Is bigger really better? By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to apply formulas for computing the diameter of tires and wheel assemblies. Begin by showing a slide presentation that will review definitions for radius and...

Break down the parts of argumentative writing with a critical thinking activity. High schoolers read an article of your (or their choice), and use a graphic organizer to delineate the ways the author structures his or her arguments.

Throw down with a fun language arts game! Armed with a hand of writing-themed cards, learners craft arguments based on the strategies written on the cards, dropping cards as they discuss their claims further until there are no strategies...

Dr. Seuss and Walter Dean Myers team up to cover the topic of prejudice. Using The Sneeches (about the culture clash between star-bellied and bare-bellied Sneetches) and The Glory Fields (about a boy coming to America on a slave ship),...

Challenge young mathematicians' understanding of squares with this geometry puzzle. The task is simple, identify as many squares as possible in a 3x3 array. Allow learners to work independently or in pairs as they search for squares,...

Student statisticians calculate ratios to determine how many shades of green were mixed by Ms. Baca's art class. They graph the number of blue parts against the number of yellow parts for each combination and discover that some produce...

Bring your math class around with this task. Learners simply identify parts of a given circle, compute its radius, and estimate the circumference and area. It is a strong scaffolding exercise in preparation for applying the formulas for...

In a simple activity, physical scientists model nuclear fission using a droplet of oil. This can be used alone in a unit on different types of energy, or as part of the energy conservation unit produced by the Texas State Energy...

Question: What do rectangles and bathtub volume have in common? Answer: Linear equations. Learn how to identify situations that have constant rates by examining two different situations, one proportional and one not proportional.

Money can't buy happiness, but it can put food on the table and pay the bills. The first of a five-lesson unit teaches pupils about the unemployment rate in 1963 and its relationship with the March on Washington. They learn how to create...

Sometimes a novel is the best way to tackle a tough topic. A helpful educator's guide for the novels of Gayle Forman discuss tough topics such as teenage suicide. Discussion questions and writing activities encourage readers to think...

Livestock managers reinforce math and science skills while learning about the nutrients found in manure. They predict which animal produces the largest amount and which animal's manure contains the most nitrogen. Finally, they compare...

Through an interdisciplinary lesson, emerging engineers explore the history of surveying systems. After discussing various systems, they perform surveys on printable pages. Using their geometric skills, they physically stake out plots...

Have you ever studied historical words and found that they were deeply rooted in racism or prejudice? Select a long list of these words to have your class examine. What familiar roots do they have? Do they know when this word originally...

Although unlikely in today's English classroom, this lesson focuses on introducing research papers to seniors in high school. It briefly reviews the parts of an essay, and mentions showing learners example essays, but no examples are...

Who has been messing with my trampoline? Young writers choose local events as the basis for their own “Who Did It?” mystery. They then devise a plot, problem, and cast of characters and write an introduction explaining the problem and...

Mount a variety of pictures (fantasy, rustic, portraits, action) on large sheets of paper and post them around the classroom. Groups rotate from poster to poster, adding adjectives to describe each of the pictures. Writers use these word...

High schoolers engage in daily spelling and vocabulary practice of workplace-related terms with definition matching exercises, word scrambles, dictation, sentence writing. Finally, they compose a short essay in which they use the words...

Critical thinkers read a summary of a United States Supreme Court case, including important background information and the court's final decision. They form an opinion in agreement or disagreement regarding the case and then write an...

Learners practice consulting a thesaurus to find synonyms for each of 14 words on a list. They circle one of three choices as a synonym to match the target word. The list features adjectives you might call esoteric. 

Your class can practice public speaking by demonstrating an original recipe or how-to project. They must include images and speak for at least five to ten minutes. This is a very well outlined lesson plan that will be comprehensive for...

Develop spoken fluency, persuasive speaking skills, and confidence by having your class practice their public speaking skills. They compose and deliver persuasive speeches as they participate in five different speech tasks. A...

Did you know that November is Novel Writing Month? In the first of a series of lessons, class members are introduced to the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project.

Readers participate in a cloze procedure of John Milton’s Paradise Lost.  A detailed rationale of and directions for using the procedure are included with the passage template.