The matrix — it's not just a movie. The instructional activity introduces the concept of 2 x 2 matrix multiplication as a way to represent linear transformations. Class members determine when a linear transformation represented as...

Class members make a real connection to matrices in the 25th part of a series of 32 by looking at the identity matrix and making the connection to the multiplicative identity in the real numbers. Pupils explore different...

Video game characters move straight with matrices. The first day of a two-day lesson introduces the class to linear transformations that produce straight line motion. The 23rd part in a 32-part series has pupils determine the...

The second day of a two-part lesson plan on motion introduces the class to circular motion. Pupils learn how to incorporate a time parameter into the rotational matrix transformations they already know. The 24th installment in the...

As part of a study of the Corps of Discovery expedition, class groups research the different Native American tribes Lewis and Clark encountered on their journey and share their findings with the class.

To commute or not to commute, that is the question. The 26th segment in a 32-segment lesson focuses on the effect of performing one transformation after another one. The pupils develop the procedure in order to multiply two 2 X 2...

Enhance your unit on The Scarlet Letter with a thorough and applicable lesson. Learners use the anchor text in this unit plan that asks them to consider the Transcendental concepts intertwined within Nathaniel...

There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to...

How does a society influence and shape individuals? Class members ponder this essential question as they read Lord of the Flies, as well as primary source materials about the historical background of the novel. As a...

Wait, let's start over — teach your class how to return to the beginning. The first lesson looking at inverse matrices introduces the concept of being able to undo a matrix transformation. Learners work with matrices with a determinant...

Animal reproduction in sheep and cattle is explored with the help of Punnet squares. Scholars employ tools using probability to conclude the color of wool a sheep's offspring will have. Acting as animal geneticists, pupils then take...

Three activities make up a lesson that explores the connection between former president George Washington, the farming industry, and leadership. Scholars listen to two read aloud,  Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas and...

Multiplication in polar form is nice and neat—that is not the case for coordinate representation. Multiplication by a complex number results in a dilation and a rotation in the plane. The formulas to show the dilation and rotation are...

Due to the isolation of seamounts, their biodiversity offers a great deal of information on the development of biological and physical processes. Pupils use simple cluster analysis to rate the similarity and differences in biological...

As part of a study of Angel Island Immigration Station, young historians examine the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first restriction on the United States immigration based on race and nationality. They complete a matrix identifying...

Class members perform complex operations on a plane in the 17th segment in the 32-part series. Learners first verify that multiplication by the reciprocal does the same geometrically as it does algebraically. The class then circles back...

Young historians learn more about the history of Angel Island Immigration Station through their analysis of primary source images. Guided by a list of inferential questions, scholars learn how to make and record observations on a...

After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the...

Visible Thinking Routines are designed to help learners deepen their understanding of what they are learning and enable them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. Individuals adopt one of these routines to use to...

Do you ever give your class the "teacher look"? Without saying a word, they become silent and engaged (hopefully). How do they know what you're thinking? Explore the concept of nonverbal communication and how it relates to our...

Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution expressly lists powers given to Congress. Over the years, lawmakers have expanded the enumerated powers to include powers implied by the list. To better understand the significance...

Who has a pet fish? Bingo! Meeting classmates just got a whole lot easier with this colorful template that asks individuals to find 16 classmates who meet the criteria defined in the matrix boxes. Consider extending the activity by...

The second lesson on finding inverse matrices asks class members to look for a pattern in the inverse matrix and test it to see if it works for all matrices. The teacher leads a discussion to refine the process in finding inverses,...

In the first of a two-day instructional activity on transformations with matrix notation the class transforms the unit square using general transformations, then calculates the area of the transformed image. They discover it is the...