Did you know that Pluto is smaller than the United States of America? It is difficult to conceptualize the size of planets and the distance between them, and the lesson addresses those exact issues. After a discussion, pupils create...

Kick off the school year with some math fun! New classmates share information about themselves by using graphs and interpreting data. The goal is to use a general graph shape, such as linear or exponential, and create labels for the axes...

Just because one integer is larger than another doesn't mean it will make sense right away. Go beyond note taking and show learners, through the use of algebra tiles and a Four-Pan Algebra Balance, how the numbers relate to one...

To conclude their study of Out of the Dust, the 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, individuals craft a narrative essay based on one of the themes in Karen Hesse's novel.

Imagine using a six-sided cube to encourage readers to analyze a topic in greater depth. Create a cube, label each of the six sides with one of Bloom's comprehension levels, and you're ready to launch a discussion of a text....

The Galle crater on Mars is also known as the Happy Face crater because of its appearance. First, scholars use pebbles and flour to simulate craters and study their properties. They then apply this knowledge to help decipher the history...

What is an alien's favorite game? All-star baseball! Scholars start defining living and non-living. Then, they conduct experiments to research if life exists, keeping in mind that life could be in many forms, not just human. 

Every year we discover new planets including more than 1,000 in 2016 alone. Will we ever find life on another planet? The lesson includes two activities to help scholars understand this concept. First, they analyze the temperature range...

How likely is it that the school cafeteria will serve chicken tomorrow? Discover the concept of probability with the roll of the dice. Pupils evaluate the liklihood of several statments about everyday life. Then, a mathematical...

A good mix of Pre-Algebra problems, learners tackle everything from proportions and equations, to polygons and circles. The sections are broken up by topic with a list of the skills that are required to complete the questions. 

Here is a learning exercise that is 3/4 fraction practice and 1/4 skills guide. The problems are organized by concept and each section bullet points the skills needed to accomplish them. The problems are straightforward practice with...

Geometry is full of shapes, figures, and corresponding things here and there. The guide shares all of the key pieces of geometric information in a nicely color-coded and labeled sheet. 

Financial literacy is such an important, and often-overlooked, skill to teach our young people. Here is a terrific lesson which has pupils explore how to come up with a personal budget. They consider income, saving, taxes, and their...

A fine lesson plan on saving and investing is here for you and your middle schoolers. In it, learners explore the values of time and money, and discover how small amounts of money invested over time can grow into a large "pot of gold."...

Wouldn't it be great to live an a community without pain, without danger? Such a society is the goal of the community in The Giver. Using Lois Lowry's dystopian novel as the core text, class members read primary source materials...

How does a society influence and shape individuals? Class members ponder this essential question as they read Lord of the Flies, as well as primary source materials about the historical background of the novel. As a...

This nicely organized activity provides eight problems for your learners to practice solving linear equations. Starting with two-step problems and working up to multi-step equations, young mathematicians are instructed to write their...

I'm a fan of clearing the denominator, but solvers can also find common denominators and cross multiply to solve the linear equations on the worksheet. Each of the six problems has rational coefficients.

Time to practice linear equations. The sectioned learning exercise starts with simple linear problems and increases to multi-step and rational coefficient problems. 

The properties of exponents are all linked together and it is your mathematicians' job to discover and apply those rules. The comprehensive activity begins with a pre-assessment task to check for prior knowledge and then goes into a...

Does your bank pay you for allowing them to hold your money? Class members research three different ways they can earn money using money already in the bank. Topics include certificates of deposit, statement savings accounts, and...

Take the time out of preparing an algebra review and use this multiple-choice assessment to prep for the big test. Some included topics are factoring, FOILing, inequalities, and linear graphs. 

An environmenta science unit includes three lessons plus a cumulative project covering the ecosystem. Scholars follow the history of the Ford Rouge Factory from its construction on wetlands and how it destroyed the...

Geologists are gneiss, tuff, and a little bit wacke. The fifth chapter of seven includes ten activities at four different levels. The hands-on activities cover fossils including how they are formed, vertebrates, invertebrates,...