What is the fastest way to get from point A to point B if you are going through two different mediums, such as air then water? Scholars explore the way light travels through air, water, acrylic, glass, and diamond as they answer this...

It's always nice to have a plan B. Pupils investigate an alternate formula for the area of a triangle that uses sine. A set of challenge questions shows how the new formula relates to the well-known formula of (1/2)bh.

The shortest distance from point A to point B is a straight line, but measuring distance gets more complicated when there are three points! Given the location of three friends, individuals determine the best point for all three friends...

Up the difficulty level by solving a system of equations with variable coefficients. Young scholars devise a plan to solve for x and y in terms of a and b. They represent their solutions as expressions and explain their...

Brown rice contains vitamins B and E, while white rice lasts longer in storage. The availability of rice around the world makes it a great candidate for genetic engineering. Scholars apply their knowledge of genetic engineering to solve...

Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks, and Fannie Lour Hammer are three African American activists who stood up for change. Though living in different time periods, all three women sought justice and equality. Class members examine primary source...

Most people are surprised to learn that American democracy is not as direct as they thought. Using a package of guiding questions, charts and curated videos, learners unpack the unique American institution of the Electoral College. The...

The toasts are written, the table is set: it's time to party! Young scholars use a role-playing activity to go toast to toast. After researching and writing toasts for their allied countries during the modern Age of Empires, individuals...

Attack the pathogen from within. Learners delve deeper into the immune system and find out about the adaptive immune system such as T and B cells. Groups create graphical models of the adaptive immune system along with a multimedia...

It all becomes a matter of timing. Groups use a variety of resources to research the history of vaccines by first creating a timeline of vaccine research using leading scientists' work. Learners read articles to develop a story of the...

Driving a Mars rover is a challenging task. Learners play a board game that simulates the decisions scientists and engineers make while controlling the rover. Their task involves building a command sequence to get from point A to point B...

As part of a study of the importance of the First Amendment, expert groups research different historic case studies of investigative reporting, and then the experts share their findings with jigsaw groups. The case studies include Nellie...

Georgia's law S.B. 202 is at the center of a lesson that asks young scholars to examine what critics say are Georgia's attempts to limit voting access to Black voters. Groups then investigate the voting laws in their own state, as well...

How do you fit a tape measure around the Earth? No need if you know a little geometry! Pupils begin by extending their understanding of the Side Splitter Theorem to a transversal cut by parallel lines. Once they identify the...

Who is to blame for Bernie Madoff's crime? Class members look for evidence Diana B. Henriques uses in The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust to support her claims that we share the responsibility with Madoff.

Using the open-ended discussion questions developed the day before, class members engage in a fishbowl discussion of the three texts that anchor the unit: “True Crime: The Roots of an American Obsession," “How Bernard Madoff Did It,” and...

Connect linear equations, proportionality, and constant rates of change to linear functions. Young mathematicians learn how linear equations of the form y = mx + b can represent linear functions. They then explore examples of linear...

Scholars evaluate E.B. White's tone in his narrative. Lessons use turn-and-talk strategies to discuss details of a personal narrative essay, respond to guided questions, and work in pairs to analyze word choice. Learners demonstrate...

Are authors also designers? Scholars examine closely how E.B. White designs a section in Death of a Pig. They determine how the structure of sentences and paragraphs, the order of events, and the dialogue placement all contribute to the...

Class members analyze the details of a section of E. B. White’s Death of a Pig to determine a central idea. Learners use turn-and-talk to discuss the details and ideas they identify. They then work in groups to annotate the text, respond...

Learners prepare for the end-of-unit task by evaluating previous homework and writing sentences with parallel structure and various phrases. Scholars do this by closely examining E.B. White's Death of a Pig. They examine the structure of...

It's time to tie it all together. Scholars reflect on the series' past five lessons about Death of the Pig. They examine how E.B. White develops a central idea throughout the essay before responding to a writing prompt.

Go figure! Scholars examine the figurative language in the last half of W.E.B. Du Bois's work "Of Our Spiritual Strivings." They pay special attention to his metaphors and develop ideas with group discussion and guided questions....

When is a word more than just a word? Scholars examine the significance of a word used by W.E.B. Du Bois in "Of Our Spiritual Strivings." Readers carry out a deep discussion of the use of the word problem in the text. After sharing ideas...