Building on young mathematicians' prior knowledge of three-sided shapes, this lesson plan series explores the defining characteristics of different types of triangles. Starting with a shared reading of the children's book The Greedy...

The brother-sister pair Carlos and Clarita need your class's help in developing their new pet sitting business. Through a variety of scenarios and concerns presented to the siblings, the learners thoroughly explore systems of equations...

Proportions, proportions, everywhere. Class members complete an assessment task solving problems involving proportionality. They then complete an activity classifying given situations as proportional or non-proportional.

Scholars first complete an assessment task on writing linear equations to model and solve a problem on a running race. They then take part in a card matching activity where they match equations and graphs of lines to diagrams of fluid...

Model for your young mathematicians the process for converting repeating decimals to fractions. To demonstrate their understanding of the process, class members then complete and assessment task and participate in an activity matching...

Scholars investigate how the tempo of music affects heartbeats. Groups  develop hypotheses about music and its connection to heartbeats before carrying out an experiment. They analyze and present data from their investigations.

The sun's diameter is 864,337 miles—challenge learners to create a scale model of the solar system that fits in your classroom. Scholars make conversions and work with scientific notation as they create the scale model. 

Streets, bridges, and intersections, oh my! Parallel lines and transversals are a present in the world around us. Learners begin by discovering the relationship of the angles formed by parallel lines and a transversal. They then...

Explore how to visually represent probability problems. Scholars watch a video to refresh their memories on tree diagrams. To finish the activity, they complete a worksheet of questions on this topic.

Class members blend their knowledge of functions and problem-solving skills to provide business advice to the Turbo Blender manufacturers. Through a project-based approach, learners examine marginal cost data to produce a function....

A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...

Third graders use strips of paper to find equivalent fractions. They will fold paper into thirds and shade 2/3 of the paper. Then fold the same paper in six parts and predict how many parts will be shaded. They will repeat again folding...

Explore various ecosystems from around the world as your class discovers the interdependence of all living things. Using the provided sets of ecosystem cards, young scientists work in small groups building food webs to demonstrate the...

Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...

Small groups place sand and ice in a covered box, place the box in the sunlight, then observe as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur. These models serve as miniature water cycles and demonstrations of the three phases of...

Have you ever tried to light ice on fire? With methane hydrate, you can do exactly that. The ice forms with methane inside so it looks like ice, but is able to burn. The lesson uses group research and a hands-on activity to help scholars...

Life on Earth is made possible by the unique composition of its atmosphere. Working collaboratively, a scale model is created as young scientists learn about the different layers of gas that surround the planet. Cards are included that...

Model how the sun's energy strikes the planet and help your class relate it to a climate map. Assign small groups an individual climate zone to discuss. They reflect on and research how humans survive in the assigned climate and write a...

Water may appear to be crystal clear, but there could be dissolved substances present. Lab groups make a one-part-per-million of a food coloring solution to demonstrate this concept. As part of an outstanding unit about water, this...

The Golden Ratio. The Divine Proportion. Yup. It's math and art blended into one colorful activity. Young artists combine colored tissue paper circles and parts of circles to create geometric patterns. As a bonus, kids get to figure out...

How tall is the Empire State Building? Lead your class through a collaborative estimation activity to determine the number of quarters it would take to reach the top and teach the following concepts: human capital, human resources,...

Learners play a game based on "The Amazing Race" to practice using rates and fractions. In this fractions and rates instructional activity, students work in small groups competing to complete the tasks in the quickest time. At each stage...

Kindergarteners practice matching words and symbols by playing an index card activity. They create flash cards numbered 0 to 20 and challenge each other in groups to identify the values of the numbers. Learners utilize beans or buttons...

Sixth graders investigate triangles and the inequality theorem. They will collaborate in groups to determine the length of a longest side of a triangle. Then relate the size of the triangle to its angles using protractors, yard sticks,...