Start your informational essay off right with a strong introduction, the focus of the sixth of nine videos on using text resources to write an essay. In particular, it discusses how to structure the paragraph around a great hook to make...

Are your pupils ready to move beyond a thesis statement by adding additional detail to their introductory paragraphs? Provide this handout to give your class some ideas for spiffing up their work. The page includes a sample paragraph...

After an explanatory introduction to sugars and enzyme activity, biochemists discover whether lactase is needed to digest lactose, sucrose, and milk as a whole. High school science lab skills are required for these investigations.

Whether you need a new textbook for your health class, or a few exercises and passages for your lesson on nutrition, you'll find what you need with a thorough nutritional science resource. With 15 chapters that cover elements of...

Clichéd and repetitive introductions got you down? Try this activity on for size! Start off by instructing your class members on techniques for writing introductions and what types of introductions they should avoid. Several general...

How can you interest your reader? Here is a great lesson on reading and discussing the characteristics of a narrative. Elementary schoolers explore writing techniques to hook the reader. They identify their hook and share their...

Most American are familiar with Thomas Paine's impassioned plea about the importance of liberty, but they may not be as familiar with the other ideas put forth in his pamphlet Common Sense. Introduce class members to Paine's...

What country are you from? What is your favorite food to cook? What is your favorite sport to watch? Pupils practice English and learn more about their classmates with a set of conversational questions.

Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.

Should we continue to spend money on nanotechnology? Groups engage in a problem-solving unique process around the newly emerging research field of nanotechnology. In order to propose a solution, the groups must research nanotechnology...

Introduce your algebra learners to linear and quadratic functions. Learners compare the differences and relate them back to the equations and graphs. Lead your class to discussions on the properties of a function or a constant slope...

Expand your pupils' understanding of the short story genre with a study of John Updike and his story "A&P." This instructional activity, the fourth in a series of fourteen, invites learners to examine literary terms and read and...

A scavenger hunt introduces class groups to the different sections of newspapers and the different types of articles found in each section.

Word problems offer class members an opportunity to learn the concept of solving linear systems using graphs. Individuals choose a problem based upon preferences, break into groups to discuss solution methods and whether there is...

The concept of equality can be harder to understand than it seems. Help your classes by showing a video on the concept of equal expression. Of course, equal expressions create an equation, and that is the conclusion scholars make by the...

How well does your class understand the types of media they use every day? Introduce them to the concept of media literacy with the first video in a Crash Course series on media literacy. Viewers discover the definition and types of...

Young analysts use real (provided) data from a class's test scores to practice using statistical tools. Not only do learners calculate measures of center and spread (including mean, median, deviation, and IQ range), but also use this...

Understand what it takes to control planes safely. The first lesson in a series of six introduces the class to the air traffic control situation. The pupils develop their understanding of units used in air travel, then learn how to read...

Students explore script writing. In this beginning of the year "building classroom community" lesson, students write several autobiographical sentences and introduce themselves on videotape. Students share the class introduction, which...

A series on environmental engineering introduces the class to issues that environmental engineers work to solve. This first lesson focuses on air and land issues, and looks at ways to reduce pollution.

Here is a turnkey lesson that walks young statisticians through the development and uses of conditional probability. From dice games to surveys, Venn diagrams to frequency tables, the class learns how a given can effect the overall...

The Incredible Book Eating Boy is an adorable story and a fun match for introducing reference materials in the elementary grades. Second graders easily identify with Henry, the main character in the story, who loved to eat books. Class...

Every good novel needs a solid beginning! Setting the stage can have your budding authors stumped, so use this instructional activity to get them thinking. After examining the plot rollercoaster image (included) they consider the four...

The first day of class is always exciting! Here is a first day instructional activity intended to introduce new ag-ed students to what they'll be doing and learning throughout the semester. The class introduction focuses on three topics:...