Should school and professional teams test athletes for sickle cell trait? Will it protect them by providing knowledge or lead to discrimination by not allowing them to participate in sports? After learning about this genetic disorder,...

Every major concept, key term, and definition that an AP US history student should know for a test prep session and the big exam is right here in this comprehensive, well-organized study guide. 

The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...

What are the elements of a good social media post? The 13th activity in the 16-part Social Media Toolbox incorporates all of the typical components found in a Facebook or Twitter post. Scholars work together to create great posts based...

Adolescents have the opportunity to consider how they feel about the possibilities presented by the current availability of genetic sequencing. After some instruction, they participate in a four-corners activity in which you read a...

What type of government did American colonists gain and seek after gaining their independence after the Revolutionary War? Here is lesson that will guide your young learners through the new nation's progression from the Articles of...

Space shuttles traveled around Earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour, way faster than trains, planes, or automobiles travel! In the 13th installment of 22, groups graph different speeds to show how quickly spacecraft move through...

How are chemical reactions affected by gravity? Learners explore the phenomenon of effervescence as part of the Christa's Lost Lessons series. They compare findings in an experiment on effervescence to a video of a similar experiment in...

Sixth graders investigate the intention behind artists' works and contemplate the notion that art mirrors life. They respond orally and in writing to a painting and recognize that seeing the whole picture can offer a different ...

Students explore traits of honest communication. In this character development and communication lesson, students are given 6 simple statements and work as a group to alter the meaning of each statement through body language, facial...

After brainstorming reasons why Native Americans mapped their lands, your young critical thinkers will work together to review their ideas and determine the definition of a map. With today's extensive use of mapping technology and GPS...

Readers respond to Chapters 17 and 18 of Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. Working in literature groups, they identify the climactic elements in the chapters, discussing the text and making inferences based on their reading.

Do people really need “a newer, bigger Holocaust” in order to change? Or is it possible that by making text-to-self connections to the stories of others people that they can change? In order to connect to Art Spiegelman’s Maus, class...

Cooperative groups are formed for this graphing activity. Each group must construct a graph that represents how many eyelets (the holes for laces in shoes), are present in their group. A whole-class bar graph is eventually constructed...

Teach your math class to determine the value of fractions. The group will explore how to break a fractional part into smaller pieces, which helps strengthen their understanding of the part/whole relationship of fractions. A written...

To prepare for a formative assessment on the benefits of technology in the classroom, groups generate a list of the types of technology that could be used in a classroom and then discuss how each of these items could be used. Group...

How can we estimate the answers when working with decimals? That's what the question is as the class reviews two-digit decimal addition. Have them estimate by rounding to a whole number either before or after they have completed their...

Join a father and his son as they explore an isolated location off the coast of Australia in the children's book Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker. Engage young learners in reading this fun story with this series of...

Help young historians personally engage in the stories of African Americans during the Great Migration! Assessing a migration route map, learners create a migrant character's experience, adding details while studying primary sources. A...

“. . .different men often see the same subject in different lights. . .” but the great orator Patrick Henry used all the skills at his command to craft a speech to convince listeners to see things as he did--that liberty was worth dying...

Focusing on let's, why don't, and shall I/we, a grammar lesson takes English learners through the process of making suggestions. The lesson comes with several activities, including scripts of conversations for kids to...

“Humanscape No.65” by Melesia Casas and Ester Hernandez’s “Sun Maid Raisins” launch a study of how works of art can advocate for social change. After examining these two works and discussing the human rights issues raised, class members...

Students study how tectonic plates can produce earthquakes.  For this earthquake lesson students use a model earthquake machine to explore hypotheses about earthquakes. 

Young scholars discover that they are part of bigger and bigger groups. They begin with families and work up to belonging to North America as they initiate a study of the whole country.