Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction Through Latitude And Longitude, Tamara Tyrrell

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to listen and speak English to describe about themselves and their native country. Students will be able to understand what latitude and longitude are while using geographical tools to locate information.

Introduction To Egypt, Hank Easterling

Open Educational Resources

Students will use Google Earth and maps to locate Egypt and its various cities and landforms. Students will compute both the population density and physiological density of Egypt using various online sources. Students will research the Aswan Dam and discuss both the pros and cons associated with it.

Introduction To The Five Themes Of Geography, Mike Garnica

Open Educational Resources

Students will understand and be able to give examples of the 5 themes of geography: Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, and Regions. Throughout the school year as we learn about ancient civilizations, students will be able to apply the 5 themes of geography to the ancient civilizations that we study.

La Historia De Nuestras Vidas: A Cultural Awareness Lesson Through Immigration Stories, Dawn Shattuck

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to identify cultural and/or economic conditions that influence one’s desire to migrate to or from a country. Students will become aware of cultural differences and will develop a non-judgmental attitude of acceptance, understanding that there is more than one way to behave or more than one way to organize society. Students will be able to empathize with one from another culture. Students will be able to respect the strengths and weaknesses of cultures.

Mapping History, Linda Vanden Bosch

Open Educational Resources

Students will locate each historical event's location through US History from 1400 to 1865 and transfer that information to their own blown-up outline map and classroom wall size map.

Monsoons: A Key To Understanding India, Kelly Davidson

Open Educational Resources

Students will define monsoons and their significance for India. Students will analyze the impact of the monsoon on many aspects of life in India. Students evaluate the degree to which an understanding of the monsoons and water issues is a key to understanding India.

Mapping World News, Beth Miller

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to use an atlas to locate countries on a world map.

Expression Of Cadherin-11 During Organogenesis In The Chick Embryo, Kacie D. Flaherty, Alicia F. Paulson, Ashley L. Adamson, Darrell J. Wiens

Faculty Work

Cadherin-11 (cad-11) is primarily a mesenchymal cadherin that appears in delaminating neural crest cells. Its expression correlates with morphogenetic events and the pattern has been studied in mouse, rat and Xenopus embryos, but not during avian organogenesis. Our purpose was to investigate this pattern in the chick embryo during organogenesis using immunolocalization and in situ hybridization. Cad-11 was expressed in mesenchyme around the pharynx and aortic arches, eyes, auditory vesicles, lung buds, stomach, and nasal placodes. Neural expression included some cranial ganglia and also new neuroepithelium within the tail bud region undergoing secondary neurulation. We also found expression in epithelia …

Using A Thinking Skills System To Guide Discussions During A Working Conference On Students With Disabilities Pursuing Stem Fields, Audrey C. Rule, Greg P. Stefanich

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

Students with sensory or motor disabilities are often dissuaded from pursuing science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers. They are frequently underprepared to succeed in post-secondary STEM coursework because of inadequate high school preparation and limited post-secondary accommodations. A two-day working conference stimulated dialogue to improve attitudes toward, to better support, and to plan accommodations for students with physical disabilities in STEM areas. Discussion questions during the five small group dialogue sessions that followed panels of speaker presentations were based on Edward de Bono’s (2000) CoRT ten Breadth thinking skills. These thinking skills broaden perception so that thinkers might see …

Mystery Class For Math, David Sundstedt

Open Educational Resources

Using Mystery Class (website), students will calculate photoperiods and analyze data.

Mystery Class Sites: Adapted From Journey North Mystery Class, Jan Hill, Anne Hoeper, Lori Stephens

Open Educational Resources

Students will know how sunrise and sunset times can be used to discover exact locations.

Redistricting Congressional District Based On Census Data, Dan Flaherty, Bill Josund

Open Educational Resources

Students will demonstrate mastery of the U.S. Congressional redistricting process. Students will create a sample of redistricted map of a given state.

Reading A Map In Any Language, Dawn Shattuck, Kathy Sundstedt

Open Educational Resources

The students will cooperatively use map-reading skills to discover the physical and political geography of Chile.

Rice: It Feeds The World, Kelly Davidson

Open Educational Resources

Students will identify countries mentioned in the text and locate them on a world map. Students will use an atlas to identify the climatic conditions necessary for growing rice. Students will explain the movement of cultural traditions from a country or origin to a new country.

Speaking Through Clothing, Kelly Davidson

Open Educational Resources

Students will analyze how Gandhi used the way he dressed to communicate with the Indian people. Students will identify some of the many layers clothing can express. Students will recognize how clothing styles vary in different styles. Students will observe how clothing styles in one region influence clothing styles in another region. Students will pinpoint the five themes of geography for two different locations.

Struggles In A Sari: How Women Are Affected By Flooding In Bangladesh, Linda Litterer, Sarah Dorpinghaus

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to examine and analyze photographs of flood damage and victims in Bangladesh. Students will be able to predict difficulties faced during flood periods. Students will be able to compare and contrast vulnerability of women facing flooding in developing and developed countries. Students will be able to formulate and critique plans to improve the situation of female flood victims in Bangladesh.

Southeast: A Region Of Cultural Diversity, Deloris Ryan

Open Educational Resources

This lesson is the first lesson introducing culture for each of the regions that will be taught throughout the year. For this lesson we will introduce culture to the students by first of all creating a student friendly definition. Then the students read several informational books for them to create a graphic organizer for each of the cultures that they read about.(#1) The students then do a compare and contrast organizer to compare these cultures.(#2) The final part of the lesson is that the students use this organizer to write an opinion paper with evidence to justify their opinion.(#3) We …

Marshalltown, Ia Landmarks Past And Present, Jill Brockman

Open Educational Resources

In this lesson, students will:

-Discover past and present Marshalltown Landmarks and discuss changes in both

-Use Google maps to locate important Marshalltown landmarks

-Write an opinion paragraph that sites evidence behind the reasoning for location of selected landmarks.

How ‘Bout Them Hawks!, Julie Tremmel

Open Educational Resources

Students will learn about the Ioway Indians and others who lived and thrived here while considering the influence of Iowa’s geography on them and on all of us who have followed. The value of primary and secondary resources will be studied.

The Color Run Project, Rachel Hansen

Open Educational Resources

Students apply knowledge of the five themes of geography to an authentic project and use Google Earth to demonstrate their geography skills.

Teaching The Five Themes Of Geography: One Grain Of Rice At A Time, Kim Daughetee

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to identify and explain the 5 themes of geography.

The 5 Themes Of Geography: Mystery Colonies, Rebecca Menard

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to identify each of the 13 colonies using clues based on the 5 themes of geography.

The House That Musa Built, Anne Hoeper, Dan Walsh

Open Educational Resources

Students will be aware of building materials used in Nigeria and understand why they are used.

The Location Theme Of Geography Using The World Cup, Gloria Schmitz

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to identify and explain the location theme of geography.

The Silk Road: The Trans-Eurasian Movement Of Goods, Ideas, Art, Science, And Innovation, Lisa Senne

Open Educational Resources

Students will diagram the “route” and identify geographical hardships travelers endured along the Silk Road. Students will be able to explain the purpose of the Silk Road, the impact it had on early trading, and it’s modern day relationship to international trade. Students will be able to visually track the spread of goods and ideas across Eurasia.

The Movement Of Iowa's State Capitol, Eric Pettit

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to identify the three locations of where Iowa’s state capitol has been.

Traffic Flow In Nigeria, Dan Walsh

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to describe some of the frustrations and problems of traffic in Nigeria.

The Virgins Of Chile, Erin Nennig

Open Educational Resources

Students will investigate the immigration stories and feast day celebrations of the Virgins of Latin America. Students will map where the ideas of each Virgin originated. Students will create and present a PowerPoint describing their assigned Virgin.

Tracking Flat Stanley, Jennifer Hardee

Open Educational Resources

Students will use Google Earth to locate the places Flat Stanley visits and record the absolute location of each place.

Trees, Rodney Wallace

Open Educational Resources

The student will be able to locate, identify, and understand the photosynthic cycle of 6 species of trees. The student will also be able to explain physical observations made of each tree.