Cornell University
Plant Cell Crime Scene
Use science to solve the mystery of the Poplar murder. Pupils use forensic botany to determine if a suspect could be the killer. By analyzing images from a Transmission Electron Microscope, learners determine if the material found on the...
Big Learning
The Antarctica Project: A Middle School Mathematics Unit
Antarctica is a big place, large enough to provide ample opportunities to learn about math. A two-week unit teaches middle school mathematics concepts using project-based learning. The resource covers functions, geometry (area,...
Edgate
Great Grids
Learners use grid boxes as a measurement tool and discover how grids are used for mapmaking and scaling down an area. They begin by attempting to draw a model shape drawn by the teacher by using the gridding process. At the conclusion of...
Curated OER
Math - Design a Ship
Students design a ship. They calculate square footage and draw their ship to scale. They build models of their ships.
Curated OER
The Toilet Paper Solar System
Students classify the planets in the solar system, study planetary objects, and measure the relative distance between planets. In this solar system lesson, students use toilet paper to complete a scale model of the distance between the...
Curated OER
Portrait and Figure Drawing
Students practice their drawing skills. In this drawing skills lesson, students complete a self-observation drawing activity and then 3 methods of figure drawing.
Curated OER
Koala Bear Exhibit
Students visit the zoo and study the koala bears. For this habitat lesson, students take a field trip to the zoo and examine the habitat of the koala bears. Students watch videos about koalas and consider the needs of the koalas....
Civil War Trust
Map the Civil War
Mapmaking was a very important element in successfully planning attacks on enemies during the Civil War. Guide pupils through the process of pacing to find the average length of their steps, measure the distance between one object...
5280 Math
Step by Step
One step at a time! A seemingly linear relationship becomes an entirely new type of function. Young scholars build their understanding of step functions by completing a three-stage activity that incorporates multiple representations of...
EngageNY
Searching a Region in the Plane
Programming a robot is a mathematical task! The activity asks learners to examine the process of programming a robot to vacuum a room. They use a coordinate plane to model the room, write equations to represent movement, determine the...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Understanding Wave Motion - Slinky vs. Snaky: Which Spring is Dominant?
Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...
Curated OER
You Are Invited to Design and Build a Dream Room
Seventh graders watch a video and enlarge and shrink scale by applying proportional thinking. They practice measuring, using percentages, computing area, and problem solving.
EngageNY
Comparing the Ratio Method with the Parallel Method
Can you prove it? Lead your class through the development of the Side Splitter Theorem through proofs. Individuals connect the ratio and parallel method of dilation through an exploration of two proofs. After completing the proofs,...
EngageNY
Mid-Module Assessment Task - Geometry (Module 2)
Challenge: create an assessment that features higher level thinking from beginning to end. A ready-made test assesses knowledge of dilations using performance tasks. Every question requires a developed written response.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Classroom Activities: EarthViewer
The spot you are standing in right now—how did it look 2,000 years ago, one million years ago, or even four billion years ago? Scholars use a model of Earth throughout history to learn about continental drift, climate change, changes in...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Classroom: Presentations
High schoolers create a classroom floor plan. In this ultimate classroom instructional activity, students create a floor plan to scale, determine a materials list with cost, and write a summary of their results. They create a...
Curated OER
Scale and Equations
In this Algebra I activity, 9th graders solve equations by using the concept of a scale where unknowns are represented by cylinders and numbers by marbles. The four page activity contains ten problems. Answers are not...
Curated OER
Building My Dream House
Students create their dream house using a spreadsheet for measurements. In this measurements and drawings lesson, students apply concepts of units and conversions as they build and create different shapes. They use Google Sketch-up...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Inner and Outer Planets
Students explore the solar system. In this planets lesson, students learn about the other planets in the solar system. They watch a video clip from National Geographic on the solar system, compare and contrast the planets and create a...
Curated OER
A Model of Earth's Atmosphere
Middle schoolers make a model of the four layers of Earth's atmosphere that represents the characteristics of each layer.
Curated OER
Scale Basketball
Students understand that a spreadsheet can be used to find the best scale to use in a model. They place the distances of the planets of the solar system to the Sun in one column of the spreadsheet. Students try different scales so that...
EngageNY
Logarithms—How Many Digits Do You Need?
Forget your ID number? Your pupils learn to use logarithms to determine the number of digits or characters necessary to create individual ID numbers for all members of a group.
EngageNY
Between-Figure and Within-Figure Ratios
Tie the unit together and see concepts click in your young mathematicians' minds. Scholars apply the properties of similar triangles to find heights of objects. They concentrate on the proportions built with known measures and solve to...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Linear Graphs
A line is a line is a line. As a middle school assessment task, learners first identify graphs of given linear equations. They then identify the equations that represent real-world situations.