How do United States presidents give people second chances? Scholars research the concept of presidential forgiveness, or pardon. By completing an Executive Branch Mini-Lesson, class members get a better grasp of the power the executive...

Can young economists right the fiscal ship of the United States before it sinks? Learners use an interactive simulation to navigate the waters of the federal deficit in an effort to curb the federal deficit. They make active decisions of...

Low unemployment is an indicator of a healthy economy—right? Current employment data and research leads scholars on a quest to find the true health of the economy. They analyze research on Payroll Employment Data and watch a short video...

How does climate impact the town, city, or area where people live? Scholars research the concept of climate change as it pertains to the Marshall Islands. The opening lesson of a two-part series uses interactive online resources and...

How difficult was it to get everyone to agree on the contents of the Constitution? Historians analyze the task of the Founding Fathers in creating the United States Constitution. They research a directory of video clips, primary sources,...

Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...

Imagine sitting down with representatives of your school to write a new student handbook. What arguments would ensue? How would compromises be made to finish the project? Scholars research the Constitutional Convention using a directory...

Cells divide by one of two processes, either mitosis or meiosis. Scholars sort cards into two sets, one representing each type of cell division. Then, they sequence the cards demonstrating an understanding of the movement of chromosomes.

What was it like to pass through Ellis Island? Learners move through the immigration process of the early 1900s in a simulation activity. A comprehensive activity includes role-playing profiles and other manipulative items such as...

The Pacific theater was critical to the Allied victory of World War II. Learners deconstruct the sequence of events around the conflict using stunning photographs. After they finish, pupils consider what additional dates and images they...

Enthusiastic readers take part in a book club unit that focuses on genre, particularly historical fiction, fantasy, and adventure. Over the course of 10 days, groups read a variety of stories and choose leveled activities from a learning...

Iwo Jima was the site of some of the most grim fighting in World War II. Learners consider this fact while examining primary sources, including letters home, from those on the front lines. After they complete the analysis, scholars then...

Rosie the Riveter may be an iconic image from World War II, but not all historians agree on how the conflict affected women in the workplace. Individuals evaluate the writings of well-known historians on the topic, and then decide: Was...

Jacksonian Democracy ... a total success or a complete failure? Young academics examine Jacksonian Democracy, including the concept of the supremacy of the federal government and the forced relocation of Native Americans. Scholars...

A lesson challenges scholars to analyze editorial cartoons created by Fred Seibel, illustrator for the Times-Dispatch, during the Massive Resistance. A class discussion looking at today's editorial pages and Jim Crow Laws leads the...

What did Lincoln want? Historians still debate this question, and perhaps people will never fully know. Class members examine the legacies of the war, including the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. The lesson plan also...

Use spectral knowledge to make discoveries on a distant moon. Small groups gather information from images of one of Saturn's moons. The moon orbits within the E-ring made up of mainly water ice. Using information about the composition of...

Working in groups, sixth-graders identify internal factors that negatively impact them. Then, explain how they could change that factor into a positive influence. Finally, individuals create personal mind maps that identify their...

The intricate craft of narrative writing can make a happy story feel exuberant or a sad story feel devastating. With 42 extensive lessons that include poignant discussion questions, standards-aligned self-reflections, engaging writing...

Facilitate creativity in your math class as individuals learn the definition of a geometric reflection and correctly construct a model, as well as its reflected image. They use a perpendicular bisector and circles to elaborate on...

What does completing the square have to do with circles? Math pupils use completing the square and other algebraic techniques to rewrite equations of circles in center-radius form. They then analyze equations of the form x^2 + y^2 + Ax +...

Five out of four people have trouble with fractions! After comparing simplifying fractions to simplifying rational expressions, pupils use the same principles to multiply and divide rational expressions. 

Collaborative groups utilize their knowledge of parent functions and transformations to determine the equations associated with graphs. The graph is then related to the scenario it represents. 

Round and round we go! Pupils use reference angles to evaluate common sine and cosine values of angles greater than 360 degrees. Once they have mastered the reference angle, learners repeat the process with negative angles.