LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

CEU courses open for enrollment

Middle Grades Science Learning
This course intends to engage teachers in investigations of Science, the Nature of Science, and Practices that scientists use to make sense of phenomena in the world. Each of these things are at the heart of the Nature of Science and Inquiry Strands of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study: Science 2004 (NCSCOS).
Take this course: Begins March 22.

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Monstrous masks
Teacher will read the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Children will create monster masks to associate the letter m and the phonemic sound of m to the masks.
Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts)
Habitat—what's that? (Lesson 1)
This lesson helps students define what the word habitat means and what basic elements make up an animal's habitat.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Science)
By Kelly Stewart.
Imagination Station
Slither and slide, hop and bop, run and jump, explore and discover Imagination Station where Science rocks and kids rule!
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Description as mind control: Using details to help readers visualize your story
Good writers help their readers visualize their stories by including vivid details. Students will listen to passages from Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet, draw one of the images from the passage, and identify which details Paulsen uses to create these images.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
By DPI Writing Strategies.
Learning from a tree
Observation of a single tree throughout the year can be the starting point for explorations of nature, life science, and environmental science.
By Linda Dow.
The zoo is coming, the zoo is coming
The zoo is coming is a lesson that will give students an opportunity to write a letter to a fictional governor about the pros and cons of having a zoo come to their town.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Science)
By steven sather.
Feathers, fins, fur, scales, and skin
Using observation, students will identify animal groups by their appearance. The students will move through animal centers looking for similarities and differences of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Science)
Animal research: A multimedia approach
Students will be working with a partner to research a favorite animal. They will be required to use a wide variety of resources which include multimedia software packages, the Internet, and various books. The students will be looking up general information about their animal, such as its habitat, place on the food chain, size, etc. Ultimately the students will be responsible for presenting the information they have gathered in some form of multimedia presentation. This activity is primarily student-oriented rather than teacher-oriented in that the students will be selecting what animals they want to research and what materials they want to use in creating their report. The teacher will give some basic requirements and guidelines to ensure that students are on task.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Information Skills and Science)
By Amy Edwards.
Making connections for environmental education
How can you get students fired up about environmental education? Get them outside and get them involved in local issues through activism, service learning, and teaching others.
Format: article/best practice
By Carolyn Moser.
A civil war at home: Treatment of Unionists
In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 6.11
Excerpt from the memoir of W. B. Younce, an Ashe County man who was drafted into the Confederate army and deserted. He describes the conditions on the home front, particularly the treatment of Unionists. Includes historical commentary.
Format: book
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood and David Walbert.
Artifact ethics
In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.5
In their study of archaeological issues students will use ethical dilemmas to examine their own values and beliefs about archaeological site protection. They will also evaluate possible actions they might take regarding site and artifact protection.
Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Guidance and Social Studies)
Weather is the word-o
Using an integrated curriculum, this unit plan provides sixteen fun-filled weather activities to familiarize students with sun, rain, snow, and wind. Each of the activities will take approximately 30 minutes over a three week period.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Science)
Shadows of a people
In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 2.3
Archaeologists divide North Carolina's prehistory -- the time before contact with Europeans -- into four periods: Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian.
Format: article
Nature journaling: A new way to enjoy nature
Nature journaling is a way to record and re-create an image experienced in nature. By combining drawing and writing, the student uses their senses to record what they feel, see, hear and touch at a particular point in time.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)
By steven sather.
A German immigrant writes home
In Colonial North Carolina, page 2.4
Letter (c. 1710) from a immigrant to North Carolina to his family and friends in Germany, telling about his life and experiences in Carolina and giving advice to others who might follow him. Includes historical commentary.
Format: letter
Real-world learning in a virtual environment
Want to try project-based learning to get your students involved in real-world issues? A former North Carolina Technology & Learning Teacher of the Year talks about how she worked with the North Carolina Zoo to get students excited about learning.
By David Walbert.
Shadows of North Carolina's past
In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.2
Students will infer past Native American lifeways based on observation, construct a timeline of four major culture periods in Native American history, and compare these lifeways and discuss how they are different and alike.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)
The mountains of Nepal: Scientific investigations
This lesson for grade five introduces students to the mountain ecosystems of Nepal. Activities include a brainstorming activity, in which students think about ecosystems and biodiversity; a research activity, in which students use a variety of sources to gather information about the mountain ecosystems of Nepal; and a journal activity, in which students create journal entries based on the information gathered in their research.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Information Skills and Science)
By Robin Bartoletti.
History of a scout
In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 8.2
Account of a slave who escaped from a plantation in Jones County, North Carolina, to Union lines during the Civil War and served as a scout for the Union army. Includes historical commentary.
Format: book
Hands-on biology
Hands-on science exploration clarifies difficult concepts and engages learners who have difficulty in more traditional classrooms. This article looks at an inquiry-based classroom that meets the needs of all of its students.
Format: article/best practice
By Waverly Harrell.