Classroom Resources

What do hearing aids, wheelchairs and prosthetics all have in common? All three are examples of assistive technology that help people with disabilities or the elderly perform daily activities independently or with assistance. In this lesson, students will learn about assistive devices and how innovation plays a key role in the invention process, including raising empathy. Specifically, students will learn how 3D printed prosthetics are changing lives and design their own assistive technology to help others.

Using the invention process, teams will be asked to identify a problem that could be solved through a new assistive device or an innovation to an existing invention. They will then sketch, draw or build an assistive device to share with their classmates in 4 to 5 minutes presentations. Students should receive constructive feedback from their peers, work on any redesigns and present their device to real-life stakeholders. An optional activity for schools that have 3D printers is to allow students to 3D print their final designs.

In this interactive lesson, students will discover how new apps are improving the lives of people with a disability or illness and helping to raise empathy. Through original student-produced videos via PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, students will learn about individuals who have overcome challenges and went on to help others. Then, students will use their knowledge of the invention process to design their own app which addresses a problem facing their school or community.

In this video from Inside Science, mechanical engineering students design and build a prosthetic hand using a 3-D printer and a system of pulleys. This video can be played during a lesson on assistive technologies.  Students can watch the video prior to designing and building their own assistive technology.

Figure out the secret code using your problem-solving skills. This activity from Zoom focuses on your critical thinking and operational skills to solve the problem and find the pattern. This video can be used during a lesson on encryption and secret codes.

Make a coded message called a scytale message to send to a friend. This activity from Zoom focuses on your ability to follow directions and requires a cylinder. This learning activity can be used during a lesson on encryption.

As both Hacker and the CyberSquad go off in search of a giant cyber-slug, the kids realize that Hacker has a listening device that taps into their communications system. The kids decide to devise a secret code so they can send messages back and forth without hackers understanding what they are saying. The code involves numbers, which are associated with pictures, and it's used to send messages explaining where the CyberSquad should travel to find the cyber-slug. This video can be played during a lesson on encryption.

In this interactive game from MrNussbaum.com, students will drag and drop the names of early settlements and European patrons into the correct country (Spain, France, or England) box.  This game could be used as an assessment after a lesson on European exploration.

With recent high-profile security decryption cases, encryption is more important than ever. Much of your browser usage and your smartphone data is encrypted. But what does that process actually entail? And when computers get smarter and faster due to advances in quantum physics, how will encryption keep up? This video can be played during a lesson on identifying common methods of securing data.

This reading comprehension activity from MrNussbaum.com contains a historical passage about Hank Aaron.  Students can read this passage as an introductory lesson or as an assessment using the questions included.  Students receive immediate feedback on multiple-choice questions. Students may click on "listen" to have the passage read to them. 

This is a WebQuest from iCivics to help students learn about four civic tactics that supporters of women's suffrage took to move the nation to ratify the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Teachers can use this resource while teaching a lesson on women's suffrage.  

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students will learn about all three branches of government by controlling them in this game.  They will have the power to write any laws they want about the issues they choose. If they can keep their government working for thirty minutes to complete the game, they win!  This game can be played while teaching about the three branches of government or after as an assessment.  

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This is a free interactive game from iCivics.  In this game, students help guide newcomers to America along their path to becoming citizens.  This game can be used during a lesson on immigration and citizenship or after as an assessment. 

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This activity is designed to give students the opportunity to create and design balances with a partner in a collaborative manner.

In this interactive game from iCivics, students assume the role of President of the United States and learn how to propose an agenda to Congress, sign bills into law, delegate new laws to the appropriate federal agency, handle international diplomacy, and command the military during times of war. This game can be used while teaching a lesson on the executive branch for reinforcement or after as an assessment. It can be played in a whole group or individually.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students will learn what it takes to become an informed voter. Students will know where they stand on important issues and discover what they need to know about candidates. Students will learn about the importance of local elections, watch candidates discuss important issues in Town Hall debates, identify issues that matter to them and rate candidates' stances, and collect their own notes on candidates within the game. This game can be played during a lesson taught on the election process for reinforcement or after as an assessment. It can be played as a whole group or individually.

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This is a free interactive game from iCivics. In this game, students are challenged to manage their own presidential campaigns. Students will have a campaign manager to guide them through the campaign process. They will build arguments to support timely issues that are relevant to them, strategically raise funds to support their campaign, keep campaign momentum through targeted media campaigns and personal appearances, and poll local voters to see what issues resonate. This game can be used during a lesson on the election process as a learning activity or after as an assessment.  

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This is an interactive game from iCivics. The game is set in 1787, where the ink is still drying on the new Constitution. Will it become the law of the land or will it fall into the dustbin of history? The fate of the young nation is in their hands! Use this game to teach the big ideas at the core of the ratification debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Students will identify the main stances of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists between 1787 and 1789, understand the key debates surrounding the ratification of the constitution, including an extended republic, the House of Representatives, the Senate, executive power, the judiciary, and a bill of rights. Students will interact with the ideas, perspectives, and arguments that defined the ratification debate. They will explore the many different viewpoints, which spanned geographic regions, populations, and socio-economic class. Students will identify the building blocks of the proposed Constitution. They will engage with competing ideas in order to form an effective and cohesive set of arguments for, or against, ratification within a state. This game can be used during a lesson on the constitution to reinforce concepts or after the lesson as an assessment. This game can be played in a whole group or individually.

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This interactive game from iCivics is a challenging game designed to sharpen students' news literacy skills. Students join a fictional social media site focused on news and information, learn elements of high-quality journalism and markers of deceptive posts, and spot dubious posts that sneak in through hidden ads, viral deception, and false reporting. This game can be played during a lesson on false reporting for reinforcement or after as an assessment. It can be played as a whole group or individually.

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This interactive game from iCivics will allow students to become experts in U.S. citizenship. Students will recognize and recall rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens, identify active ways in which citizens can participate in government and contribute to the common good, and relate like terms and concepts by deducing shared relationships. This game can be played during a lesson on citizenship for reinforcement or after a lesson as an assessment. It can be played in a whole group or individually. 

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students run their own firm of lawyers specializing in constitutional law. They decide if potential clients have a right, match them with the best lawyer, and win their case. The more clients you serve and the more cases you win, and the faster your law firm grows! This game can be played during a lesson on the constitution for reinforcement or after a lesson as an assessment. It can be played in a whole group or individually.  

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students learn about local government by playing a county official responding to citizen requests. They explore whether their citizens are making sensible requests and which county department can best address a citizen's concern. Students decide if taxes should be raised or lowered to maintain a balanced budget and what the best action is when a crisis strikes. This game can be played during a lesson on local and state governments for reinforcement or after a lesson as an assessment. It can be played in a whole group or individually.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students will decide a tough case while learning about what jurors discuss in the deliberation room. Students will choose from different civil cases, analyze evidence, weigh testimony, and use the right arguments to reach a fair and impartial verdict. This game can be played during a lesson on the responsibilities of citizens for reinforcement or after as an assessment. The game can be played in a whole group or individually.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students will learn how to win power for state or federal government as they coach a team of players to develop persuasive arguments toward their side. Weaker arguments will make a player fall or even move the power toward the other side. This game can be played during a lesson on powers of state and local governments for reinforcement or after as an assessment. It can be played in a whole group or individually.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students try out their persuasive abilities by arguing a real Supreme Court case. The other lawyer plays their competition. Whoever uses the strongest arguments wins! Landmark cases in the game include:

• Bond v. United States
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Gideon v. Wainwright
• Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
• In Re Gault
• Miranda v. Arizona
• New Jersey v. T.L.O.
• Snyder v. Phelps
• Texas v. Johnson

This game can be played during a lesson on landmark Supreme Court cases for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students play a member of Congress from the state of their choice. They pick an issue that's important to them and their constituents and take it all the way through the law-making process. If they're successful, they'll have a bill they can print and show off! This game can be played during a lesson on the law-making process for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students will help people from around the country to navigate the U.S. court system. Students will distinguish between the federal and state court systems, identify the types and levels of courts within each system, and evaluate case scenarios to send citizens to the correct court. This game can be played during a lesson on court systems for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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In this interactive game from iCivics, students work with a case about Ben Brewer, who wore his favorite band t-shirt to school against dress policy. Students will help the Justice make up her mind and influence the outcome of the case. Students will analyze the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression, identify protected and unprotected speech, and simulate the deliberation process of Supreme Court Justices. This game can be played during a lesson on the judicial branch and Supreme Court cases for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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This resource includes multiple videos, grade level outcomes, vertical progression, and assessment for the skill of jump rope. This resource also included a four-week unit plan to teach jump rope skills. This resource is geared for Kindergarten through fifth-grade. While an extended version of this content can be purchased, this resource is free. 

In this interactive game from iCivics, students work as legislators trying to meet the needs of their constituents by deciding what bills to sponsor in Congress. Students will be able to understand that a legislator's job is to represent constituents, simulate the relationship between a legislator and a diverse constituency, and evaluate hypothetical legislation for impact on various socio-economic groups. This game can be played when teaching a lesson on the legislative branch for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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Whether it’s playing a game of cards or running in a track meet, good sportsmanship can take you a long way. The questions and activities in this guide will help your students understand what sportsmanship is, how they can be a good sport, as well as how to handle situations in which someone is acting unsportsmanlike.

In this interactive game from iCivics, students learn how to make a positive change in their community. Students campaign for an issue of their choice, learn how to grow an organization of friends into a national movement, and engage the community and elected leaders to raise awareness and support for their cause. This game can be played when teaching a lesson on civic and community activities for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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Did you know that playing tennis with a badly strung racquet while wearing worn-out shoes can increase your risk of injury almost as much as playing football without shoulder pads? Using the wrong — or not properly fitted — equipment is a major cause of injuries.

Students will be placed into diverse teams to develop a recreational game. The project will take place over a six-week period, with each individual week designated for separate smaller projects, each with specific learning objectives and outcomes.

This resource, a PowerPoint Presentation, describes the differences in muscle types. This resource includes a visual with labeled muscles.