This isn't your typical basic lesson—it's more acidic! Learners use pH information to determine the hydroxide ion concentration of different substances and then use these values to analyze information. The calculations require...

Change the way you teach about rewriting expressions. A diagnostic task asks learners to transform expressions in different ways. Given two linear expressions and two quadratic expressions, they rewrite them into the indicated forms.

Run like a cheetah. A performance task challenges pupils to solve several different problems involving the speed of a cheetah. Given information for scenarios where the cheetah chases its prey, they determine if the big cat is fast enough.

It's great to have a large swimming pool. An interesting performance task asks learners to optimize the volume of pools for a given surface area. They consider four different shapes for pools and find the maximum volume for each pool.

In a world of DNA testing popularity, understanding how to solve basic genetic problems allows scholars to better understand and interpret test results. They work through many different types of genetic problems using statistics, Punnett...

The crisis at Fort Sumter and events related to criminology create an intriguing activity for high schoolers. When clicked on, each box goes into a different part of the event. It also includes the aftermath of the battle in American...

Bottle up pupils' energy to complete a great resource. Scholars design toy cars out of plastic water bottles. They consider different sources of energy to power the cars, such as rubber bands, balloons, and chemical reactions.

Want to find out how much class members really know about history? A copy of a New York state test assesses scholars' knowledge of world geography and history in a multi-format test that includes multiple choice and essay items. The...

Mix up your teaching playlist with a performance-based assessment task. Given iPod sales data for several years, scholars create a scatter plot and perform regression analysis. They determine the best fit curve for different domains.

The Big Bang Theory is more than a television show. Pupils read how Edwin Hubble observed other galaxies and noticed that the galaxies are moving away from each other. Scholars learn about the idea of the big bang and what happened next...

Dig through the layers for a better understanding of fossils. Scholars learn that fossils form in layers of sedimentary rock. Pupils arrange virtual layers to show the fossil record of different species. Once the layers are correct, they...

Each presidential election year, the debate about the electoral college rages. Michael C. Maibach's "A Defense of the Electoral College" offers young political scientists an opportunity to examine a reasoned argument for why the...

Learners fill out worksheets about the landforms and developments needed to form settlements like when the colonists settled. In this settlement lesson plan, students learn about how different land formations played a key role in where a...

Students examine and discuss different perspectives of the Story of the Three Little Pigs. They write a friendly letter, from the wolf to any other character, using the proper letter format.

Students create coal flowers. In this mining lesson plan, students discuss the importance of coal during the 1800s and use ingredients to make coal flowers. Students determine the effect temperature has on crystal formation.

Students analyze images of five different soil types from various locations and discuss how climate, vegetation, parent material, topography, and time can contribute to soil characteristics.

Students examine plate tectonics and landforms.  For this plate tectonics lesson students complete an activity. Students practice drawing maps that show different fault lines and the land formations that were caused.

Students read and review business letters and informal letters and evaluate the different components necessary for each type of letter. They write a business and an informal letter then convert a business to an informal letter and vice...

In this heat of reaction worksheet, students use standard enthalpies of formation in order to determine the heat of reaction for 4 different chemical reactions.

Students explore the various categories of clouds and how they are formed. Through use of the Digital Atlas of Idaho, students research cloud types and formations. They use their information to answer questions on a worksheet. provided...

Students analyze patterns of organization used in writing to determine how and when comparisons and contrasts can be effectively utilized to identify similarities and differences or pros and cons.

Middle schoolers study the three types of mass media messages: visual media, written media, and audio media. After a class discussion which has them list examples of each, learners get into pairs and work on analyzing the "Four A's" in...

Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...

Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...