Can a sidewalk increase the amount of pollution in local streams? Scholars learn the answer to this question though research and experimentation in the fifth unit in the six-part series. Pupils study runoff, impervious surfaces, and the...

'Tis not easy to understand the language of the Bard! But, hark! Fret not! With the assistance of this joyous instructional activity, young players learn how to translate Shakespeare's English into modern language. Groups examine...

A unit covering second-grade skills reviews 16 letter-sound correspondences, tricky words, and punctuation. Readers provide context for examining story elements, and pupils participate in close reading and write narratives retelling a...

Students design and create their own sea turtles. They investigate the marine turtle anatomy by constructing a model of a sea turtle. They incorporate the vocabulary that identifies each part of the sea turtle's anatomy.

Students create a simple machine that includes a cart and lever system that could have been used to build the ancient pyramids. In this simple machine instructional activity, students learn about the wheel and the axle as simple machines...

Skyscrapers are amazing feats of architectural design that create the iconic skylines of the world's biggest cities. Young architects explore the defining characteristics of these monstrous towers with the first instructional activity in...

Students participate in a series of experiments to determine how acid rain contributes to the deterioration of buildings and monuments. Using common building materials, students compare the noticeable short-term affects of distilled...

It takes a strong foundation to build a house and a stronger one for a bridge. This resource presents the effects of geology and soil on bridge foundations. Working in groups, the class investigates the interaction of shallow and deep...

Wait til your class gets their hands on this! Aspiring engineers design a working robotic arm in the fifth and final installment in a series of ocean exploration lessons. Pupils learn about the use of underwater robots in ocean...

Students investigate gravity and engineering by participating in a slide building experiment.  For this early physics lesson, students utilize cardboard boxes to create a model of a children's slide.  Students analyze the other...

Students study about our dependence on the earth's resources for materials. They practice their knowledge of geometric shapes by recognizing them in the context of the story.

Challenge young learners to cut the clutter with this fun engineering project. As employees of a home and office supply company, young engineers are asked to develop devices that organize everyday items. After participating in a...

Youngsters are introduced to the concept of an emergency, develop plans and kits for addressing those emergencies, identify community helpers, and practice their phone number and address in this five-lesson mini-unit.

The classic egg-drop experiment gets a new bounce with an activity that asks pairs to design a lander similar to one used to land a rover on Mars within a fixed budget. The activity provides a great introduction to the idea of...

The use of perspective is clear in Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte. Pupils study and discuss this example, marking the vanishing points and horizon line of a photocopy of the piece. They then create their own urban scene...

Learn about damage associated with earthquakes and materials that best withstand a quake. A lab engages class members in the experimental design and construction of sturdy structures that can endure various earthquake...

While it may not be possible to take an entire class to Egypt and explore the ancient wonders, it is possible to engage your young historians in activities that ask them to research these and other antiquities and place them on their...

Young historians examine the work of Martin Luther King Jr. by reading and answering questions about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Albany Movement, the Birmingham and Chicago campaigns, and the Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike....

This comprehensive unit investigates transformations of quadratics, having learners follow "Optima" through the development and growth of her quilting business. Deftly weaving the story into the mathematical mechanics, the unit gives...

Time to learn about sundials. Scholars see how to build sundials after learning about Earth's rotation and its relation to time. The unit describes several different types of possible sundials, so choose the one that fits your needs — or...

How does the scientific process begin? Introduce ecology scholars to scientific inquiry through an insightful, data-driven lesson. Partners examine data from an ongoing research study to determine the questions it answers. The resource...

Reflecting on character strengths can bring a little sunshine as the gray days of winter approach. Tweens and teens view a PowerPoint presentation, watch a short video about character strengths, and take a survey that helps them identify...

How do you build a polygon from an inequality? An engaging lesson challenges pupils to do just that. Building from the previous lesson in this series, learners write systems of inequalities to model rectangles, triangles, and even...

Building upon previous knowledge of sequences, collaborative pairs analyze sequences to determine the type and to make predictions of future terms. The exercises build through arithmetic and geometric sequences before introducing...