Has your motivation disappeared? The seventh activity in the eight-part mindfulness series has participants remembering a time when they were frustrated by a situation and lacked the motivation to deal with it. They then practice...

An activity stresses the importance of self-motivation by encouraging scholars not to give up and keep trying. When learners feel frustrated, they turn a two-part sentence into a motivational mantra. 

Encourage self-motivation with an activity that allows scholars to reflect on their challenges and set goals to better them. A script prompts pupils to listen to the Can-Do Coach inside them. An inspiring statement reminds...

Run headlong into a great resource. Young mathematicians explore the Nike+ app to see which measure of central tendency motivates runners the most. They use two screenshots of the app to help them make their determinations.

What does it mean for something to grow exponentially, and how does that compare to linear growth? This activity tries to help learners gain an understanding of these concepts while modeling real-world problems. Linear and exponential...

"Fore!" All right, no one really yells this out in miniature golf, but this well-defined activity will have your charges using lots of numbers in their unique design of a miniature golf hole. Included in the activity criteria is the...

Eliminate the hard work of creating an entire literature unit with this reading guide for the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall. From background information about the author and her motivation for writing the story to...

Fifth graders will be clamoring for s'more fractions after they finish this one! Motivated by a chocolate bar used for a yummy campfire treat, learners have to decide how to add fractions without like denominators by discovering the...

In this fantastic simulation, your young historians take on the roles of imperialistic European countries in the nineteenth century and then "scramble" to carve up the continent of Africa! This is a very hands-on activity that will help...

This real-life model of braking distance motivates learners to approach quadratic equations algebraically, numerically, graphically, and descriptively.

To conclude a study of the French Revolution, young historians adopt the voice of critics of Napoleon Bonaparte and lay charges against him. They then craft a memoir in Napoleon's voice that details his motives and what he sees as his...

For kids who love movies, figuring out a schedule for the maximum number that can be seen in one day is not only a good demonstration of Common Core mathematical practices, but also a highly motivating activity. Robert Kaplinsky...

How should America respond to acts of domestic terrorism? What motivates or prompts a terrorist attack? After reading an opinion piece on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, your learners will critically analyze factors that could have...

Collaborative discussions around this retail store problem will be taxing. Calculating discount and tax and the order of the operations are used to motivate an opportunity for learners to make a convincing argument using algebraic...

Comparing the movement of graphs geometrically when small changes are made to the parent function motivates this collaborative discussion on the transformations of functions to their various forms. Vertical and horizontal shifts due to...

Individuals or groups select an environmental issue, then spend time researching and creating a presentation to share in class. By allowing learners to choose the issue that matters most to them, you will motivate them to do...

Few things can motivate children to learn like the promise of a sweet and tasty treat. Given a bag of M&M®s, Skittles®, or other colorful candy, students first predict the contents of the bag before counting the pieces,...

Catching men made of gingerbread motivates your young graphers to begin exploring the concept of finding a point in two-dimensional space. Learners practice locating each cookie by rolling two cubes (one with...

Make your classroom interesting by teaching or assessing through tasks. Deepen the understanding of Geometry and motivate young mathematicians. The task uses investigation with tennis balls and their container to prompt learners to...

Pupils are transformed into detectives in the case to solve the motive behind the assassination of Julius Caesar. This resource includes eight engaging "exhibits" of unique primary and secondary sources for students to analyze...

A basic set-up leads to a surprisingly complex analysis in this variation on the question of surrounding a central circle with a ring of touching circles. Useful for putting trigonometric functions in a physical context, as well as...

Candy is always a good motivator! Use this collection of M&M's® experiments to introduce statistics topics, including mean, standard deviation, nonlinear transformation, and many more. The use of a hands-on model with...

Do polar opposites attract? After an introduction on the polarity of molecules, pupils are asked to design a self-assembling model using materials with different polarity. The challenge should motivate learners to develop a workable...

To demonstrate their understand of the characters in Wuthering Heights and their motivations, readers assume the identity of one of the characters and write a letter to another character in the Bronte's novel.