Ninth graders design a proposal for a Martian colony to be presented to a group of their peers. They review their knowledge of Mars. Students evaluate for themselves which of their classmates proposal best fits their criteria.

Young scholars realize that play is an important part of life and in the effort to staying healthy. They explore the role of play in society. In addition, they illustrate listening and speaking strategies for different purposes that...

Students interview a person who recently visited a country they are interested in knowing more about. Using the Internet, they research the country noting the geography and economic situations of the country. In groups, they import the...

Graphing and sorting are such important skills for young learners to understand. Here, they will be given quarters to examine, they must come up with a sorting rule by which they will use to sort the quarters. They will sort their...

Here is a brain-popper! Corn, or more appropriately, maize, was intentionally domesticated by humans around 9,000 years ago and over a period of hundreds to thousands of years! Genetics and botany researchers have collaborated to find...

In this second of three lessons on power plants, future engineers find out how we generate electricity and how coal-powered plants operate. They work in small groups to make electromagnet generators to light LED bulbs. A set of...

Young scholars study the physical presence, imagery and written text on a reproduction of colonial currency. They apply their research to a modern day quarter to compare and contrast two coins. In addition, they design their own colonial...

Sixth graders explore the nature of habitats on an ABC hike. In groups, they collect items that make up habitats including plants, feathers, and leaves among other materials. Students then classify and organize the collected materials...

Kindergarteners put Cheerios or cheddar fish on two number lines (up to 10 each) and identify which number the snack pieces indicate. They compare numbers after eating a few of each snack, and get an introduction to addition and...

Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...

Draw a graph that shows the qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally. Make sure learners understand where time is zero and the distance is zero. It may take them some time to understand this concept, so working...

A little engineering design is mixed into this lesson on precipitation measurement. Groups plan and construct a rain gauge, and use it to collect precipitation. As part of the PowerPoint presentation, learners view a satellite map of...

Fe, phi, fo, fum. This activity leads pairs to find the ratio of consecutive terms of the Fibonacci sequence. The pairs find that the Fibonacci sequence can be found in many places. A discussion with the class shows that the ratios...

A simple, yet poignant lesson gets teens reading ads for clinical trials and discussing the requirements for participation. At home, they peruse the newspaper to find current examples of similar advertisements. The purpose of this lesson...

Take your blooming botanists on a spring walk without activating any allergies with a wildflower WebQuest. The link to the "Spring Wildflower Walk" is broken, but the correct link is attached here. You could also try the activity in the...

Your youngest mathematicians skip count by 2's, 5's, and 10's as they sing along to a Hap Palmer song that helps them remember the patterns. Students practice in whole group and then individually with the worksheet provided, using the...

Using a character map, learners assign traits to characters from Nicholasa Mohr’s El Bronx Remembered: A Novella and Stories. In addition, groups record evidence from the stories to justify the labels and use these sheets to prepare for...

Biology aces analyze restriction maps to determine the relationships among different primate species and then complete a cladogram. Preface this instructional activity with an explanation of how restriction enzymes are used to create the...

Students work together to enhance their communication and problem solving skills. They move a cup of water from a tarp to a higher surface using nothing but pieces of yarn. In addition, they reflect on the lab experience.

Pupils examine the characteristics of the Prairie Creek Habitat in Illinois. In groups, they travel between various stations writing haikus and reading brochures. They identify what occurs in each habitat and identify the animals located...

Use the pump from a spray bottle to drive a model of the heart in action! In addition to modeling the function of the heart and blood vessels, aspiring anatomists also simulate arterial blockage. They compare the effects of increased...

Fifth graders identify and compare works of art from various regions of the United States. Telecollaborative partners, from different states, work together to complete this assignment. Using the internet, 5th graders research a specific...

Learners create questions they want answered while they show what they comprehend about endangered and extinct species. They categorize photos of living things onto a contunum with the main points for use as a formative assessment.

Students search the World Wide Web to locate an artistic image that inspires an aural composition. They compose a musical piece using loop-based composition software and use file management and storage techniques to archive project work....