Talk about intrinsic motivation! Begin where your students' natural interests lie  -- with themselves -- and launch a variety of projects with this activity. Class members research important events that took place on their...

Twelfth graders determine the probability of two people in their class sharing the same birthday.  In this determining the probability of two people in their class sharing the same birthday problem instructional activity, 12th...

Students make and analyze predictions and attempt to solve the birthday problem. They use the solutions they find to answer related questions.

Young scholars analyze the basics of an Excel spreadsheet. They highlight cells in a spreadsheet. They make a column graph. Students are introduced to X-axis and Y-axis. They play various address games on the spreadsheet.

Students find the phase of the moon on the date of their birth.  In this science lesson, students chart the moon from the date of their birth till they were one month old.  Students fill out a graphic organizer after visiting a...

Students explore language arts by reading a story book in class. For this tier two vocabulary lesson, students read the book Some Birthday and discuss the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define selected words and use them...

Students collect data about the birth months of each classmate using a calendar. They make a table with the information before designing a pictograph using cupcake images. They answer questions using the graph.

Young scholars identify the probability of an event occurring. Learners explore the complement of an event in finding why an event will not happen. They also explore basics of probability within algebra.

Learners investigate why theoretical probability doesn't always match reality. The activity involves using Python 2.7 (or Sage) to set up a Bernoulli Trial. It also involves setting up a spreadsheet to simulate the Birthday Paradox....

Birthdays are a time for celebration, and now they're a time for calculation! An AP calculus lesson uniquely explores relationships between a polynomial function and its derivative. Learners create a cubic function based...

Birthday cake wouldn't be light and fluffy without the chemical reactions between ingredients. Young scientists explore some chemical reactions in the 11th installment of a 16 lesson Inquiry in Action series. They determine the...

Students examine the life and works of Theodor Seuss Geisel. In groups, they compare and contrast the stories, characters and illustrations he used. They complete a book review on one of the books and share them with other students in...

Students explore U.S. Geography by analyzing a map. In this state vs. country lesson, students utilize a U.S. map and locate the state of Kansas before researching the history and customs of the state. Students collaborate as a class to...

Students study about animals and their habitats, their environments, their young and their diets. They participate on a field trip to a local spring to take digital pictures of the environment the animals live in, what they eat and then...

Students investigate light and its energy. They discuss the properties of light, research how much light the moon absorbed on their birthday on a website, complete a graphic organizer, and create a kaleidoscope.

Students turn on a flashlight and leave it on until the energy is used up (12-36) hours. They estimate or preduct how long they think the energy in the batteries will last. They then estimate how long a birthday candle will burn, giving...

Students explore the concept of probability. In this probability lesson, students perform various probability experiments including flipping a coin, picking m&m's out of a bag, and the birthday problem.

Second graders plant seeds of native plants. They study the concepts of native plants, where they grow, how they grow, and why they are so special. They assess long term care monitoring the seedlings as they grow and write the name...

Middle schoolers investigate the forces of compression, tension and torque on common birthday balloons.

Students experiment with graphing. In this graphing introduction lesson, students complete four activities: 1) a bar graph based on class birthdays 2) an estimation graph of the raisins in raisin bread 3) another estimation example with...

An extensive lesson explores equivalent fractions and is intended for three 60-minute periods. Young mathematicians compare and order fractions with like and unlike denominators. Included are worksheets, assessments, and answer sheets;...

Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older...

Witness the power of exponential growth with an activity that investigates two different savings plans. Class members create tables of values to see how and when a savings plan increasing exponentially exceeds one increasing linearly.

Happy Pi Day! This collection of games, experiments, and activities leads participants through an exploration of the many aspects and attributes of that mysterious quantity, pi. Activities range from using statistical...