Challenge small groups to build a structure that catches a raw egg without breaking—working collaboratively and applying mathematical and engineering principles. Pretending the frame was made by a business, scholars create a marketing...

A game of Bingo gets scholars networking. Independently, participants complete the worksheet responding to each applicable prompt. With the group, peers roam the room to network in search of similar answers.

What does a beautiful sunset have to do with the atmosphere? An inquiry-based lesson has learners make observations about the visibility and color of the sky during different time periods. They then relate their observations to...

Billy Joel's song "Pressure" launches a four-day study of stress; what it is, what causes it, and how stress impacts the body. Class members watch a presentation and short videos about effectively managing stress and then groups research...

Don't you wish you could use passive voice? Be careful what you wish for! "The Monkey's Paw" is the focus of a grammar and language usage lesson about active and passive voice. Readers identify examples of active and passive voice in...

After reading The Mitten by Jan Brett, scholars discuss the author's purpose. Small groups compare and contrast a book written to entertain and a book to inform, then create a T-Chart detailing the characteristics of...

Willy Wonka takes center stage in a lesson about direct and indirect characterization. Scholars read a passage from the story about Wonka's Grand Entrance and watch a film clip of the same, noting examples of direct and indirect...

"Yuns betta outten the lights!" Colloquial language is the focus of a lesson that asks middle schoolers to consider the pros and cons of using idioms. They read articles, match expressions with their meaning and place of origin, and...

Clement Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas" models the power of descriptive language for middle schoolers. They identify the similes and metaphors in the tale and consider what these descriptions add to the story's emotional...

Thumbprints, like people, are unique. Middle schoolers watch videos that explain how fingerprints are created and why they are unique. Learners then respond to guiding questions about themselves and use these details to create their...

I came, I saw, I conquered! Parallel structure, employed by writers even before Julius Caesar, is the focus of a lesson that teaches young writers the power of this rhetorical device. Class members analyze speeches by Dr. Martin Luther...

If, then, Else is not only a basic programming language command, it is also the basis for conditional statements used in writing. Middle schoolers try to craft conditional statements with a card sort activity and then collaborate on a...

Would a bluebird be as scary as a vulture? Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is the central text in a lesson about symbolism. After a close reading of the poem, learners consider what the raven might represent to the narrator. They then...

An exciting activity has scholars use cell parts to build bacteria through cooperation with other groups. Each group has some of the cell parts needed, but they must trade with other groups to be able to fulfill their function as a...

Students analyze the major theme in the story, "Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash" to change the outcome and design a rule that changed the outcome of the story. The importance of rules and their differences formulate the basis of this lesson.

Students discuss an article on cloning and stem cells and complete an Internet cloning activity. In this genetic engineering lesson, students analyze stem cell issues by reading an article and participating in a class discussion. They...

Students experience how to make decisions other than by default, by whim or chance, on the basis of emotions, or because of influence from others. They can make sound, healthy decisions by using a modification of the scientific method.

Students examine archaeological studies to gather information on the physcial and cultural development of humankind. Using that information, they describe hunter-gatherer societies and how they developed tools and fire. Using maps,...

Students combine their knowledge of genetics, farming and nutrition to design a genetically engineered food. Students focus on how the food will be improved, how it differs from the original product, what types of modifications will be...

Learners help create a classroom display for use throughout the year in this Art-based cooperative-learning activity. The display can then be modified for different seasons and activities. Ideas for season modifications are given.

Students discuss and view examples of the illuminated manuscripts that were created during medieval times and into the Renaissance. In small groups, they research the resources that were used to create the manuscripts and classify them...

Students apply their knowledge of simple and complex inheritance of human traits to this activity, which prompts students to fill in the blanks and complete the chart. The worksheet refers to Chaper 15 of an unnamed textbook, but it...

In this Workplace worksheet, students write about the main provisions of five acts which made modifications to the workplace, then answer several questions in short answer form.

Students practice various math skills using a polyhedral die. For this dice game lesson, students practice multiplication, addition, place value, and money using games. Standard dice may be used instead of a polyhedral die with...