Imagine precisely cutting and then moving a 120 ton boulder more than two miles without mechanical cutting tolls, skid loaders, or hydraulic cranes. Imagine carving a stone figure that includes a drainage system that permits rainwater to...

Begin the new year with a two-part activity that asks class members to formulate a resolution and to write about someone or something they are proud of. These statements are then attached to a snowflake and a mandala which they decorate.

Use boiling as an avenue for freezing. Young scholars watch as liquid nitrogen removes heat from the ingredients for ice cream. As this happens, the nitrogen boils and the ice cream freezes—all in the same container. A little science magic!

Free verse poetry is often regarded as poetry without structure, but in reality, it is a poetic form that adheres to its own poet's thought and breath patterns. Delve into the rules and famous examples of free-verse poetry with a short...

Areas that previously included no risk of Lyme disease now have cases every year. Scholars learn about the spread of Lyme disease and the relationship with ecological succession. Then, they discuss possible solutions using the known food...

Even supposed Utopian societies have their flaws. Using an educator's guide, individuals explore the society Ally Condie creates in Matched. Reflective writing prompts double as discussion questions and cover key themes in the novel, as...

Through discussion, role play, read-alouds, writing, and more, scholars explore the concept of bullying and practice having courage while responsibly reporting unfriendly behavior. Friendship and respect are practiced and...

Encourage sixth graders to take responsibility for their actions and become a problem solver. Pupils discuss new problems faced in sixth grade then identify ones that involve other people. A worksheet guides their practice in conflict...

A 13-page workbook walks scholars through the California CareerZone website. Class members start by creating accounts then take an interest survey. Results from the survey are used in activities that explore lifestyle choices, budgeting,...

Peter Pan doesn't want to grow up and doesn't want to change. Many middle schoolers feel the same way. The first lesson in the "Looking to the Future" module underscores the concept that change is a natural part of life and that a...

Emerging biochemists more fully understand the flow of energy in ecosystems as they explore the laws of thermodynamics and relate them to energy transfer in food chains. They also investigate heat loss from the human body and how...

Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.

When told to describe a line, do your pupils list its color, length, and which side is high or low? Use a worksheet that engages scholars to properly label line graphs. It then requests two applied reasoning answers.

Pupils identify the concerns of people caught in desperate times during the Great Depression. They make connections between The Grapes of Wrath and historical images from the Great Depression. Students make connections between the...

Fourth graders examine the effect of technology on the citizens of North Carolina. Using the Internet, they complete their own research and use a word processing software to share it with their classmates. They use excerpts from "...

Students research the main reasons for the colonists moving to the Pennsylvania colony. They analyze maps, label a bubble map, list similarities/differences of immigrants then and now, and create a colonial newspaper advertisement.

Here are some practice problems with adding and subtracting three-digit numbers. Scholars complete three addition problems and three subtraction problems. None of these involve carrying over or regrouping. There are only two numbers to...

Kids see, say, then count the phonemes they hear in a series of simple words. They practice counting phonemes with the teacher, then sound out the same word on their own. As they count each phoneme they write it down on their paper. A...

Help young learners unlock the joy of silent reading by explicitly teaching comprehension methods such as cross-checking to figure out the meaning of unknown words. Practice and model expectations for behavior, and then set the class...

Students study how dangerous credit cards can be. They see why it is important to pay off credit card bills as soon as they can. They use MS Excel to display and understand the data. They fill out questions using the data from their...

Practice sounding out multi-syllable words with this scaffolded lesson. Learners decode words by segmenting them into phonemes and combining the sounds. Your lines are in bold here, but you can easily use this simply as an outline...

Students experiment to examine high and low pressure areas. They investigate why a high pressure area seeks a low pressure area.

Math scholars recognize place value and practice writing numbers in different forms, such as expanded notation, decimals, and improper fractions. They complete exercises that include creating models for fractions and decimals and...

Bioluminescence fascinates most upper elementary scientists. Display images of different glowing deep-sea organisms and discuss their environment. Young biologists then experiment with images and different colors of filtered light. For...