It's all about location, location, location. Small groups work to find the best spot for a rec center to serve three different communities. Learners construct the inscribed and circumscribed circles of a triangle to find the best place....

Check those sources carefully. Scholars learn to analyze and critique primary sources with the work they completed in the previous activity. Learners compare and contrast sources that agree and disagree about Japanese-American internment...

Travel about town. Pupils work in pairs to find the distances between landmarks with a map. The teams determine how far to travel on the streets and the length between the landmarks with the distance formula and compare the two. Learners...

Organic versus conventional farming: which option is best? Pupils use Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma to determine the cascading consequences of the industrial organic food chain. They work in research teams to create an...

Writers work to create drafts of their end-of-unit assessments relating to A Mighty Long Way and Little Rock Girl 1957. Using computers to create the first versions of their essays, writers emphasize ideas and evidence before focusing...

Studying plants is a full-time job—for some. After learning the ins and outs of phenology in the first three lessons in the unit, pupils explore the history of the science. The instructional activity highlights five historical...

How fast does it grow? Scholars work on two tasks dealing with exponential growth, one on population growth and the second on investments. Learners research a country's population over the past century and make predictions of the current...

Take note! Scholars use sticky notes to record information as they gallery walk to look at classmates' visual representations they created for their end of unit assessment. Learners then choose one word that represents the work they...

One of the key powers of the executive branch is the president's ability to pass or veto legislation proposed by Congress. Congress, the legislative branch, on the other hand, can override a president's veto. Five film clips show how the...

Keep within a water budget. Learners find out that less than 2.5% of Earth's water is available to drink—and that there is a fixed amount of water. Scholars read an interesting article comparing the available water to a game of Monopoly...

Middle assessment for the Middle Ages. Scholars complete a mid-unit assessment by reading and answering questions about three different text pertaining to the Middle Ages. Learners work independently on the assessment for the class period.

Vaccine development is the focus of a lesson plan that explores its history, timeline, and how the scientific method aids the process. Following a discussion about Edward Jenner and Small Pox, learners answer questions in their journals...

A free press, free to investigate and report on responsibly, compelling stories, is essential to a democracy. A 10-slide presentation details where to get ideas, how to go about an investigation, gather data, and assure the accuracy of...

Give me a clue. Scholars work in triads to use highlighters and mark clues that lead to the author's point of view in World without Fish. The Author’s Point of View graphic organizer helps them map out their thoughts.

Literally, what's the meaning? Scholars read pages seven through nine of Flush and discuss literal and nonliteral meaning with figurative language. Learners work in triads to identify and define unfamiliar words. They then complete a...

Stop the spread. Pupils work through two activities to gain an understanding of vaccines and immunity. Learners research different types of vaccines and how they are made and explore the advantages and disadvantages of them. Using a...

Let's take a walk ... a gallery walk! Scholars view a PowerPoint and engage in discussion to learn about the importance of having a good resume. Next, they create their own resumes and present their work during a gallery walk. 

Read, revise, refine! Scholars refine their readers theater scripts by rephrasing some of the lines. Next, they write drafts of their narrator introductions and share their work with peers to give and receive feedback. 

Start with the basics. Pupils work through a review of the unit on equations and inequalities. Learners begin with solving equations and inequalities with no context, move on to problems that involve a context, and finish with a...

Take a rational look at solving equations. Learners watch a video presentation on solving simple rational equations that shows solving the equation along with finding excluded values. Viewers then practice the skill with the worksheets...

What do hula hoops and the American system of government have in common? Using hands-on station activities, pupils consider the roles of the three branches of government. A script for teachers and writing prompts help round out a...

After reading a series of articles that provide background information about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, class members design a meal plan and an activity plan for a weeklong summer camp for 5- to 8-year olds with diabetes. A second...

Differentiate between models. Pupils watch as the video works through three examples of creating a differential equation to model a situation. Scholars use their knowledge of proportional relationships to set up the equations and to...

Uncover the fascinating world of vaccines in a multifaceted activity. Investigators explore community perception and the science of vaccines with eight tasks. Scientists continue their studies by giving and reviewing surveys, analyzing...