Time for a shift in thinking! Learners examine translations of linear functions. They use function notation to describe the translation and make connections to the graph.

Introduce your class to map projections and coordinates, the basics for the work done in a GIS, with an activity that uses Google Earth to challenge learners to think about the earth's shape. 

Connect the size of a rolling cup to the size of circle it makes. Pupils view videos of cups of different sizes rolling in a circle. Using the videos and additional data, they attempt to determine a relationship between cup...

There is power in spreadsheet formulas and learners use this power to model quadratic data. Given a scatterplot of a parabola, pupils create formulas in a spreadsheet to populate the data. The formulas they use lead to an understanding...

Students explore the differences between learned and innate behavior among humans and monkeys. They complete an assignment and read articles about two studies, which used similar test methods to show that infants and monkeys share an...

Learners demonstrate a higher level of thinking in writing a poem that delivers a message of wisdom and is metaphorical in meaning. They study the use of metaphors in poetry as well as the meaning and use of concrete and abstract words...

Eleventh graders examine their natural surroundings as a way to begin thinking about an abstract idea. They analyze and compare or contrast the rhetorical stategies of two essayists. Students interpret and evaluate images culled from...

Students explore, analyze and study Abstraction through an ancient Greek sculpture and then create a self-portrait utilizing geometric shapes. They actively seek how to connect the past to the present through the medium of sculpture via...

Students develop an elementary understanding of the history of art. They study the basic elements of a painting including perspective, composition, color, light and symbolism. They look at each selected painting and analyze it, moving...

Where is the line of symmetry? Learners begin by drawing in a line to split three images evenly in half, using an example as reference. Encourage them to think about physically folding the picture to solidify this concept. Next, they do...

The object is to model fraction division by asking “How many are in one group?” It is a difficult concept to understand, but developing the model that shows one cup to a certain amount of container or one container to a certain amount of...

Pupils determine equations that match the graphs of transformations and the parent quadratic function. The resource requires class members to attend to precision and think abstractly.

A reading of Theodore Roethke’s dark "Root Cellar" and Sylvia Plath’s more abstract "Mirror" launches a discussion of imagery and personification in poetry.  After finding examples of personification in the poems, class members...

High schoolers, after reading and discussing, "The Metamorphosis," by Franz Kafka, explain the symbolism of Gregor's metamorphosis moving beyond a literal view of "he turned into a bug" into the idea that...

After elections, the total amount of votes is not specified but the ratio of votes is. Your learners' job is to determine the fraction of votes John received above half of all votes. The problem can be solved abstractly or by other...

Here's an exercise designed for the Common Core Literacy Standard L.11-12.6 that asks learners to demonstrate their ability to put together all they have learned about language. The first activity is based on a passage from Rosencrantz...

After getting to know the inventor, Leonardo da Vinci and his many inventions, scholars think up their own invention. Following a written description and a hand-drawn picture, learners use a method of mirror writing and antiquing to give...

Kids may be a little resistant to this rainy day idea, but it could produce some amazing art. They paint a watercolor picture of anything they like. When they are done, they take their paintings outside and let the rain work its magic!...

After calculating election votes, your learners must determine how many votes the winner, John, got above 50%. This multi-step problem encourages them to think in a deeper way about what the question is asking them to find. Use with...

Scholars demonstrate their knowledge of root words aqua and aud, and develop vocabulary skills by completing of a chart, handout, and worksheet using creative thinking skills, a dictionary, and a thesaurus.   

A series of 4 activities foster critical thinking, careful observation, and creative expression with the work of Canadian artist Robert Harris. Learners respond to half a painting and then to the whole picture while listening to a poem;...

When it comes to rating educational calculators, this calculator is always near the top of this list. Now it's available as an app. There is a lot of calculator power wrapped up in this app. Not only is this a fully functioning...

We landed on the moon with less computing capabilities than you can find in this app! Here is a multiple function calculator that takes all the power you get from a handheld and adds the wonderful large screen that only a tablet can...

Students compare two abstract paintings of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman and examine their artistic process. In this abstract art lesson, students consider the choices artists make using color, shape, composition, proportion, style, and...