Turn your 6th graders into detectives while growing their love of reading. Using critical thinking skills, they will be able to describe the five basic elements of detective fiction, read detective novels, make predictions, use the...

The accuracy required by the design and measurement of an Olympic running track will surprise track stars and couch potatoes alike. Given a short introduction, the class then scaffolds into a detailed analysis of the exact nature of the...

Bringing together the young artists and the young organizers in your class, this instructional activity takes that popular topic of tessellations and gives it algebraic roots. After covering a few basic properties and definitions,...

African American history during the Jim Crow era includes encounters with poverty, racism, disrespect, and protest. Harper Lee develops all four of these themes in her famous 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To help students understand...

Pupils estimate the costs related to the character's expenses in the novel, Homecoming. They draw conclusions based on the estimations.

Students read the novel, The Time Machine, and compare H.G. Well's perceptions of the future with those presented in The Third Wave, by Alvin Toffler. They research current scientific and mathematical theories that relate to space and time.

Young scholars read the novel Stone Fox by John Reynold Gardiner. Using Lego RCX units, students build and program sleds to re-enact the "home stretch" of the National Dog Sled Race.

Young scholars analyze velocity and how it is determined. They experiment with velocity in order to measure and calculate the magnitude of speed. They use examples in their novel "Skateboard Renegade" to relate velocity to real life...

Learners read a novel and practice putting the events into the correct sequence. Using the text, they create a map showing the events of the race in order and a legend. They must use vocabulary from previous chapters and make their map...

Students read a novel about savings and complete activities to define short and long term saving goals. In this income and savings lesson, students read A Gift for Mama and answer discussion questions for it. Students define the terms...

Students study credit and interest in a novel and consumer math activity. In this credit lesson, students read the book Bingo Brown and the Language of Love. Students discuss the book and the ideas of credit, interest, and loans....

Learners apply their knowledge of math by rewriting word problems using equations. In this word problem instructional activity, students build upon previous knowledge as they set up the correct steps to solve word problems. This...

Identifying patterns is a crucial skill for all mathematicians, young and old. Explore the multiplication table with your class, using patterns and symmetry to teach about square numbers, prime numbers, and the commutative and identity...

Elementary learners listen to a story, then sort objects from largest to smallest at six different stations around the classroom. Adaptable for a large range of age and ability groups. 

Whether their objective is independent living, going to college, or buying a car, pupils will participate in discussions and complete worksheets to gain an understanding of how short- and long-term goals play a large role in helping...

Students examine the poem and artistic masterpiece The Quadroon Girl and use this knowledge to practice mathematical concepts such as: more than, less than, counting, and majority.

Students write about a time when they were in a situation where nature frightened them. They write about how Brian solved the problem of how to start a fire in the story. Students complete a short research paper on one of the plants or...

Students explore the concept of Pascal's Triangle. In this Pascal's Triangle lesson, students use an applet called 'Coloring Multiples' to explore Pascal's Triangle. Students develop patterns starting with various numbers in Pascal's...

Students study low tides and how to calculate for fresh water. In this ocean science instructional activity, students pretend they are stranded on an island and must calculate low tide in order to source the fresh water aquifer. Students...

Students read the book, Jim Ugly, and discuss whether the odds were in favor of or against the character Jake finding his dad. They demonstrate an experiment involving odds by keeping a tally of how many times a colored die is pulled out...

Students investigate the role of mathematics in their everyday lives. They discover, through reading a Times article and through analyzing a specific example of art, that mathematics exists on a deeper 'metaphoric' level in art.

Students read "Casey at the Bat" and then use individual player statistics (found through internet research)to determine if their players could be considered baseball "heroes". They must justify their choices for "hero" by creating...

Middle schoolers use estimation skills to calculate distance traveled and then calculate walking rate traveled in MPH.

Students estimate the distance in miles between Tulsa, Oklahoma and Manhattan, Kansas. They gather and graph data on gangs in both areas.