Who was Zheng He and why haven't we heard of him? Scholars consider the question as they compare his vast expeditionary force to that of Christopher Columbus. Young historians then ponder the intersection of science, economics, and...

Over the years, data analysis has been important. Looking back to the 2004 AP® Statistics Form B free-response questions, pupils and teachers see the importance of analysis of data sets. The six questions contain analysis of data on...

Pigmentation of leaves is important in plant processes. Scholars use chromatography to create a better picture of the pigmentation in an assortment of leaves. They share their results to make comparisons between different plant species.

The structure of a leaf reveals a lot about the plant it comes from. Young scholars collect and prepare leaves for comparison. After pressing the leaves, they identify the different parts and then use the leaves to complete an art project.

Studying data over time can paint a pretty interesting picture. Learners use data they collected in the previous lesson to compare to historical data in a similar region. They graph the data of the first bloom of a specific species over...

All you need is light. Groups use a reflectometer to find the reflectivity of specific chemical compounds. Learners compare the graphs of the reflectivity of the known compounds to Martian soil. Using the graph comparisons, scholars...

My body is my castle. Pupils learn about the innate immune system in the second lesson plan of a three-part unit on the immune system by comparing the innate immune system to a castle and moat. Groups conduct a simulation where they try...

Compare sizes of microscopic items. Given a set of labels of microscopic objects, pupils try to place them in order from smallest to largest. Scholars then compare their lists to the actual comparisons along with the measurements of the...

A brief comparison of human teeth versus animal teeth sets the stage for two worksheets. Scholars match a picture of a tooth-filled mouth to the animal to which it belongs and coloring pages featuring a different animal and informative...

A study of Jan Felipe Herrera's poem "Every Day We Get More Illegal" opens the door for a discussion on immigration. To begin, class members examine the photograph "Desert Survival," record their observations of the image, and then...

A discussion begins a activity on comparing numbers. Pupils explain how they can show a number, then visit math centers to explore number-making tools. A story read-aloud of More or Less by Stuart Murphy identifies language for...

Claudia Rankine's poem "From Citizen, VI [On the Train the Woman Standing]," asks readers to consider direct and more subtle forms of prejudice. After discussing the format of the poem, its tone, and the emotions expressed, class members...

The sixth interactive in this series introduces learners to the power of figurative language. After studying examples of similes and metaphors, readers examine how such comparisons help them see through a writer's eyes. Interactive...

Arthur Sze's poem "Crisscross" launches a lesson that asks scholars to use their observation skills. They first draw an image that reflects what crisscross means to them. They then examine a photograph of a lightning strike and list what...

Don't be chicken to try a lesson plan that compares the anatomy of birds to humans. Read the background information so you don't have to wing it when it comes to the anatomy of a chicken. Prepare cooked chicken bones by soaking them in a...

Battle of the hemispheres? In the fourth installment of a five-part series, young oceanographers use the NOAA website to collect temperature data from drifters (buoys), one in the Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern Hemisphere....

Compare what shells look like on the outside with what makes that happen on the inside. Scholars begin by sorting an various seashells by their physical characteristics into phylogenetic trees. They then conduct a DNA comparison of...

Build up a polynomial. Learners use printed cards to create polynomials. Using a graphing utility, pupils make comparisons between the polynomials they built. To further cement the concept, they build upon their algebraic vocabulary as...

Review the principles of scaling areas and draws a comparison to scaling volumes with a third dimensional measurement. The exercises continue with what happens to the volume if the dimensions are not multiplied by the same...

Pupils analyze group data to identify significant differences. They use simulation to create their own random assignment data for comparison. 

What does English have to do with math? Teach your class the "grammar" of a number sentence. Sentences with correct grammar can be false! Understanding of a number sentence leads to a comparison with equations.

As part of an investigation of transformations of exponential functions, class members use Newton's Law of Cooling as an exponential model to determine temperature based on varying aspects. The resource makes comparisons between...

Is there a relationship between powers and roots? Here is a lesson that asks individuals to examine the graphical relationship. Pupils create a table of values and then graph a square root and quadratic equation. They repeat the process...

Apply the concept of magnitude to estimate values and compare numbers. The ninth lesson of the 15-part series asks learners to write numbers to their next greatest power of 10 and then make comparisons. Scholars begin to understand the...