Check the label! That's the big idea in a instructional activity about using the nutrition facts on food labels rather than advertising hype to make healthy choices about what to eat. After reading background articles and learning how to...

Two activities ask high schoolers to consider the role of alcohol culture in their lives. First, groups analyze the types of appeals used in newspaper ads for alcoholic drinks and compare those images with what they have observed....

Losing isn't any fun. It is, however, a part of competing. Two activities encourage middle schoolers to consider what good sportsmanship is, how they can be a good sport, and ways to handle situations when some are acting...

Let the energy blow. Using mostly easily found material such as PVC pipe and fans, pupils build wind turbines. Scholars connect a multimeter to an electric motor to determine the amount of energy generated by their designs. Learners then...

It is not a barrel of monkeys—it's a jar of worms! Scholars create a worm farm in a spaghetti sauce jar. Pupils layer moist soil, sand, and oatmeal to create a habitat for worms. Individuals place worms into the habitat, cover it with...

It is more than just blowing hot air. Pupils first build a hot air balloon out of tissue paper by cutting enough panels of tissue paper to form a balloon shape and glue the panels together. Using a hot air gun, individuals then inflate...

Capture your unique print. Individuals ink a finger and create a print on a deflated balloon. By blowing up the balloon, pupils get a magnified view of their unique print. They see if they can identify any loops, whorls, and arches in...

Fire away! Using a couple of milk jugs, a dowel rod, and a yardstick, individuals build catapults to throw water balloons. Learners notice that the catapult is a simple machine. By making a target, the class has a chance to refine their...

It's time for the feast! Young historians complete their study of the First Thanksgiving by completing an online activity, watching a slideshow, and examining a First Thanksgiving timeline. After answering text-dependent questions to...

Analyze that! Scholars continue reading and analyzing a primary source about the immediate aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco fire and earthquake. Then, individuals use graphic organizers to identify the author's point of view.

Would you, could you? Scholars read World without Fish and focus carefully on the use of the words could and would. They chunk the text into smaller sections and write annotations on sticky notes to help with comprehension. To...

Correct a misleading conclusion. Individuals review a set of data and a conclusion to determine what is wrong with the conclusion. Pupils then represent the data with an appropriate display. Finally, learners develop a correct conclusion...

Science, technology, engineering, math—there are so many option in STEM! Using the resource, pupils identify and explore STEM career opportunities. They complete a vocabulary activity mat, crossword puzzle, and matching activity to learn...

Connect integrals with differentiation. The beginning of the video introduces the definition of an accumulation function. Scholars learn about the relationship between integrals and derivatives. Using what is commonly known as Part Two...

How much screen time is too much screen time? Even before COVID, tweens were spending hours watching TV, playing video games, and connecting with their friends by smartphone and computers. Two activities from Kids Health get young...

The power to learn about AC and DC power lies within everyone. The fifth of seven installments in the Off the Grid unit continues the investigation of the efficiency of a USB charger. Individuals use an inverter that converts DC power to...

Use fractions to estimate candy counts. After watching a video of emptying a bag of candies into a glass, individuals estimate the number of candies of each color. The teacher provides the class with additional information to help answer...

Build a pyramid based on sums. Individuals watch a video of a computer program that creates a pyramid of numbers based upon a starting number. The scholars develop a hypothesis on how the number trick works and share their thoughts on...

The cheetah is faster than Bolt. Class members watch a video of a cheetah and Usain Bolt run at record breaking speeds. The pupils come up with questions about the video. When asked, the teacher provides information relative to the...

Where did the water go? Learners conduct an experiment to see how the difference in temperature affects evaporation rates. Scholars continue to investigate evaporation by comparing water and alcohol evaporation rates. Pupils experiment...

Two simulations highlight the feelings individuals experienced when immigrating to Angel Island. During the first simulation, scholars listen to and answer questions, divided based on their answers. The second simulation pins learners as...

Recognize risky behaviors and avoid them! That's the big idea behind two activities designed to teach middle schoolers to think critically about online safety. After reading background articles about protecting online identity,...

Welcome to the ranch. First, pupils learn about the history of cattle branding with an informative PowerPoint and class discussion. Then, individuals develop a unique brand and practice branding their own paper cattle.

Break it up into pieces to solve the problem. Individuals watch a video on how to graph and determine the equation and values of piecewise functions. Viewers then work several exercises to practice evaluating a piecewise function at...