I love literature circles! Get your pupils together and have them discuss the book they are reading. They determine and practice their role in the literature circle then discuss the book they are reading. This is a great introduction to...

Read a series of word problems and have your class identify the process to solve them. They practice identifying, comparing, and ordering integers. They focus on recognizing opposites and the absolute value of number. An assessment...

Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...

Once learners are ready to choose a bank, how do they make a smart decision for their financial needs? Scholars help each other by jigsawing the research in groups. After introducing checking and savings accounts with the attached...

Working in small groups students develop three alternative boat designs. They discuss the rationale for the type of hull, propeller, location of ballast, and type of building material used in their design. They build their boat.

As part of a study of voting rights in the US, class members examine Constitutional amendments connected with voting and the role of the Electoral College in the election process.

The youth vote. Rock the Vote. Vote-By-Mail. Electronic voting. Class members investigate issues facing today's voters, and the ways they have adapted over the years to optimize voter turnout.

Should gray wolves be removed from Yellowstone National Park? After researching the complex relationships between the various habitats and species at Yellowstone National Park,  including humans, class members take a position...

After researching recent community or political issues, paired with a review of proper debate format, class members select a topic, adopt a side, and prepare for a debate. The value in this resource is the review of debate procedures,...

Young scholars research an animal of the rainforest. They create a computerized claymation to present their research.

Students identify athletic programs to be cut from school district budget, find out how many students have received college athletic scholarships in past, and interview students and coaches to find out how scholarship search is going if...

The story of one bird provides valuable insight into general animal behaviors and interactions. Young researchers investigate the peregrine falcon using a web search. They analyze the behaviors of the raptor including its migration...

Fourth graders investigate the life of Friar Margil. In this research lesson, 4th graders analyze an illustration of Friar Margil, then create their own illustration of Friar Margil's life. A list of 5 materials is included.

Compelling discussions are the result of open-ended, challenging questions. An introduction to Paideia discussions includes explicit directions about how to prepare readers and how to model the kinds of questions they should develop...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" serves as an exemplar for a mini-lesson on semicolons. Working alone or in small groups, class members first circle all the semicolons in the letter, and then consider how this...

Finding and/or designing a menu of equally weighted synthesizing projects to end a unit can be a challenge. Simplify the task with this menu of individual and group projects meant to accompany a study of The Crucible. Presentations,...

Students gain an understanding that the Sun is the source of all energy. With a partner, they examine various web sites to explore food chains and food webs, later sharing their findings with the class.

Learners analyze and plot the coordinates for several recent earthquakes on a world map. They learn not only about research and geology, but about map-making and data analysis. They think of other ways to analyze the data given.

Students examine artwork by John Singleton Copley depicting the Colonial Period. They use the Internet, reference books and museums to research the time period. They share their impressions and observations with the class about the artwork.

Pupils simulate what it would be like to be archeologists. They evaluate a quadrant area of a lost Roman treasure map. They generate their findings on the map into specific categorizes.

Students are introduced to the various museum functions. In groups, they create a traveling exhibition based on Gutenberg's invention and the first printed book. They share their exhibition with the class and answer any questions presented.

Students identify and represent some common products that are made using petrochemicals and some of the effects that higher gasoline and coal prices would have on the American economy in a graphical format. They synthesize information...

Students develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish.  In this scientific experiment lesson students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment. 

Students analyze age-group population data and make inferences on the impact of the aging population in Canada. They, in groups, focus on health care, social programs and labor issues.