frieze to view details and learn of their symbolism. Take virtual tours the Great Room, the courtroom, and see the chambers of the Justices. Library of Congress– View photos of the Thomas Jefferson building and details of the interior and exterior. Descriptions accompany each photograph for further information. United States Botanic Garden – Tour the United States Botanic Garden before you visit Washington D.C. Explore 360 degree views of 9 locations at the botanic garden, including the jungle, orchid, and desert rooms. It’s feels like you are there! Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – View panoramas inside the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Take virtual tours room-by-room of the whole museum. United States Mint – This slideshow of the coin-making process provides an overview of how the United States designs and manufactures coins. Facilities in Philadelphia and Denver are featured. The Kennedy Center – Get a glimpse of the awe of the Kennedy Center on this virtual tour. Descriptions are included for each room and terrace. Freedom in America – A partnership between the National Park Foundation and Ball State University, Freedom in America is an electronic field trip where students and teachers can explore the American search for freedom. Meet characters throughout history as you play a virtual board game and watch interactive webisodes. The site is divided into a student and teacher sections.

As part of the U.S. government's commitment to Let Girls Learn, First Lady Michelle Obama and the Peace Corps have formed a powerful collaboration to expand access to education for adolescent girls around the world. Educating girls is essential to healthy and thriving communities but, globally, 62 million girls are not in school, and barriers to adolescent girls completing school are particularly significant. In some countries, fewer than 10% of teenage girls complete secondary school. This programme will address that challenge by empowering local leaders to put lasting solutions in place. Peace Corps Volunteers who live and work at the grassroots level will serve as catalysts of community-led change, and every American can get involved and make a difference. https://letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov/ FOR SCHOOLS FOR GIRLS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES SPECIFICALLY FOR GIRLS Let Girls Learn STEM: Technology From Ancient Technology to the Technology of the Future Goal: Students will learn that technologies have been developed throughout history and that ancient technologies influenced present ones Objective: Students will learn about ancient technologies, how they created present technologies, the impact of technology on humans and how we live, and develop their own 22nd century technology design and prototype. This lesson is for students in middle grades and students with learning disabilities in higher grades. Outcomes: 1. Students will understand how ancient technologies influence present technologies 2. Students will identify modern technologies that developed from ancient ones. 3. Students will design and create an artefact of a future technology.

As part of the U.S. government's commitment to Let Girls Learn, First Lady Michelle Obama and the Peace Corps have formed a powerful collaboration to expand access to education for adolescent girls around the world. Educating girls is essential to healthy and thriving communities but, globally, 62 million girls are not in school, and barriers to adolescent girls completing school are particularly significant. In some countries, fewer than 10% of teenage girls complete secondary school. This programme will address that challenge by empowering local leaders to put lasting solutions in place. Peace Corps Volunteers who live and work at the grassroots level will serve as catalysts of community-led change, and everyone can get involved and make a difference. https://letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov/ FOR SCHOOLS FOR GIRLS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES SPECIFICALLY FOR GIRLS Let Girls Learn STEM: Elementary Science States of Matter: This science lesson is for young students and older students with learning disabilities. Ice, Water, and Steam Goal: Students will learn about the states of matter through observation and engagement. Objective: Students will physically interact with matter at three different states - solid, liquid, and gas - by identifying snow or ice as a solid, water from melted snow or ice as a liquid, and steam from melted snow or ice as a gas. Outcomes: 1. Student provide information to create a concept map on a white board or other display area showing the three states of matter, using the students’ pictures and/or photographs, and images from the video. 2. Students work collaboratively in small groups or pairs using their collective pictures/photos showing the states of matter to create a “states of matter” timeline. 3. Students make their own picture or video books referring to the concept map and their group discussion timeline.

Language, Science, Math, and Art Plus Any Other Subjects That Can Be Added to This Fun Unit to Start the School Year Introducing Specific Skills, Collaborating with Peers, Investigating and Researching Online, and Including Family in Creating an Artifact for Display Students will learn how to investigate a topic that involves multiple subject areas and gain understanding about the topic and how the various subjects covered relate to each other.

Students are asked to study nature after synthesizing information and making inferences comparing and contrasting, completing a study of a website on biomimcry, and choosing a journal with direction in which to record their study of a natural phenomena. Students are assessed with a test on biomimcry and given performance assessments based on their nature journals and a video or audio presentation of their study. The unit ends with students completing an extended KWL chart for guided inqury, reflecting on what they've learned and how to use this information after watching a video of a student-produced reflective tool, and scoring the class, teacher, and peers on participatory and collabrative behavior. Part 1 and Part 2 can be taught separately, but should be taught in succession if taught together. NOTE: I created this unit for a graduate school course and got an A grade. This unit was 20% of my final grade.

This science project for students interested in particle physics, specifically the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, can be investigated by one student or a group of independent learners and/or students who need support from expert peers. Although it is an ELA lesson that includes constructing an argument within a formal letter, this is primarily a science project using technology-based learning tools. Teachers' roles are as facilitators and resources of information, but mainly to provide assistance with writing the letters, the major artifact of this project. Letters should present and support an argument, in alignment with CCSS. They should also follow the protocols for well-written formal letters.

The goal of this lesson plan for Christian Schools is for students at all grade levels, 1-12, understand how Biblical figures inspire creation of fictional characters and how these archetypes are depicted in literature. Younger children learn the similarities and differences in the stories of Jesus and Superman. Then students in upper elementary grades learn to identify literary techniques and allusions to characters in a book or movie. Students in middle and high school use these resources to identify archetypes in books and movies about heroic characters.

This inquiry-based STEM unit aligned with standards takes students of all abilities into natural and/or virtual settings to observe flight. Watching butterflies, an albatross, and a dragonfly, students learn the science of flight and apply it to engineering designs for paper airplanes. Formative assessment is used to assess prior knowledge and what students learn from experiential learning and inquiry. After completing the unit, typical and gifted students are challenged to design a paper airplane unlike any previously designed. Gifted students are also encouraged to investigate how observing flight in nature is being used to create robotics and drones

This project helps students in grades three and up become pro-active when they are someone else being bullied.

Goal To improve school and classroom climate by taking proactive measures regarding bullying behavior and victimization of those who are different Objectives 1. Students will participate in activities and discussion regarding their feelings about those different from them which may or may not been exacerbated by recent political rhetoric. 2. Students will be able to feel safe in a non-threatening environment that will protect them from threatening behavior and speech. 3. Students will express their thoughts voluntarily without ridicule, using words and graphics. 4. Students will listen to each other and summarize what they heard a peer say before sharing their thoughts/feelings. 5. Students will make an empathic statement regarding any feelings he/she has in common with another student or students. 6. Students will work with an "empathy partner" or partners to create a graphic that expresses their feelings, including their empathy with each other's feelings. 7. Parents of students exhibiting violent speech and/or behavior will be contacted and apprised of the incident and suggest professional help for her/him.

Goal: To help students compare and contrast political personas and positions and recognize media bias Objectives: 1. Students will observe memes of political figures giving opposite views on the same age and being portrayed positively and negatively in the media. 2. Students will answer open-ended questions requiring critical thinking to discuss the differing opinions and images as shown in the media of known political figures. 3. Students will address a point of view attributed to one of two political figures and research ctedible sources to expand on the statement or opinion. Grades 5-7 recommended, also gifted 3-4, special needs High School

Goal: To engage students with snow and other powdery media as artists Objectives: 1. Students will learn to use powdery substances like snow as an art medium. 2. Students will preserve their snow art and use it for decorative effects. 3. Students will show off photographs of their work in a gallery showing. All images are from Google Images

WARM-U.P.S. Warm (Us with Portable Shelter) Goal: To make students aware that not all people have warm clothes for the winter and how they can address this need Objectives: 1. Students will become aware of the lack of warm for clothing people living on the street. 2. Students will address this need through a class project after seeing how some people are addressing it. All images are from Google Images

In honor of African-American History Month, Gettysburg University in Pennsylvania is sponsoring a production of flow theater's iconic choreopoem, "Our Young Black Men Are Dying and Nobody Seems to Care," written by my late brother in 1983. First performed at the Castillo Theatre in New York''s Theatre District in 1990, this series of vignettes addressing the violent deaths of black youth has been staged across the nation in colleges and universities, as well as other venues. I am offering this series of five units based on the themes presented in OYBMADANSTC free of charge to high school and college/university teachers. These materials are also suitable for advanced middle school students. The subjects addressed include history, civics, English and composition, and social problems. One of the units includes research projects specifically for students interested in service careers. These materials will be offered free of charge through March 2016. (c) 2016, Geneva J. Chapman. All rights reserved.