Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Chicken Truck: Writing Algebraic Expressions

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
How did the chicken travel down the road? Given a picture of a chicken truck, class members brainstorm what information they need to determine the total number of chickens on the truck. Pupils research for the information and devise a...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

You’re The Network: Data Analysis

For Teachers 8th Standards
How do you rate? Young scholars use graphical data to analyze ratings of different television episodes. Their analyses include best-fit lines, mean, median, mode, and range.
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Whoopsies, Graphing Edition: Coordinate Plane Graphing

For Teachers 6th - 7th Standards
How do you handle common mistakes in your classroom? A graphing activity prepares scholars to recognize common misconceptions when graphing ordered pairs. The activity concentrates on three common graphing mistakes.
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Visual Exploration Of Theme: Picture The Theme

For Teachers 8th Standards
"What is the theme of this story?" Now there's a question that can strike fear in the hearts of learners. Here's a lesson that uses photographs to introduce the concept of theme. Scholars examine six photographs and then attach a theme...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

If Our Classroom Were The World: Proportions And Percents

For Teachers 6th - 7th Standards
It's a small world after all. Classmates consider world population, languages, and religions in a cross-curricular instructional activity. Applying percentages and proportions, they determine what the class make-up would be if the class...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Active Shakespeare: Making Shakespeare Accessible

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Two sonnets, both alike in theme and story, break from ancient language to new glory. The prologue to Act I of Romeo and Juliet provides scholars with an opportunity to examine the language Shakespeare uses to create timeless stories....
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Analyzing Literary Figures: Analyzing Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
The author study gets an update in a research project designed for high schoolers. Scholars search for information about literary figures that connects them to their times, their works, their themes, and other writers. Researchers also...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

"The Lady, Or The Tiger?" Which Do You Choose?: Internal and External Conflict

For Teachers 9th Standards
"How come there's no ending?" After a close reading of Frank R. Stockton's tale "The Lady, or the Tiger?" in which scholars examine each of the main characters' conflicts and motivations, writers craft their own ending using textual...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

#Unstressed #Stressed: Shakespearean Sonnets And Iambic Pentameter

For Teachers 9th Standards
Does any word rhyme with orange? Young poets try their hand at crafting a Shakespearean sonnet by first creating list of rhyming words. They then examine the use of unstressed and stressed syllables in iambic pentameter and the rhyme...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Stone's Throw Away - The Dangers Of Tradition: The Lottery

For Teachers 9th Standards
Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" is the anchor text for a lesson that teaches young readers how to use the Tip of the Iceberg strategy to go below the surface of a tale. After reading the short story and an article about the...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Here's How I Heard It: Using Folklore To Improve Close Reading Skills

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
"X" is for exaggeration, and "F" is for fact. To encourage close reading and to improve literary analysis skills, class members annotate fables and tall tales, like Paul Bunyan, with symbols that identify key features of this genre.
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

But What About Me?: Teaching Perspective In The Social Studies Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How would the story of the discovery of America be different if indigenous people told it through their eyes? Individuals compare the conventional account of this moment in history to an account given by one of the native peoples. After...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

College Admissions, Part 1: 10th Grade Pre-Campus Visit Learning Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Scholars assume the role of admissions officers to better understand the college admissions process. They evaluate five fictional college applications and work together to determine which ones meet acceptance requirements. 
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Multimodal Approach To Edgar Allan Poe Using Drawing To Understand An Author's Style

For Teachers 8th Standards
True! Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" makes readers nervous. But how? Young scholars create a drawing while listening to a reading of Poe's eerie tale to understand how writers create the mood of their stories and what their writing style...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Cold, Hard Truth

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Things are really getting heated in the lab! Science scholars scope out the facts about heat energy transfer using a simple lab from the K20 Center. Groups collaborate to observe temperature changes between hot metal and water, then use...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Shanking A Shark: Shark Dissection

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Sharks are so cool, they have their own week! Take young zoologists on a journey into one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. A lesson plan the from K20 Center engages them in a full dissection. After the lab, participants...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Didn’t We Already Learn That Pattern? Functions/Arithmetic Sequences

For Teachers 9th Standards
Just how many toothpicks does the pattern take? After watching a video of someone building a pattern with toothpicks, groups create methods to find the number of toothpicks needed to accomplish that task. Groups either use explicit...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Rules Of The Mogwai: Lab Safety And Chemical Properties

For Teachers 6th - 12th
When you don't follow the rules, bad things can happen! Kick off your next lab safety lesson using a resource from the K20 Center. Pupils partner up to decipher MSDS for common lab chemicals, brainstorm common safety rules and their...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

More than Skin Deep

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
From crime to paternity, DNA fingerprinting has revolutionized how the world views inherited traits. Science sleuths investigate the facts about DNA profiling through a variety of activities. The Teacher's Guide includes printable...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Family Ties: Exploring Families OF Functions

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
They say it runs in the family. Small groups use a card sorting activity to group graphs of functions into families. After grouping by families, the class develops conclusions for parent functions and create a graphic organizer.
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Transpiring Trees: Plant Transpiration and the Water Cycle

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Looking for a tree-rific addition to your water cycle unit? Teams of young foresters examine the role of transpiration in the water cycle through a week's worth of activities. Pupils analyze how trees take in and transport water during...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Speedy Cat: Enzymes

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Enzymes have a need for speed! What happens when they are forced to slow down? A well-rounded lesson plan from the K20 Center examines enzyme activity through role playing and a lab. Biology scholars work in teams and pairs to understand...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Transformers Parts 2-5 - Algebra 2 Parent Functions: Function Transformations

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Dive into an activity that may cause a little reflection! Building from the first lesson in the series of two, learners explore transformation using unfamiliar functions. The key takeaway is that applying transformations to any function...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

ADA Accessibility: Inverse Trigonometric Functions

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Ramp up using trigonometric ratios. After receiving a request to check school ramps to verify they meet ADA requirements, groups calculate the angle of the incline on ramps on campus. They report their findings via a letter to the...