Resources

Module 3- Civil Rights Movement

How have individuals and movements used their voices to challenge injustice, and how can we use ours today?

ALUs (These would need to be tweaked for the age level and specific content you teach) 

Freedom: It's Worth the Fight

Civil Rights Now

Other ideas for the unit: 

• Students could examine primary and secondary sources to explore how enslaved people, abolitionists, civil rights leaders, and modern activists have used rhetoric, storytelling, and action to advocate for change.

• Students could explore how narratives—from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography to Rosa Parks’ arrest and Trayvon Martin’s story—have influenced public perception and policy.

• Historical vs. Contemporary News Reports – Analyze how media coverage of Emmett Till’s murder influenced the Civil Rights Movement and compare it to coverage of Trayvon Martin’s case.

• Student-Led Docuseries – Teams create short video segments connecting historical events to modern movements.

• Community Awareness Campaign – Students create a podcast, video, or social media campaign drawing parallels between historical injustices and present-day activism.

• Comparing Rhetoric for Change – Students analyze Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, and I Have a Dream to identify persuasive strategies.

For Volume of 3D shapes

• Placemat Discussion

• Cereal Box Comparison (This can be changed to cylinders instead) – Have students bring in different-sized cereal boxes and compare their volumes. Ask: "Which box holds the most cereal for the least material used?"

• Cooking and Baking: Use measuring cups and recipes to explore volume relationships in a real-world context. Compare the volume of different shapes, such as how many teaspoons fit in a cup.

• Origami Volume – Fold paper into cubes, pyramids, and cylinders, then calculate their volumes.

  • https://youtu.be/U2UDikNSiSk?si=mi3QOIpV8A1P0EDu - cylinder

  • https://youtu.be/NvbKOwRajZk?si=T15mDAasmbk01ZTq- cone

• Games: ( I was trying to find more games but some were paid subscriptions- look into any other activities in the curriculum) 

  • https://mathkite.com/math/grade-8/ 

  • https://www.baamboozle.com/game/343748 

Unit 5 Ideas 

1. Tiny House Project

• Students design a tiny house, calculating the volume of living spaces and storage areas. They use functions to evaluate costs based on size and materials.

• Authentic Connection: Connects to architecture, design, and budgeting.

2. Water Conservation Campaign

• Students create models of water storage tanks and calculate their volume. Functions are used to predict how long the water supply will last under various usage rates.

• Authentic Connection: Ties to environmental awareness and real-world water usage issues.

3. Packaging Efficiency for a Product

• Students analyze and compare different packaging designs (cylindrical, rectangular, etc.) for a product. They calculate volume and surface area and use functions to optimize cost and material use.

• Authentic Connection: Relates to marketing and product design.

Unit 2 Ideas 

Interactive World Fair:

Task: What would a global exhibition of Middle Ages civilizations look like?

Students create a “world fair” where different groups represent Arabia, China (Tang, Song, and Ming), the Mongol Empire, and Japan. They would design booths showcasing each civilization’s religion, geography, governance, cultural achievements, and technology. Visitors (other students or even community members) could compare how the environment shaped each region, how rulers like Muhammad or Genghis Khan influenced their societies, and how art and culture reflected the values of each civilization.

Geographic Influence Mapping: 

Task: How did the environment shape societies and leadership in Arabia and China?

Students could create an interactive map or a geographic analysis report that illustrates the critical ways desert landscapes, rivers, and trade routes shaped Arabian and Chinese societies. They would focus on how the Arabian Peninsula’s desert impacted Muhammad's mission, the Silk Road’s influence on Tang and Song trade, and the natural barriers that helped preserve Ming autonomy. They could compare these regions, highlighting how the environment fostered or limited expansion, trade, and religious diffusion.

Trade Route and Environmental Challenges Analysis: What challenges and opportunities did geography bring to Arabian and Chinese trade?

Students could research trade routes like the Silk Road and Arabian desert routes, documenting the environmental challenges (such as deserts, mountains, and weather) that traders faced. They could present their findings in a comparative study or a visual “trader’s guide,” showing how each civilization adapted to these obstacles and thrived by developing specific technologies or strategies.

Genetics Unit Ideas

ALU- Designer Genes

Other Ideas: 

Design a Family Trait Study

Driving Question: How do traits get passed down in families, and what influences variations?

• Students conduct surveys within their families or communities to document traits (e.g., eye color, hair type, dimples). They analyze patterns of inheritance and create a visual family tree or Punnett square model to predict possible traits in future generations.

Extension: Students research environmental factors that might influence the expression of these traits.

Genetics in Agriculture

Driving Question: How can we use genetics to grow better crops or raise healthier animals?

• Students investigate selective breeding or genetic modification in plants/animals. They design their own “ideal” crop or farm animal using Punnett squares to show trait inheritance.

Solve a Mystery: The Case of the Missing Pet

Driving Question: How can genetics help solve real-world mysteries?

• Students use provided genetic evidence (e.g., fur color, patterns, or DNA samples) to identify a "lost" pet from a group of possibilities. They apply knowledge of dominant and recessive traits to solve the case.

Extension: Connect to DNA testing in law enforcement or wildlife conservation.

The Genetics of Survival

Driving Question: How do genetics help species survive in different environments?

• Students explore genetic adaptation in animals or plants, creating case studies (e.g., peppered moths, antibiotic-resistant bacteria). They present a survival story showcasing genetic variation and natural selection.

Extension: Students design a hypothetical species adapted to a specific environment.

• Supporting Video: Sharks that have adapted to living inside a volcano

DNA Extraction Lab and Application

Driving Question: What can we learn by extracting and analyzing DNA?

• Students extract DNA from fruits like strawberries and connect the lab work to real-world applications like forensic science or ancestry testing.

Extension: Students compare human and plant DNA structures and explain why DNA is universal across life forms.