Ninth graders review what they already know about ancient civilizations. Before visiting the museum, they complete a pre-test on Cyprus and how trade is important to the island. During the visit, they travel in small groups to examine...

Examine the concept of an electromagnetic spectrum with your students, as they observe a demonstration of a model, construct and compare a different model of the spectrum commonly used in textbooks, and construct their own models of the...

Learners construct a model of an electromagnetic spectrum using play-doh and string. They use exponents and plot the radio/microwave, infrared, and visible bandwidths of the spectrum.

Students study binomial nomenclature and museum-based research. They create a curiosity box, label the objects in their curiosity box , develop a classification scheme for the objects, and create a database of all objects collected by...

Young scholars practice skills essential to all scientific investigation: carefully observing and collecting data. They become field biologists in a series of hands-on activities to collect and identify specimens, and survey and...

Students create a sundial and track the movement of the sun throughout the day. Modifications to the lesson are provided for both lower and upper elementary students.

Students develop a classroom definition of and explore ideas related to ecosystems. They create a food web using pictures and yarn.

Learners explore decay in ecosystems by investigating a rotting log and/orcreating a decomposition chamber. They make predictions and answer questions about the changes involved.

Students design and create a worm and worm free compost tanks for observation of decay in ecosystems. They make predictions, care, and revist tanks using their journals for observation and data collection.

Students investigate the effects of differences in air pressure on a system. They answer the question, "What makes a liquid go up a straw when you suck on it?".

Students explore lift and Bernoulli's Principle using a relational causal model. Using paper and straws, they investigate lift and relate Bernoulli's Principle to everday occurences.

Learners work in cooperative pairs to create a series circuit and a parallel circuit. Students compare and contrast the two different types of circuits using worksheets that are included.

Students watch the teacher do a demonstration of density with diet and regular soda. Note: try this first, as different types of artificial sweetener have different densities. Students discuss density and volume. They discuss "Relational...

Can't read this now, I'll have to check it out later. A teacher's time is always limited. So often as we peruse the web for personal and professional content, we come across sites and information that we cannot immediately...

Why are only four colors needed to color webs from regular pentagons, not five? An assessment task requires young mathematicians to first construct regular pentagons using a compass and straightedge, then has them consider a shape...

Math is all about finding patterns. In this ask, scholars first investigate a sequence formed by squaring the sum of the digits in the previous term. They go on to investigate a second sequence and write an algebraic expression for this...

Evaluate different aspects of geometry with one task. An assessment activity prompts learners to determine the area of a pathway in the shape of a parallelogram. The Pythagorean Theorem and area formulas for various polygons provide the...

If you're not right-handed, are you wrong-handed? Young statisticians calculate the percentage of left-handed people using a given data set in the assessment task. They plot data on a scatter plot and consider how the line of best fit...

Why was Pythagoras so obsessed with squares? The assessment task posits the question of whether the geometric interpretation of the Pythagorean Theorem holds for figures other than squares. Scholars first consider the case of semicircles...

Apply area concepts to help farmers and settle county disputes. Scholars use a given diagram and information about an insecticide spraying campaign to determine the monetary benefit to farmers. They then decide which of two counties has...

Learners work in a group to prepare a poster about a new number system. They research a variety of number systems, create new symbols for their original number system and develop a tutorial for the class.

Next time you need to repave your patio, have your scholars do all the math. They first calculate and answer questions using the area of patio blocks. Next, they determine the cheapest block to use to pave the patio.

Raise the bar and strive to be above average. The assessment task requires budding mathematicians to think critically and evaluate given statements. What does it truly mean to be above average?  

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but these sticks will make me smarter. Pupils examine arrays of sticks to determine the next array in a pattern. They use the number of sticks added to each previous array to determine a recursive...