Which dot am I? Pupils create dot plots to represent sample data through the use of frequency tables. The third segment in a series of 22 asks individuals to analyze the dot plots they created. The scholars translate back and...

What's that silly thing spinning in the wind? It's a whirligig! Explore wonderful windy whirligigs with a STEM-based unit that teaches the science and concepts behind these gigs. Scholars discover how gravity and air resistance...

Before you start counting the coins in Jamir's coin jar, figure out which coin to start with. Should it be the penny or the quarter? Why? This is the focus around a worksheet that works well as an assessment on counting money and...

Readers take the main characters in Matilda and individually describe them through a mnemonic. To get there, group members create an acrostic poem describing the character they were given, and choose one of the words from the...

As the story unfolds, readers discover Matilda has a superpower. Take part in an activity that has learners talking about what superpower they would have, how they would use it, and how it could help others. Then, after reading the...

Use a presentation that explores the world of prescription opioids. Learners look at the way the brain responds to the drugs and the long terms effects opioids have on the brain and body. At the end of the lesson, groups create a social...

The potential energy of peptides varies over time as they fold. An exploratory simulation encourages pupils to play with various strands of amino acids to observe the folding and potential energy levels. Young scientists generate all...

Is there more to evaporation than just less liquid? Show young scientists the energy transformation that occurs during a phase change through a series of simple experiments. Lab partners place drops of water, ethanol, and ethoxyethane on...

What does the sun mean to you? Learners have many different interests that may have connections to the sun. Whether its solar radiation, solar flares, or solar storms, there are connections to daily interests that may surprise your...

Investigate the procedure for developing computer chips! Learners use solar print paper to create both positive and negative images. They observe the effects of single and multiple exposures and compare results.

This activity may have writers evaluate short compositions, but their subjects are quite tall: great Americans. Pupils read one another's compositions and closely examine how specific phrases and diction contribute to shaping American...

Microchips are a man-made wonder. Investigate the manufacturing wonder with a hands-on inquiry-based lesson. Scholars simulate the process of pattern transfer using photoresist. Their conclusion identifies how their process replicates...

Sad, depressed, miserable, inconsolable, forlorn: so many synonyms have a lot of variety with their connotations. Through the guided imagery activity, writers explore the use of connotation and its influence on imagery and description by...

Close your eyes and picture a time where you decided to tell the truth to someone. What were you wearing? How did you feel? Such prompts begin a guided imagery activity for Zach's Lie. Directions for creating an environment conducive to...

Creative activities help bring literature alive. The first of a set of lessons designed to accompany selections from Theme 4: Problem Solvers uses activities such as skits, responses to music, and social studies projects. These...

As the saying goes, a penny saved is a penny earned. Young scholars use a penny activity to earn their way to an understanding of volume. Given three different-sized cylindrical containers, individuals make calculations to determine the...

The world is a big place—discover it! A series of challenge activities designed to accompany Theme 4: Person to Person encourages learners to explore the world around them. Project-based activities promote research and writing skills in...

Nobody wants to make Nana mad! Help Mr. Meyer fix the chocolate milk he prepared for his Nana using too many scoops of chocolate. Youngsters develop a problem-solving strategy that leads to the solution using ratios and proportions.

Primo Levi wrote a collection of short stories comparing his life from Italy to Auschwitz to elements in the periodic table. Pupils read an excerpt from his book and research the characteristics of various elements. Then, they make a...

How can digital technology of today link us to the events of the past? Scholars use technology to uncover the vast number of historical resources available in lesson 12 of a 22-part America's History in the Making series. Using databases...

Imagine a world built of triangles. A performance task asks scholars to consider just that. They use their knowledge of special segments of a triangle to make decisions about the area of triangular plots of land.

Work in reverse with the product becoming the given. Using a spreadsheet image of the graph of a trigonometric function, young scholars investigate methods of creating spreadsheet data that results in the given graph. The catch? The data...

Rumor has it exponential functions help solve problems! In a kingdom filled with rumors, young scholars must determine the speed a rumor spreads. The ultimate goal is to decide how many people must know the rumor for it to spread to the...

How are your students' rights protected? What are their responsibilities in protecting the rights of others? A lesson on human rights and the responsibilities therein introduces class members to the concepts of global citizenship,...