Curriculum Projects

Ohio Educational Technology Agency

Curriculum Projects and Instructional Resources

NWOET members: For information on obtaining copies of the videos that accompany any of these curricular projects, contact Judy Tucker, Media Resources Manager, at 800.966.9638 or tucker@nwoet.org.

NOTE: Grade designations indicate the grades that contain Ohio Academic Content Standards alignments, but many of these resources can be adapted for use at other grade levels.

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108 Stitches: The Physics in Baseball (Grades 6-9)

http://www.pbs4549.org/baseball/index.htm
This new PBS 45 & 49 multimedia project offers a science-based curriculum that uses the game of baseball to demonstrate basic principles of physics as set forth by the National Science Education Standards and the Ohio Science Academic Content Standards.

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Blow the Roof Off!

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/voditv.htm (Grades 4 & 6)
Discover the power of hands-on, minds-on science as Blow the Roof Off! shares the fun and excitement of science and helps students find answers to all kinds of questions. 

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Career Pathways Construction Career Investigation (Grades 6-10)

http://www.wgte.org/wgte/learn/item.asp?item_id=406
Blueprints, square footage, conversions…oh my! Build more than a yellow brick road with this multi-media curriculum for 6th – 10th grade classrooms. Whether you introduce a variety of career paths to your students, or explore Industrial Technology on a deeper level, these fourteen career specific modules (i.e. electricians, carpenters, masons, etc.) will meet your instructional needs. CCI includes video modules, a curriculum binder with detailed educator guides and an interactive website…so all teachers walk away with classroom-ready teaching tools and resources.

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Change My Mind (Grades 8-10)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/changemymind/index.htm
Students will be bombarded with persuasive techniques in all aspects of their life. They need to recognize the persuasive techniques that are being used to manipulate their thinking and how they can use these same techniques to influence others.

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Constitution Challenge (Grades 3-10)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/constitution/index.htm
In the form of a game show, the Constitution Challenge multimedia package features both “the man of the street” and student contestants as they answer questions about the constitution. The components of the series have been designed for use as either stand-alone educational tools or as a complete package.

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Creating Videos That Communicate (Grades 6-12)

http://www.wbgu.org/wbgumultimedia/cvtc/index.php
This video series is designed to help improve the video production skills of junior high and high school students interested in developing basic, single-camera video productions. The series also serves as a resource for teachers who are teaching video production in their classrooms and supports Ohio’s Content Standards for Technology, English Language Arts and the Arts.

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Cyberchase (Grades K-8)

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/
This site is chock full of games, online stories, free stuff, and of course, MATH! It helps kids use numbers and logic to solve problems.

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Dirty Little Secrets: Foundations from the Past (Grades K-12)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/secrets/dlserie.htm 
This Web site gives information specifically about how Lake Erie was formed and the part it played in determining the structure of the building and provided interactive lesson plans to enhance the video. The Terminal Tower is looked at specifically and the core samples that were used to determine the strength of the land below the building have been saved and are currently available at Cleveland State.  This is a great supplemental resource for the OACS Earth Science standard found in many grade levels.  However, the lesson plans and materials do not give specific alignments to the OACS.

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Economics Academy 101 (Grades 4-8)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/economics/watch.htm
Economics helps us understand how goods and services are provided and acquired (supply and demand).

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Engineer Your Career (Grades 6-12)

http://www.wgte.org/wgte/learn/item.asp?item_id=407
Seven career path video modules spotlight careers in Bioengineering, Chemical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering. Supplemental materials including companion Website, educator guide, interactive distance learning sessions and professional development support classroom instruction, student learning and standards alignment. This program offers a creative look into the education paths and practical applications of the engineering profession.

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Exploring Our Heritage (Grades 3-8)

http://www.thinktv.org/education/k-12-multimedia-resources/our-ohio-exploring-our-heritage/
Part travelogue and part history, this multimedia curriculum takes students to historic locations around the state of Ohio. Interviews with local experts, combined with archival film, help to re-create the important role each of these locations played in Ohio's history and development. 

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Floating on Air (Grades 6-12)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/floating/index.htm
Lighter-than-air enthusiasts share the fond memories and fascinating history of Akron’s unofficial mascot of the skies.

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Generations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Grades K-12 and adult)

http://www.generationscvnp.org/default.aspx
Discover the story of Ohio’s only national park in Generations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Generations tells the story of the park’s natural wonders and the people whose lives have crossed its many paths.

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Got Science

http://www.wbgu.org/wbgumultimedia/gotscience/index.php
Each of the Got Science! content standards is explored on two levels. Each video serves as a point of departure. The student videos introduce the Physical Science academic content standard and underlying concepts in an engaging manner designed specifically for 9th grade students. The instructor development videos examine the academic content standards in greater detail, and provide instructions for in-class demonstrations, and recommended topics for further discussion with the students.

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Hale Farm and Village Virtual Tour (Grades K-12 and adult)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/halefarm/index.htm
Take a virtual tour of Hale Farm and Village in Bath, Ohio, just west of Akron.

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It's a Gas: Math & Science of the Blimp (Grades 7-10)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/blimp/index.htm
This project is designed for the 7th-through 10th-grade classroom.  It consists of 11 instructional television programs, 12 lesson plans, classroom activities, computer activities, and a Web site.

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Jean-Pierre Gauthier: Machines at Play (Grades 2-8)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/machinesatplay/gauthier.htm
When Montréal artist, inventor and musician Jean-Pierre Gauthier and his exhibit came to the Akron Art Museum in mid-September 2008, Western Reserve PBS was there to document the exhibit’s installation. As part of the half-hour special, NewsNight Akron panelist Jody Miller interviewed Gauthier about his unique vision of art, sound, motion and space.

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K.C. and the KIDD (Grades 4-6)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/voditv.htm
The Kidd is a detective who wants to be worldly wise and mysterious (which is tough since he’s really a softy). K.C. is his partner, the “kid in the computer.” When The Kidd faces a problem he can’t solve, your students will want to help as part of the Kidd Crew.

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The Language of Trauma and Loss (Grades 3-12)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/trauma/index.htm
This program provides teachers with information about the effect of trauma and loss on children, and the teacher’s role in identifying and referring appropriate students. The program also helps teachers establish a “safe” classroom and improve language arts skills using trauma and loss as a vehicle. The Language of Trauma and Loss provides teachers with information about the effect of trauma and loss on children, and the teacher’s role in identifying and referring appropriate students. The program also helps teachers establish a “safe” classroom and improve language arts skills using trauma and loss as a vehicle.

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Main Street America (Grades 8-12)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/mainst/index.htm
Is downtown Akron worth saving? Do "revitalization" plans actually work? Jody Miller of NewsNight Akron looks at revitalization projects in four U.S. cities, including Akron, to see once-decayed Main Streets in various stages of revitalization.

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Masters of Gravity: Soap Box Derby Math & Science (Grades 5 & 6)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/gravity/index.htm
This is a new educational multimedia package for 5th and 6th grades, produced by PBS 45/49. The instructional television series, classroom activities and lesson plans were designed, developed and classroom-tested by teachers in northeast Ohio.

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Math and Science Gumbo   (Grades 3-6)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/gumbo/index.htm
Weights, measures, cooking times and temps, physical and chemical changes … you name it and the Kitchen Mathematician will beat, mix, blanche, toast, boil and fricassee food to explore the math and science for Grades three through six that goes into cooking. 

NOTE: As a former family and consumer science teacher, I can highly recommend this resource.  It’s aligned to the Ohio academic content standards.

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Math nMotion (Grade 8)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/mathnmotion/index.htm
Math nMotion tackles the very difficult concepts of Graphing Linear Equations, Inequalities, Ratio and Proportion and Using Data to Make Decisions through the use of racing Formula M cars.

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Media Moments & Media Literacy (Grades 3-12)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/media/
In Media Moments you’ll find out about television news.  Just as there are  architects who draw blueprints and construction workers who create buildings, there are people who put the news together.  A news program is carefully structured.  All the people and things that go into the mix affect the final product.

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The Middle Ages (Grades 7)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/middleages/index.htm
The goal of The Middle Ages is to help students understand the basic concepts of this historical period, including the barbarian invasions, feudalism, the Crusades, the devastation of the plague, the causes of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Reformation. This is accomplished through hands-on and project-based activities.

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News Six

http://nwoet.org/newsix
News Six is a television series created by former NWOET Director Margaret Tucker and produced in cooperation with WBGU-PBS. Weekly 10-minute programs were researched, written, presented and co-produced by sixth grade classes from comprehensive member schools of NWOET. Students experienced first hand how a television show is put together and learn how stories are conceptualized, videotaped on location and brought together in the studio to create the final program.

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Ohio Reading Road Trip (Grades 6-8)

http://www.orrt.org
The Ohio Reading Road Trip takes students inside novels, short stories, and poems of some of Ohio's most famous and beloved writers: Sherwood Anderson, Sharon Creech, Rita Dove, Sharon Draper, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Virginia Hamilton, Toni Morrison, James Thurber, and more.  This integrated curriculum features ten exciting lessons for students with wonderful supporting teacher materials.

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OhioTrek (Grades 3 & 4)

http://www.nwoet.org/ohiotrek2/default.htm
OhioTrek: A Focus on Literacy is a strategic model designed to prepare third and fourth grade students to meet Ohio ’s Fourth Grade Guarantee.  OhioTrek focuses intently on the improvement of literacy skills – specifically reading and writing – through the context of social studies topics.  This instructional curriculum package includes an interactive website and over 70 minutes of videotaped field trip segments for classroom viewing.

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One State Many Nations: Native Americans of Ohio (Grades 4-6)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/onestate/index.htm
This multimedia resource, designed specifically for the intermediate grades is complete with lesson plans and teacher support materials and is complemented by five, ten-minutes videos and a rich Web site. 

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Opening the Door West (Grades 4-8)

http://www.openingthedoorwest.com/
The story of the Ohio Company and the first legal American settlement of the Northwest Territory is the focus of this feature length historical documentary that illustrates how a group of Revolutionary War officers and soldiers, in 1788, first opened the door for westward expansion of the new United States. This multimedia kit can be purchased or borrowed from the Northwest Ohio Media Center at NWOET.

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Planet H2O (Grades 5-8)

http://www.thirteen.org/h2o/index.html
This unit offers some great resources for teaching about water and the environment.  Download lesson plans, the Planet H2O teaching guide and environmental activities.  Although not aligned to the OACS, many standards would be covered.

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Preschool “U” (Adult)

http://www.wbgu.org/wbgumultimedia/preschoolu/index.php
Preschool “U”dives deep into the depths of learning and teaching children with and without learning disabilities and challenging behaviors. A useful series on recognizing the characteristics of challenging behaviors and practical interventions for the classroom, these strategies will aid in giving support to children who exhibit these characteristics allowing them to be more successful not only in the classroom but in the entire school as well.

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Producing Ohio (Grade 6)

http://www.producingohio.org
Creating Our Economy is an interactive multimedia economics curriculum for fifth and sixth grade students. These dynamic and entertaining cross-curricular lessons give students the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed on their achievement tests.

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Quiz Bus (Grades 4-8)
http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/quizbus/index.htm
Students practice collecting data, presenting it in an understandable fashion, analyzing it through graphing, identifying ways data can be distorted and looking at both arithmetic and geometric probability (are models).

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RU^4 the JOB?

https://www.wbgu.org/wbgumultimedia/up4thejob/index.php
RU^4 the JOB? is designed to introduce students to careers in Eye Care, Nursing and Post-secondary Science Education. This resource was made possible by a grant from eTech Ohio and the State of Ohio.

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Science at Work (Grades 8-10)

http://www.wbgu.org//wbgumultimedia/scienceatwork/index.php
Science@Work showcases Ohio people, applying in everyday life, the  science concepts that instructors are teaching to their students.

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Science at Work II (Grades 8-10)


http://www.wbgu.org/wbgumultimedia/scienceatwork/index.php
Science@Work II showcases additional Ohio people, applying in everyday life, the physical science concepts that instructors are teaching to their students.

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Secrets of Sherlock (Grades 4-6)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/voditv.htm
Sherlock is a dog — a very smart dog — with big ideas that sometimes don’t work out. Your students will become “S.O.S. Trackers” to help him solve a variety of problems. Secrets of Sherlock (S.O.S.) helps teachers prepare students for Ohio’s proficiency tests in the areas of communication and skill integration. An extensive teacher guide includes explanations and student activities. 

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Sharing Art (Grades 5-10)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/sharingart/index.htm
There are artists among us who actually make a living making art! Sharing Art's intent is for students to understand that the art projectsthey do in class can lead to a career or even display in a museum. The series demonstrates real-world applications of the techniques taught in art classes.

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Shortcuts to Happiness: The Performing Arts (Grades 6-1

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/shortcut/watch.htm
This 10-video series offers insight into the careers that work together to make “theater.” Each segment shows a person whose profession is acting, writing, directing, etc. We then go to the Broadway Series and see their craft “up close.” Finally we see students performing these same tasks in their schools.

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A Simple Life (Grades 6-12)


http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/simple/index.htm
Explore Amish country in Holmes County. Visit the people and the places that populate the beautiful rolling hills and farms of this rural northeastern Ohio county to find out what draws the millions of visitors each year.

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Snapshot: The Decades (Grades 10)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/decades/index.htm
Using historical footage and narration, this series focuses on the social, economic, political and scientific events of each decade — from the 1920s to the 1960s.

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Stark Contrast: A History of Stark County (Grades 4-8)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/starkcontrast/index.htm
This multimedia project looks at the county’s communities, industrial development, educational and cultural institutions, sports, art, culture, transportation and more. It also follows two groups of residents representing the county’s older and younger generations.

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Swamp Survivors (Grades 3-10)

http://www.nwoet.org/swamp/
The Black Swamp is a multi-year, collaborative project of NWOET, WBGU, and the Sentinel-Tribune that debuted in early 2002. Swamp Survivors provides students with an opportunity to learn about the development of Northwest Ohio's Black Swamp region.

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TestQuest (Grades 3-12)           

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/testquest/
At this Web site, find a wealth of resources to prepare middle and high school students for high stakes testing.  Topics covered in this series are learning styles, study habits/time management, test taking skills, taking notes active listening, and interactive to improve student test taking aptitude.  An online teachers guide is available.  Originally designed to help bolster test preparation skills for Ohio's proficiency testing, these skills are as necessary for today's achievement and OGT testing.

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Twentyfourhours (Grades 6-12)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/24hours/index.htm
Find out how local news works. We turn to the television each day for a concise review of the day’s news. We have also come to rely on it for instant coverage of every tragic event that occurs in the world. Bundle that coverage with some sports and weather, present it all in a period of 30 minutes or an hour, and we have what is known as “local news.” But just who determines which crime, which murder, which fraud makes the air? In a country of people trained to listen to sound bytes, who decides how many seconds can be devoted to the telling of each story? NewsNight Akron’s Mark Urycki tries to answer these questions through interviews with all the major commercial television news stations in Cleveland and Akron.

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Ubiquitous Science (Grade 8)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/ubiscience/index.htm
Ubiquitous Science contains four modules. Each module deals with Benchmark B from the physical science content standards in grade 8. Benchmark B states, “In simple cases, describe the motion of objects and conceptually describe the effects of forces on an object.” 

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You Be the Producer (Grades 6-12)

http://www.westernreservepublicmedia.org/producer
The purpose of this project is to provide guidance and resources for teachers so they can help students tell their stories digitally. In today’s classroom, digital photography and digital video enable students to make a clear visual connection with their subject matter. Students who create video documentaries not only learn the necessary technology skills but also become personally involved in the content, which leads to a better understanding.

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Who’s Your Boss? (Grades 6-12)

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/whosyourboss/index.htm
Right here in northeast Ohio, young entrepreneurs are having remarkable success in creating and marketing new products. Who’s Your Boss? celebrates National Entrepreneurship Week by profiling the achievements of six northeast Ohio youths and the organizations that support them.

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The Write Site (Grades 6-8)

http://www.writesite.org/
This multimedia language arts curriculum makes the process of telling a story fun. Students take on the role of journalists—generating leads, gathering facts, and writing stories—using the tools and techniques of real-life journalists.
Not exactly curriculum projects, but such great resources from two sister agencies of NWOET…

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Why Sci? (Grade 5)

http://www.wgte.org/wgte/learn/item.asp?item_id=3219
These multimedia modules illustrate hard to teach Physical and Earth Sciences concepts and provide strategies for engaging 5th grade students in active learning.  The videos and companion materials model an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning science and are directly aligned to Ohio Academic Content Standards.

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World War II: Exploring Your Local History (Grades 9-12)

http://www.thinktv.org/education/k-12-multimedia-resources/world-war-ii-exploring-your-local-history/
World War II: Exploring Your Local History is a high school curriculum designed to engage students in learning about World War II. The purpose of this project is to help students learn about the impact of World War II in their own communities and make connections between local history and world events.
Not exactly curriculum projects, but such great resources from two sister agencies of NWOET…

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ITSCO’s Curriculum Resources (Instructional Technology Services of Central Ohio)

http://www.itsco.org/curric/index.html
From the Ohio educational technology agency in Columbus, comes this list of electronic resources you need in your classroom! These are a few of their favorites, organized by subject area....some of the same as in JT’s Bakers Dozen of Lists (http://personal.bgsu.edu/~jmtucke/) and some different ones.  Their list didn’t stop at 13!

For more complete information on these and other curricular projects from some of Ohio's other Educational Technology Agencies, visit these Web sites:

WCET

WGTE

Western Reserve Public Media

WVIZ