Optimally, you want the largest box. Given a square piece of box material, pupils determine the size of congruent squares to cut out of the corners to create a box with the greatest volume. Learners determine the equation of the volume...

Reverse the wrapping to get to the gift. Using the idea of unwrapping a gift, the lesson introduces the concept of inverses. Pupils first determine the order needed to evaluate a function at a point, then use the reverse to find the...

Is the inverse a function? Scholars learn how to examine a function to answer this question. Using an online interactive, they examine the properties of inverse functions to compare to the original function.

An engaging PowerPoint presentation helps scholars learn the definition of a noun and provides examples of different types of nouns, such as person, place, abstract, and concrete nouns. Formative assessments within the resource check...

Can social media bring activists together? Learners gain experience in using online media tools to raise awareness during a hands-on activity from a digital citizenship library. Once they identify a cause, groups create a unified message...

Reading a scientific article about cross-species synchronization may sound like a yawner. But "Monkey See, Monkey Do" is a fascinating tale that just happens to be about yawning, within and across species. After a close reading, class...

No suspension here, the resource is good to go. Using graphing calculators, scholars explore how transformations affect the graphs of quadratic functions. They consider how the changes relate to the context of suspension bridges.

It's all about location, location, location. Small groups work to find the best spot for a rec center to serve three different communities. Learners construct the inscribed and circumscribed circles of a triangle to find the best place....

Don't toy with using a fun lesson. Scholars design new toys and then create scale drawings. They determine the volume and surface area of the toys, and then research prices of raw materials to estimate the manufacturing costs.

Finalize the plans before playing in the sand. Learners design sandcastles using geometric and composite figures. They create blueprints, including the scale, and three-dimensional models of their castles. Finally, scholars calculate the...

Dive into a lesson on marine ecosystem interactions. Individuals learn about and devise a marine food web. The resource provides organism cards and pupils use article resources to discover interactions before modeling them in a food web.

Bring the water cycle to life with in the classroom. Young scientists use household materials to create and monitor a water cycle model. They record changes in the water levels and make observations of where and how fast precipitation...

Who says toys can't be educational? The fourth of five parts in the Solar Updraft Towers unit has scholars create toys that run on solar and wind energy. The devices need to be solar updraft towers that can be placed on a warm surface...

A lot can change in a year! Investigators observe a video of Earth over the course of a year and complete a KWL chart. Astronomers view a second video, participate in a guided discussion, and discuss the rubric for successfully...

Animals on Board! Stuart J. Murphy introduces scholars to composed numbers in preparation for writing and drawing true or false number sentences. A game of Bear in the Cave challenges pupils to locate a missing addend. Sorting...

Bystander or up-stander? The final lesson in the "Looking Back Reaching Forward" unit asks participants to consider how they can become involved in encouraging change in their school and community. 

Put a spotlight on internet safety with a lesson designed to boost positive online communication. Scholars listen to the story, Yettele's Feathers by Joan Rothenberg, and answer questions. An emoji-themed handout challenges pupils...

What are some universal aspects of refugees' experiences worldwide and throughout history? Scholars read the text "Refugees: Who, Where, Why" and create two class anchor charts. Finally, they each write a paragraph that provides an...

How can scholars better understand the refugee experience? Pupils read Fox Butterfield's article "Panic Rises in Saigon, but the Exits are Few" and connect it to the novel Inside Out & Back Again. They annotate the text, looking for...

Using the fourth of 20 lessons from the Grade 8 ELA Module 1, Unit 2 series, scholars discuss refugees' challenges when finding a place to call home. They also read and answer text-based questions about the informational passage...

Scholars use a map of Asia to help them better understand the article "The Vietnam Wars," focusing on word meaning in the title and subtitle. Learners then use guided notes while reading the article and discuss their ideas with partners.

Scholars take a close look at "The Vietnam Wars." They answer questions and discuss in groups to conclude that the author respects the Vietnamese. They participate in a modified jigsaw discussion and end the exercise with a quick writing...

Read. Stop. Think. Scholars use a reading strategy to process the challenging text, "The Vietnam Wars." They read a paragraph and then stop to think about the text and its meaning. Readers then go on to work with partners and make notes...

Scholars read "Doc-Lap at Last" and participate in a Three Threes in a Row activity in which they answer three questions about the text in their rows. They then discuss the central idea of the text. Readers finish the lesson plan with a...