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

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How do pumpkins grow?: Book project
This is an integrated science and language arts lesson plan. Students will create individual books that illustrate how pumpkins grow.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Science)
By Marty Britt.
How long is your smile?
Students will use standard and nonstandard measurement to measure their smile.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Mathematics)
By Julie Little.
How much heat can a phase change produce?
In Why does chemistry matter in my life?, page 7
In this lesson, students apply knowledge of heat energy and phase changes to real-life situations. Students watch demonstrations of an endothermic and an exothermic reaction and use formulas to solve phase change problems. A literary passage and a video help students apply critical thinking to the lesson.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
By Lisa Hibler.
How much is that cupcake really worth?!
Use this as an introductory lesson to supply & demand for Economic, Legal and Political Systems students.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 Social Studies)
By Joy Walker.
Hula hoop sorting
Students will use two large hula hoops to form a Venn Diagram. Then, using various colored paper shapes, they will recognize, and identify circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, trapezoids, and parallelograms.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Mathematics)
By Diane Jackson.
Identifying oily foods: Discovering healthy snacks
Using a drop of water and a drop of oil for comparison, students conduct food rubs to detect oily content in foods. The lesson culminates with a cookbook of healthy snacks.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Healthful Living)
By Janie Bourbina.
In the spirit of... (museum post-visit)
This is an integrated unit that focuses on masks in cultures as reflections of individual spirits. In the post-visit lesson, students will create plaster masks and write a brief description.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 Visual Arts Education)
By Tamela Davis.
Incredible insect mouths
This lesson shows children that insects have different kinds of mouths. It also notes the kinds of foods that different insects eat. It is a hands-on experiment type of lesson in which the children act as insects and use different tools for their “mouths.”
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)
By Kelly Stewart.
Inside a baby seed
Students will identify the three main parts of a seed after the bean/seeds have been soaked in water overnight.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Science)
By Thelma Pike.
Inside, outside, and all around
Students will distinguish between perimeter, area, and volume. They will use tangrams and graph paper to create two-dimensional figures that will be measured for area and perimeter. By creating layers of centimeter cubes, the students will explore the concept of volume.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–6 Mathematics)
By Angeli Jarman.
Interior design: Designing my dream room
Students will study interior design as a profession. They will integrate their study with math, writing, vocational education, and computer skills by designing their own dream bedroom.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics)
By Paula Hightower.
Introduction to fact families: Addition (commutative property)
Students will "invent" their own examples that demonstrate the commutative property of addition through hands-on activities.
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Mathematics)
By William Krupicka.
Introduction to Venn diagrams
Students will learn how to use a Venn diagram to categorize data. This activity is done as an introduction to Venn diagrams.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Mathematics)
By Melissa Bancroft.
Investigating evaporation
Students will investigate evaporation as a cooling process. They will witness that temperature is affected by moisture content and the process of evaporation. Next, they will explore websites related to the processes of evaporation and condensation. Students will apply gained knowledge to real-life situations, and will share their new knowledge with a person outside the classroom.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science)
By Jessica Bohn.
Investigating surface area
This is a hands on lesson best used to introduce geometry students to 3-dimensional figures. Students will have the opportunity to draw 3-dimensionally and create collapsible figures which can be used to develop the standard surface area formulas.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics)
By Jennifer Bronzini.
Is it open or closed?
Students will identify and create open and closed figures using labeled cards and pipe cleaners.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Mathematics)
By Vickie Fender.
Island basketball
In this activity, the class will be divided into two teams: the "Sharks," who play defense and the "Swimmers," who play offense. The "Swimmers" attempt to cross the ocean and avoid the "Sharks."
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Healthful Living)
By Resa Holt.
Jellybean equations
Students will build chemical compounds using jelly beans and toothpicks to visually balance chemical equations.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)
By Nancy H. Sanders.
Jim Crow and segregation
This is an integrated lesson plan that incorporates both eighth grade language arts and history. Using Internet research, literary analysis, and persuasive technique, students will practice reading and writing skills while analyzing the impact of Jim Crow Segregation on African Americans living in North Carolina and elsewhere.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Burnetta Barton.
Job twister: A lesson in career competency
Twister provides an excellent opportunity to discuss shared responsibilities at home/school as well as to demonstrate working together in a "movement" situation. Young children will enjoy the movement involved while learning directional words, such as right, left, etc. This lesson incorporates literature, technology, and motor skills.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Social Studies)
By Ann Sumners.