Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning
Laura Halstied serves the K20 Educational and Community Center as a Social Studies Curriculum Writer. Laura and the fellow instructional design team work to develop high-quality social studies curriculum for K12 schools support the mission of the K20 Center and its projects. Her mission is to create lessons that help students become informed citizens.
In this lesson, students will examine why the Cold War came to an end. Students will view video footage of the fall of the Berlin Wall, look for reasons the Cold War ended by analyzing data and Why-Lighting a reading, and extend their understanding by working in groups to create pie charts that detail... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: September 20th, 2022
End of the Cold War
This engaging strategy provides a way for students to categorize information and think critically about content. Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
September 7th, 2022
This lesson provides an overview of yellow journalism and its impact on the Spanish-American War. Using hands-on activities and discussions, students explore the vocabulary and attributes of yellow journalism. Students also evaluate the field of journalism. Following completion of the lesson, students... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: August 15th, 2022
The Role of the Media in the Spanish-American War
In this lesson, students analyze how trench warfare affected soldiers in World War I by reading a letter by a soldier, interacting with a trench warfare museum exhibit, and viewing a video about trench warfare. Students extend their learning by crafting an article or narrative about trench warfare and... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: August 4th, 2022
Trench Warfare in World War I
In this fifth and final lesson of the "What Is a Wave?" unit, students will observe two demonstrations and form conclusions to understand how light travels through matter. Students will complete a Concept Card Map activity to demonstrate their understanding of the unit's content and concepts. Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: June 24th, 2022
New Direction
In this fourth lesson of the "What Is a Wave?" unit, students will learn how electromagnetic radiation is related to common items, understand how electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy, and create electromagnetic spectrum charts. Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: July 26th, 2022
Electric Avenue
In this third lesson of the "What Is a Wave?" unit, students will experiment with long springs, participate in a guided inquiry activity on constructive and destructive interference, and experiment with whirly tubes. Students will be assessed by explaining true or false statements. Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: June 23rd, 2022
Galloping Gertie
In this second lesson of the "What Is a Wave?" unit, students will review key concepts from the first lesson using the Strike Out! strategy. Students will connect prior learning to new content by watching videos that demonstrate the speed of sound waves, and then will be introduced to the Triangle of... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: June 23rd, 2022
Not the Bermuda Triangle
In this lesson, students will explore the technology used by European explorers during the Age of Exploration. Through analyzing images, watching a video, and selecting an activity from a Choice Board, students will learn about four navigational tools and how this new technology influenced European... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: June 23rd, 2022
European Exploration and Navigational Tools
In this lesson, students discuss and analyze the ways in which genetics and the environment play a role in human development. Students participate in a Four Corners activity, a Card Sort, and an article analysis, and then extend their learning by viewing a video about an experiment that separated triplets... Read more »
Created by: Laura Halstied
Date Updated: July 13th, 2022
Nature vs. Nurture
