Whether the planks hide the beating of a hideous heart or they break away to the madness beneath, their presence makes itself known in the final instructional activity of a literary analysis unit. Having gathered textual evidence from...

The terrible truth begins in a lesson that focuses on the final act of Sophocles' Oedipus the King. As ninth graders collect evidence that details the origin of Oedipus and how his birth relates to the prophecy everyone tried to avoid,...

Not all linear functions are linear transformations, only those that go through the origin. The third lesson in the 32-part unit proves that linear transformations are of the form f(x) = ax. The lesson plan takes another look at examples...

Investigate the application of vector transformations applied to linear systems. Individuals use vectors to transform a linear system translating the solution to the origin. They apply their understanding of vectors, matrices,...

How do dilated line segments relate? Lead the class in an activity to determine the relationship between line segments and their dilated images. In the fourth section in a unit of 16, pupils discover the dilated line...

Prove the Pythagorean Theorem using multiple informal proofs. Scholars first develop an understanding of the origins of the Pythagorean Theorem through proofs. They round out the lesson by using the theorem to find missing side lengths...

Enlargements and reductions are all about scale. The lesson introduces scale drawing to the class. Pupils determine whether the drawing is a reduction or an enlargement, and the constant of proportionality between the original and the...

What do those points on the graph mean? The 10th instructional activity in a series of 22 presents proportional relationships as graphs. Class members interpret various points of the graph — including the origin — within the context of...

Don't discount how much your pupils understand percents! The 27th lesson in a series of 29 presents a problem to find the cost of a discounted outfit. Small groups determine either the original price or the discount received given the...

The original drawing is eight units — how big is the scale drawing? Classmates determine the scale percent between a scale drawing and an object to calculate the length of a portion of the object. They use the percent equation to find...

Take any number, multiply it by five, and then divide by five. Did you end up with the original number? In the same vein as the previous lesson, pupils discover the relationship between multiplication and division. They develop the...

A final assessment marks the end of a unit that takes a close look at a variety of informational texts all about frogs. A graphic organizer aides scholars in planning an accordion paragraph using their recorder forms from previous...

How does the theme of gender inequality develop in Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own and Shakespeare's Hamlet? Pupils craft a multi-paragraph response to analyze the relationship between the texts. They use evidence from both works to...

Shake up the writing process with a peer critique. The second of four lessons in the Grade 8 ELA Module 2B, Unit 3 series first has young writers compare their interpretations of a scene from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's...

Students demonstrate the concept of outgassing and explain the origins of the Earth's atmosphere. They perform a simple experiment using glass jars, two antacid tablets, and some water. This experiment does a good job of demonstrating...

Bring jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance to light with a lesson that challenges scholars to research and create. Pupils delve deep into information materials to identify jazz terminology, compare types of jazz and jazz musicians,...

Informational text and impressionistic art lead a lesson about Harriet Tubman. Working in teams, scholars examine a variety of resources. They analyze, compare, and contrast the work.  Using their research findings, pupils create an...

Food takes a trip to the table. Class members choose a meal from a menu and calculate the total cost of the meal including tax and tip. Using a food origin card, pupils determine how far each of the ingredients of a meal traveled to end...

Two exercises boost scholars' knowledge of a onomatopoeia with excerpts from famous poems. In exercise one, participants circle onomatopoeia words. Exercise two challenges writers to choose three words to use in an...

Budding poets compose an original free verse poem. Encouraged to use personification and alliteration, scholars read over three tips and examples then try their hand at drafting a poem of their own style.  

A lesson begins with a description of a diamante poem and the rules to follow while writing one. Scholars examine the ins and outs of synonym and antonym diamantes, then compose an original poem using their newfound knowledge. 

A repetition poem is the focus of a lesson that challenges scholars to compose an original piece. To add meaning to their poem, authors choose words to repeat at the start of most lines.  

Four steps to Open Mic Night! The location, invitations, supplies, and party favors are all part of the process in planning and hosting a fun-filled gathering where scholars read aloud an original poem or one by their favorite author. 

Here is a complete workbook which leads children as they work through the art of making a musical instrument. The instrument made must be a percussion instrument. The workbook is incredibly thorough and does a good job of leading pupils...