Lesson Plan
PBS

Blue Ribbon Readers: Questioning

For Teachers K - 6th
Model for your class how to become a better reader through questioning. After conducting a picture walk that introduces prediction strategies, learners play an interactive questioning cube game. Complete directions for the game and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Patterns to the Rescue!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Track down the Cyberchase episode that this lesson is associated with. Using a worksheet that is embedded in the plan, learners must find the next two numbers and shapes (a double pattern). Once these have been discovered, pupils try...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Cardboard History

For Teachers 3rd - 11th
A PBS clip focused on collecting sports memorabilia launches this research project lesson. Class members then read Dan Gutman’s Honus and Me in which Wagner’s baseball card is used to time travel. The lesson ends with researchers...
Lesson Plan
PBS

From Patterns of Input and Output to Algebraic Equations

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Watch video clips titled, "Frog Hops Part I" and "Frog Hops Part II," then discuss patterns demonstrated in the videos. Learners will complete an algebraic expressions and equations handout and discuss the answers. They will be able to...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The History and Use of Sampling Methods

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young mathematicians define population, draw convenience sample from the population, draw quota sample from the population, and draw random probability sample from the population. They explain why a random probability sample usually...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Using Variables in Simple Equations

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
A Cyberchase clip shows Hacker creating a game show that uses a variable to find out how much power is produced by a gleamer bug. Follow the video with a lesson about using variables to solve equations. Terrific handouts and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Arguing over Area

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
With the help of the Area Officers and Perimeter Patrol, you learners will develop a better understanding of area and its relationship to perimeter. First, they view a video clip from Cyberchase, and then they visit a website to...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Frame Yourself: Area and Perimeter

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
Elementary schoolers are arranged in pairs and view the video Math Works: Measurement: The Difference Between Perimeter and Area. They discuss any prior knowledge they have of the term perimeter and then brainstorm together what the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Button, Button

For Teachers 1st - 5th Standards
Youngsters count, classify, and estimate quantities using buttons after a read aloud of The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid. They discuss the difference between guessing and estimating. Based on an experiment, they predict the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Geometry: Hide and Seek

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
A geometry game that resembles Battleship is the foundation for hide and seek where "hiders" draw shapes on coordinate planes and "seekers" must guess the shape and its location based on questions and clues. Reproducible, paper-sized...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Analyzing Information - Can Pigs be Pets?

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Engage your scholars in a discussion about pigs! Scholars analyze information about keeping pigs as pets and write a persuasive paragraph. An informational text and video are included for research. While examining these materials, class...
Activity
PBS

Writing a Historical Poem

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students conduct field research of a historical site in order to discover a more complete understanding of a time period. They choose one particular historical figure and write a short poem about the site from the historical person's...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Inventions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Use this lesson plan to discuss inventions that have changed your class's world and have impacted society. Middle schoolers investigate important inventions of their time and design an invention in a simulated business atmosphere. Modify...
Instructional Video1:11
PBS

Measuring Waves | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th
Discover the secrets used by scientists to measure mechanical waves. Young physicists learn about measurable wave qualities—amplitude, wavelength, and frequency—by watching and listening to a video discussing longitudinal and transverse...
Instructional Video1:02
PBS

DNA 101: Life's Instruction Manual | UNC-TV Science

For Students 5th - 12th
Unravel the DNA molecule in just over a minute! Future geneticists listen and watch a video exploring DNA's structure, function, and the interaction of the genes and proteins that decode and interpret the complex molecule. Scholars...
Instructional Video1:22
PBS

Electromagnetic Spectrum | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th
Illuminate lightwaves, even those not visible to the human eye, in a concise activity about the electromagnetic spectrum. Pupils watch and listen to an animated video describing the electromagnetic spectrum as well as frequency and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Yo-Yo Problem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What do yo-yos and pennies have to do with linear equations? Learn about writing and solving linear equations while considering the Yo-Yo Problem and Penny Pattern Exploration from the High School Math Project. Learners utilize algebra...
Writing
PBS

The Personal Writing Worksheet

For Students 9th - 12th
Get your writers started on their personal essay with a worksheet that gently guides them into formulating some ideas they might use. Strengths, weaknesses, major experiences, influential individuals, all offer something that can be a...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.
Lesson Plan
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PBS

The Caterpillar or Larva

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
The larval stage of the butterfly life cycle is quite exciting. Start a discussion about the specially designed body parts unique to caterpillars. After examining images of caterpillars, learners use plastic soda bottles, string, and...
Activity
1
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PBS

The Egg

For Teachers K - 3rd
The first stage in the butterfly's life cycle is the egg. Young entomologists discuss why different butterflies lay different eggs and what their eggs look like. Then they use the handouts to make a replica of one type of butterfly egg...
App
PBS

NOVA Elements

For Students 5th - 12th
It's like a periodic table variety show! When the plethora of periodic table apps becomes ho-hum, this one may revive interest.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Baseball: The Tenth Inning

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The intent of this resource is to explore Latin American accomplishments in baseball, recognizing the changes in demographics of players over the last century. Social studies classes begin with a discussion and brainstorm surrounding...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Blue Ribbon Readers: Drawing Inferences

For Teachers K - 5th
Model for young readers how to use illustrations, chapter titles, and events in a story to draw inferences and make predictions. Learners then practice these essential comprehension strategies by drawing inferences for another section of...