In this lesson, students listen to Flint-based rapper Jon Connor's song "Fresh Water for Flint" to better understand the sense of frustration and injustice people living in the city felt during the water crisis. Students then experiment with creating their own water filtration system to better understand the scientific and engineering principles behind water treatment. Lastly, they consider the biological effects of lead poisoning and determine specific, political, economic, and scientific causes behind the Flint water crisis.

Students work in groups to create annotated book reviews with links to topics of interest related to their book.

Book Studies can be done as independent or in-class activities. Some teachers designate one day per week in class to read the book they have assigned, while others create a reading schedule. Various projects and assignments are suggested here to help the students and teachers learn from the book they have read. One thing is for sure.. there are a lot of excellent financial books for students to read and learn from! 

This booklet contains 7 chapters on topics related to how to earn, save, budget, spend, borrow, protect and give money. Whether you get a weekly allowance or get paid for walking your  neighbor’s dog, your first step in handling your money well is to think about short-term and long-term goals. Then make a plan to reach them. It takes a bit of practice to master your money, just like it takes time to learn to  ride a bike. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be ready to tackle all sorts of money twists and turns.

A family moves into an unpopulated area. With the ingenuity of one young girl, a town is established and grows. The idea of supply and demand is evident in this story. The businesses in town grow to include a tanner, a cooper, a miller, a blacksmith and a laundry.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary from the biographical text, Boss of the Plains. This biography relates the life of John Batterson Stetson as a hatting apprentice until he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and decided to explore the American West. During his time with the people of the West, he invents a better hat, nicknamed "Boss of the Plains," - the first real cowboy hat.

The lessons in this issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom introduce the work of botanists and botanical illustrators, specifically their race to make records of endangered plant species around the world. “Very little of the world’s flora has been fully studied,” says one Smithsonian botanist, “and time is running out.” In the first lesson, students gets to know six endangered plants. They examine illustrations, photographs, and dried specimens of the plants as they consider this question: If a scientist can take a picture of a plant, are there advantages in having an illustration? They go on to consider some of the big questions that botanists themselves must ask: Which of these species are most in need of conservation efforts? Are any of these plants more worth saving than others?In the second lesson, the students try their own hands at botanical illustration, following the methods of a Smithsonian staff illustrator. All that is required for the lesson are pencils, markers, tracing paper, and access to a photocopier.

"La série Bouger, réfléchir, apprendre aide les enseignantes et enseignants et les responsables de l’activité physique œuvrant auprès des enfants et des jeunes de la maternelle à la 9e année à acquérir une littératie physique[1] - connaissances, confiance en soi compétences – en proposant des activités uniques, inclusives et amusantes.

Misant sur l’approche Apprendre et comprendre par le jeu (ACJ[2] ), les enfants tentent de résoudre des problèmes tactiques par le jeu, réfléchissent aux options qui s’offrent et aux habiletés, et apprennent à appliquer ce savoir à divers contextes de jeu."

A comprehensive collection of multimedia resources and inquiry-based activities tied to the National Science Education Standards help teachers and students learn about the structure, function and cognitive aspects of the human brain. The packet includes a teacher's manual, student manual, DVD of videos, and a CDROM of accompanying materials. (National Institute of Mental Health)

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary using the fictional text The Bridge Dancers. In this book, two sisters, Maisie and Callie, are faced with a challenging situation. Callie gets hurt while their mother is away and Maisie must decide if she can rely on her knowledge of herbal medicine to save her sister's life.

In this unit of study students learn about different types of bridges and how to design and build their own bridge. This unit integrates nine STEM attributes and was developed as part of the South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership's Teacher Leadership Team. Any instructional materials are included within this unit of study.

This resource encourages students to deepen their understanding of global poverty—to see our connections to the rest of the world, to explore the roots of inequities and to understand the importance of assistance that preserves human dignity, values diversity and unleashes the inherent power of community.

Experience has shown that successful development is possible—if initiatives invest in people and ensure that beneficiaries over time become the owners of the development process. This means addressing the intertwined causes of poverty and helping communities mobilize their resources so that they can help themselves. ultimately, it means providing a hand up instead of a handout. The stories contained in this resource draw on the long-term experience of Canada and Canadians in the developing world, and encourage students to see themselves as part of the bridge of hope that unites us as global citizens.

Tips for using this resource:
The lessons in this resource have been created as a unit that builds foundational understanding and encourages exploration of key concepts and critical global issues to allow for deeper learning and meaningful attitudinal change. While we recommend that the lessons be used together, each set of lesson activities can also stand alone to provide learning opportunities around a particular aspect of international development. The term “lesson” does not imply that it can be completed within one class. Class periods vary with timetables, and experience in co-operative learning, language levels and group dynamics can all affect the time needed to complete these activities. The teacher is the best judge of these factors.

Curriculum Connections:
The themes and concepts presented provide excellent links to Ministry of Education curricular objectives/
expectations in Social Science, history and Geography programs across the country. activities also maximize a
variety of specific skill-based objectives/expectations and competencies such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, social skills and map analysis. Each lesson outlines general objectives/expectations to assist teachers in program planning. The activities can easily be adjusted for grade and level by providing varying degrees of support, allowing additional time and adjusting expected outcomes.

Students create brochures on the same topic as another piece of writing they have done, highlighting how shifting purposes and audiences creates changes in their strategies as writers.

Examine the principles of budgeting.

Teacher's guide included.

3-5 hours

Students are introduced to some basic civil engineering concepts in an exciting and interactive manner. Bridges and skyscrapers, the two most visible structures designed by civil engineers, are discussed in depth, including the design principles behind them. To help students visualize in three dimensions, one hands-on activity presents three-dimensional coordinate systems and gives students practice finding and describing points in space. After learning about skyscrapers, tower design principles and how materials absorb different types of forces, students compete to build their own newspaper towers to meet specific design criteria.The unit concludes with student groups using balsa wood and glue to design and build tower structures to withstand vertical and lateral forces.

Differentiate between buying, renting, and leasing.

Teacher Guide included.

3-5 hours

Our approach to civic education is about providing opportunities for students to experience their democracy first-hand rather than by reading about it in a textbook. By reaching students throughout their school career, during and between election periods, we hope to prepare them to be responsible and informed citizens.

CIVIX programming focuses on the themes of elections, government budgets, elected representatives and digital media literacy. Programs available include:

(1) Student Vote - an election enables teachers to bring democracy alive in the classroom

(2) Student Budget Consultation - combines civic education and financial literacy

(3) Rep Day - connects students with their elected representatives for a virtual or in-person meeting

(4) CTRL-F - a module providing quick strategies students can use to investigate and evaluate information

(5) PoliTalks - supports educators in bringing political discussions to the classroom - Materials are free with
registration, and programming is designed for grades 5-12

(6) Democracy Bootcamp - professional development conference for teachers designed to improve their
democratic engagement and delivery of CIVIX programming

CK-12 Physical Science for Middle School FlexBook® covers core physical science concepts and includes SIMs, PLIX, real world examples, and videos.

This is an extremely comprehensive unit on Physical Science (covering the Electricity outcomes for Grade 6). Some of the chapters are not aligned directly with grade 6 outcomes, but have the potential to be used for enrichment activities. In addition to what is listed above, this resource also includes online practice quizzes for students. Teachers can download printable versions of the quizzes, along with an answer key.

*You will have to sign up to ck12.org to access everything, but it is completely free!

CK-12 Life Science for Middle School FlexBook® covers core life science concepts and includes real world examples, videos, and PLIX (which stands for Play, Learn, Interact, and eXplore—offers learners an interactive and immersive experience exploring concepts).
ck12.org

This is an extremely comprehensive unit on Diversity and Living Things. Some of the chapters are not aligned directly with grade 6 outcomes, but have the potential to be used for enrichment activities. In addition to what is listed above, this resource also includes online practice quizzes for students. Teachers can download printable versions of the quizzes, along with an answer key.
*You will have to sign up to ck12.org to access everything, but it is completely free!

A free computer science curriculum that makes coding easy to teach and fun to learn.

"Teach computer programming and coding to students with the free CS First curriculum. Instructional videos guide students through theme-based projects such as sports, art, fashion, digital storytelling, and more. Projects involve block-based coding using Scratch and no experience is needed for educators or students. Students will enjoy the fun, interactive projects and can earn badges along the way. Grades: 4-9." (AASL)