Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jelly Bean Problem

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students are challenged to eat some candy as a cell would need to do it. By solving this problem students simulate the cell process called endocytosis. They think about some of the problems that arise when a cell ingests food.
Lesson Plan
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Battling Bullies

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars identify aspects of a conflict situation through a story. They engage in problem solving or identification of an aspect of bullying. Applying their knowledge of bullying, they create scenarios that reflect their methods of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Island Biogeography and Evolution: Solving a Phylogenetic Puzzle With Molecular Genetics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in solving a logic problem based on real organisms and real data. They develop phylogenies for seven related populations of lizards living on the Canary Islands.
Lesson Plan
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Constructing a Building

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students work with big boxes to connect big ideas. In this early childhood problem solving instructional activity, students develop social, language, math, creative-thinking, and problem-solving skills as they work together to plan and...
Lesson Plan
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Maxima and Minima Problems

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students calculate the maxima and minima of quadratic equations. In this calculus lesson plan, students apply the derivatives by finding the maxima and minima using real life application. They solve optimization using the derivative. 
Lesson Plan
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Solving Environmental Problems

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students identify a community environmental problem and possible solutions. They analyze the connection between the problem and the solutions and the importance of it to the local community. Students then draw a picture of an...
Lesson Plan
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Solving Using Linear Equations

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore linear equations. They observe the relationship between linear equations an patterns. Students make decisions using information given in graphs to solve linear equations. They perform a toothpick activity to...
Lesson Plan
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The Ice Cream Stands Problem

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders pretend to set up an ice cream shop in a make believe town of shapes.  In this geometry lesson, 10th graders work together to put up an ice cream stand in an ideal location and solve for the minimum given the...
Lesson Plan
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Math Tag

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students play the game tag inside the classroom with three or four designated 'taggers'.  In this math game instructional activity, students have to solve a math problem to be unfrozen once they are tagged.  When the frozen...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mathematical and Chemical Relationships of Stoichiometric Problems

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students review key words used in stoichiometry such as mole, molar mass, Avogadro's number, and mass - mole relationships. They participate in a series of small experiments to explore solving stoichiometry problems in the laboratory.
Lesson Plan
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The Window Problem

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Young scholars identify patterns and compute formulas to solve the problems. In this algebra lesson, students come up with a rule given a pattern, and analyze the relationship between data and graphs.
Lesson Plan
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The Journey of a Banana

For Teachers 1st - 8th
To investigate the price of bananas in order to evaluate basic counting and number sense skills, your mathematicians focus upon multiplication and problem solving that incorporates social studies in the form of building awareness about...
Lesson Plan
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Everyone's Playing Basketball

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
To foster number sense and build problem solving skills, pupils will work through a complex word problem. They will be asked to analyze the data given, solve the problem, then share their thinking process with the class. This activity...
Lesson Plan
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Baseball Math

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders complete activity pages. In this operations and problem solving lesson, 5th graders use the Internet to gather baseball statistics, solve problems and convert units.
Lesson Plan
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What's The Story?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Teams of learners integrate reading, writing, math, social studies, and science in this simple, yet effective lesson. They work in groups in order to solve a ten-step problem which requires internet research, the use of a calculator, and...
Lesson Plan
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What Is It?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
You have to love lessons that foster problem solving strategies. This one has upper graders devise and employ their own strategy to solve given problems after they have used classics like guess/check, substitution, make a table, and look...
Lesson Plan
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The National Math Trail

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the many applications of mathematics in their environment . They formulate and solve mathematics problems. Students describe geometric elements, shapes and relationships. Students use technology such as digital cameras...
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Firefighter Allocation

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Creating equations with one variable  to solve real-world-type problems is a key skill any algebra learner needs to master. Here the focus is on realizing that one can write the equation in different ways depending upon how one...
Lesson Plan
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Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate a problem and look at the associated positive and negative choices and consequences. They work together to make a group decisions and role play in peer mediation situations.
Lesson Plan
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Social Change

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study a social issue involving gorillas, and work in groups to develop strategies to increase awareness of and problem solve a solution for the issue. They collect data using handheld computers and write a report.
Lesson Plan
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Ice Cream

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Open this instructional activity by giving a brief history of ice cream. Using liquid nitrogen to lower the temperature, preteens make their own confection. The accompanying activity sheet queries learners about freezing point, the...
Lesson Plan
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Using Details From The Text

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Begin this expository writing activity by reading a non-fiction book of your choice and modeling expository writing. The plan suggests The Trip of a Drip by Vicki Cobb but notes that other texts will work. Learners then choose a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sports Lesson Plan

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Have your class participate in a variety of sports and craft activities using this resource. With sports as the theme, learners work on art projects. Students create soccer ball prints, a three dimensional football, and a sports collage.
Lesson Plan
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Math: Matching Rods and Religion

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Math and religious studies are integrated together using using cuisenaire rods and Kid Pix for this problem-solving exercise. In pairs, they match different colored rods to represent various groups of people. Meanwhile, students at...