Everyone sees the results of public policy, but not everyone understands the strategy that goes into creating an effective one. Now that your class understands the brainstorming process from earlier in the series, they continue on to the...

Explore distance and time factors to build an understanding of rates. A comprehensive set of problems target learners of all grade levels. The initial problem provides distance and time values and asks for the winner of a race. Another...

Whether you're planning to set up your classroom for the start of another school year or just need a change of scenery, this sample chapter taken from a Responsive Classroom book provides suggestions for making the most...

It's time to take action! Learners strategize their action campaigns by using the resource and past brainstorming activities from the series that help them pinpoint problems in their communities. They use included templates to get the...

Take an alternative route with trigonometry and let learners connect a tweaked version of the pythagorean theorem to the original in terms of triangle sides. The assignment leads participants towards deriving the Pythagorean identity...

What do you do when you don't think you have enough information? You look for another way to do the problem! Pupils combine what they know about finding the area of a triangle and trigonometry to determine triangle area when they don't...

Build a function to solve problems rooted in archeology. A comprehensive set of five lessons presents problems requiring individuals to use functions. The initial lesson asks learners to find the possible number of dinosaurs from a...

There's a pot of gold at the end of the school year! Use a month's worth of reading, writing, and counting activities to keep kids learning through the month of March.

Can they put it all together? Ninth graders apply what they know about proofs and triangle congruence to complete these proofs. These proofs go beyond the basic triangle congruence proofs and use various properties, theorems, and...

Spring has sprung in your classroom! An entire month of activities relating to spring prompts learners to color, draw, write, and work on phonics. 

What makes a community? How communities differ? Young scholars research different types of communities, small rural towns, and large crowded cities. They respond to writing prompts, and write essays in groups to understand the wide...

Compare and contrast the four types of transformations through constructions! Individuals are expected to construct the each of the different transformations. Although meant for a review, these examples are excellent for initial...

When is the last time you assigned your students only one problem? This seemly simple problem requires learners think like a mathematician and reason about how to solve this compound inequality in one variable. More than just using...

Learning to add fractions with different denominators presents a big hurdle for many young mathematicians. Simplify the process for learners with this series of practice problems involving the friendly fractions tenths and hundredths....

This fabulous resource is a must-have for any algebra teacher's arsenal of lessons. Developing the idea of equations and use of variables from basic physical scenarios, learners gain valuable intuition in the structure and meaning of...

Scholars learn to order rational numbers in the seventh lesson in a series of 21. Reasoning about numbers on a number line allows for this ordering.

Examine the origin and application of pi in five different levels. The five lessons in the resource begin with an analysis of the relationship between the radius and circumference of a circle. The following lessons lead learners through...

Investigate polygons from rectangles to triangles to octagons. Each level of the five-problem series targets a different grade level. Beginning with the level A problem, learners examine the relationship between area and perimeter by...

If you've ever peeked inside a middle schooler's backpack, you know how valuable a lesson on organization can be. Help class members organize their binders, study habits, and schedules with a set of collaborative activities.

Technology has undoubtedly improved the lives of people around the world—but has it improved communication? Seventh graders read two informative passages about the rise of texting and emailing versus in-person conversations before...

Everyone has a different point of view, even when it comes to the enormity of the universe. Two separate text passages explain the scope of a galaxy, prompting young readers to write an essay about each author's argument and how the...

Should the work of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences be funded by the government? Middle schoolers weigh in on the status of federal funding for programs that protect the environment with three text passages...

There are lots of good reasons not to smoke. Make sure your middle and high schoolers understand each and every one with a instructional activity that prompts them to read anti-smoking posters, note the main points, and write a short...

Three options offer young writers the opportunity to read a short story, answer questions, and write a response. A handy language arts resource focuses on reading comprehension and analyziing the story's lesson: look before you leap.