Higher Order Thinking Skills Teacher Resources

Explore using units with scientific notation to communicate numbers effectively. Individuals choose appropriate units to express numbers in a real-life situation. In this 13th lesson of 15, participants convert numbers in scientific...

Here's a new meaning to the expression throwing away money...a carpet of coins! An intriguing lesson requires calculations to determine the coin that would be the cheapest option, but it's a little tricky. The cost of the coin...

Are sickle cell disease and malaria related somehow? Scholars learn about both illnesses and the hypotheses that they are related. They discuss, view a video, and answer questions to demonstrate understanding. The resource includes an...

Is your class studying civil rights? Consider taking a look at President Lyndon B. Johnson's voting rights speech. This resource includes an abridged version and three related questions. Pupils consider Johnson's use of language and the...

Some data just doesn't follow a straight path. Learners use line graphs to represent data that changes over time. They use the graphs to analyze the data and make conclusions.

A middle school test contains two 40-minute sections covering material through algebra. All questions involve applied problem solving or mathematical analysis.

A thorough math test divides the content into two 40-minutes sections, covering material through algebra and geometry. Problems incorporate analysis and applied problem solving.

Patterns in math emerge from seemingly random places. Learners explore the patterns for factoring the sum and differences of perfect roots. Analyzing these patterns helps young mathematicians develop the polynomial identities.

Historians believe the first vertical water wheel was invented in Rome during the Augustan Age. The sixth lesson in the series of 10 has scholars experiment with designing their own water wheels. Through testing various pastas and...

Why do sprinters wear spiked shoes? Scholars explore various styles of shoes and how they handle forces when running. Scholars adjust variables including shoe type, horizontal force, surface type, and normal force to determine which...

Why are car manufactures required to install seat belts and airbags; do they really make that big of a difference? Scholars use a simulator to determine the amount of force dissipated by a seat belt and airbag in a head-on crash. This is...

Can a small change in laboratory procedures save energy? Scholars test three different methods for heating water in a science lab. Then, they calculate the energy efficiency for each and compare them to determine which uses the least...

Stephen Perry invented and patented the modern rubber band in 1845. Young scientists put his discovery to work as they use rubber bands to observe entropy and enthalpy. They determine the change in free energy to figure out if it...

You'll need to concentrate on the concentration lab to get it done. Given a virtual beaker with a silver chloride solution of unknown concentration, scholars find the silver ion concentration in the solution. Of course, they must show...

Scientists work every day to find solutions to genetic diseases. Scholars learn about the process of gene sequencing, mutations, and the results. They explore genetic diseases and therapies to intervene and help and, through case...

You might not be able to learn through osmosis, but you sure can observe it! Scholars observe and measure osmosis using chicken eggs. They control for multiple variables to determine which variables have an impact and how the impact...

An inverse relationship exists between exponents and logarithms, allowing mathematicians to easily convert one to the other. Scholars apply a brief definition of logarithms with a few practice problems. Then, they discover the...

"Help Wanted: A Supreme Court Justice." What should be included in the ad? Learners ponder the question during a lively activity that asks them to examine the qualifications for various federal offices and then create job postings....

More than 90 percent of humans' DNA doesn't code for anything! Scholars watch a presentation as they answer questions relating to gene mutations. They read details, watch videos, and view animations supporting the concepts. The questions...

Students apply higher level thinking skills to determine rules for sorting and classification. For this pre-algebra lesson, students nominate classmates who they think satisfy the unspoken "rule" established by the leader. As students...

Young scholars have the opportunity to use higher-level thinking skills and to apply their talents to previously learned material. It provides an opportunity for visual, auditory, and tactile/kinetic learners to utilize their particular...

Learners utilize search engines to locate information on one of the first five Presidents of the United States. Students utilize various technological skills that incorporate higher level thinking, analysis, and summarization. Learners...

William Bell's Forbidden City is used as the basis of a study of China, Chinese culture and government, and especially of the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Class members select a topic for Internet research and then prepare a...