Few children's books convey the message of conservation as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Read the story aloud, emphasizing the interconnectedness of plants and animals in an ecosystem and discussing different ways people can help...

Circles, lines, dots, boxes: graphs come in all shapes in sizes. Scholars learn how to make a bar graph using univariate data. They also analyze data using those bar graphs.

How does a bank make money? That is the question at the based of a lesson that explores the methods banks use to calculate interest. Groups compare the linear simple interest pattern with the exponential compound interest pattern. 

The distinctive attire of royalty, working class, and peasants of the Victorian era conveys much about the conditions of the time. Learn more about why people dressed as they did, and how their fashion changed during the 64-year reign of...

Students recognize inductive and deductive reasoning and analyze common fallacies in critical thinking.  In this argumentation and logic lesson, students use role playing activities and specific instances of inductive and deductive...

Students write a story.  In this critical thinking and writing lesson, students read a fable, answer the provided thinking skills questions, and write their own fable.

Seventh graders investigate the impact of the Populist Party. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders examine historical documents that enable them to find out what the Populist Party stood for and how Governor Lewelling dealt with...

In small groups and then as a class, young musicians compare and contrast two pieces from the musical film Chicago. They pair up to look at the elements that make each piece similar and define the elements or arrangements that make...

Give examples of transitions and why they are necessary in writing. A bit verbose, this handout is very thorough and provides many examples. The second page lists plenty of transitional phrases in a convenient chart.

Sixth graders compare and contrast the totals from two national football teams for the year. Using the internet, they search for the information they need and create a data bar graph. They use the information they collected to answer...

Students explore the importance of using transitional phrases in their writing. They discuss why transitions are important to their writing and various types of transitions that they can use. Students practice using transitions in their...

Tenth graders explore the influence of art on modern societies. Through the internet, they assess paintings of advertisements for commercial products and social-political beliefs. Using spreadsheet software, the class compares and...

Students examine how migration waves impacted Native American history. They listen to a lecture and take notes, read and discuss handouts in small groups, and create a group table that illustrates the differences and similarities between...

Students participate in a state comparisons scavenger hunt. They write down how certain states are alike and diferent. They write a paragraph on why they would move to a different state.

Twelfth graders complete a music listening log while listening to and discussing Faure Requiem and Rutter Requiem. They complete a two to three page essay comparing the Agnus Dei movements by Faure and Rutter.

In this compare and order numbers learning exercise, 6th graders solve 15 different problems that include comparing and ordering various numbers. They write either greater than or less than to indicate which is greatest in each set of...

Young scholars investigate the Watergate scandal. They compare and contrast the Watergate incident with other White House scandals.

Students examine genocidal events throughout history. Using the internet, they research these events and compare and contrast them with the Holocaust. They analyze the amount of inhumanity towards others throughout history. In groups,...

Ninth graders discover the weapons of World War I. They compare and contrast the weapons used during that time period with the weapons that are used in warfare today. They create a digital slide show with the history, uses, and...

Learners interview employers and employees at local coffee shops about sales and profits and create graphs comparing and contrasting information obtained about the businesses.

Students use NASA satellite data to compare water vapor over the United States.  In this data analysis lesson students use an Excel spreadsheet to map their data. 

What is a signal word? Recognizing these words is an important step in both reading and writing formal text. Review a list of signal words (provided and organized into specific categories), and then have your class play a game to...

What's in a name? Pupils create a data set from the number of letters in the names of classmates. Each group then takes the data and creates a visual representation, such as a histogram, circle graph, stem-and-leaf plot, etc.

Translate transition words for your class with this handout and brief exercise. Fairly straightforward and informative, it includes sample sentences and a working link to a more complete list of transition words. There are two different...