In the summer of 1815, snow fell every month in New England. Was this related to the volcanic eruption of Tambora in Indonesia earlier in the year? Young scientists design their own experiments to research the long-term effect a volcanic...

What are the internal and external qualities of a great leader? After individuals reflect on these questions, the group generates a master list. Individuals then consider what they have to offer and where they need help from others to...

How does propaganda influence our vote? Through grand conversation, scholars gain information about what is and how to identify the different ways propaganda is used in a presidential election. Using their new-found knowledge, citizens...

Bridges rely on tension and compression to keep them standing. Pairs test this principle by constructing simple bridges and applying a force to the center. Teams use the provided worksheet to record their observations of the...

Where is my robot? Pupils create programs that utilize the localization services that a Roomba uses to determine its surroundings.

Discover the effectiveness of wind, water, and steam as energy sources. The hands-on activity has young scientists create a turbine from common materials. After constructing the turbines, they use wind, water, and steam to turn them and...

Kirk Beckendorf, a middle school teacher, joined researchers at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica to help maintain automatic weather stations. The lesson plan encourages pupils to track his travels around the region. They connect with...

Introduce young musicians to the history of and different styles of music with an inquiry-based learning activity that asks them to play detectives to determine the similarities and differences among the sheet music found at a series of...

At over 450 pages, John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath can be a challenging choice for full-class, book circle, or independent reading. The activities in a 10-page sample The Grapes of Wrath...

Just like scholars plug something in to close a circuit, they must plug a consonant onto a word to make closed syllables. Help learners distinguish between open and closed syllables with a series of activities that emphasize open...

Familiar puppets set the stage for a thoughtful discussion about friendship. To show what they know, scholars role-play scenarios. Peers offer a thumbs up when they view positive character traits exhibit good friend behavior.  

Discover one more step to being able to solve any one-step equation. Scholars continue their work with one-step equations in the 28th installment of a 36-part module. Tape diagrams and algebraic processes introduce how to solve one-step...

Young scholars examine several maps and consider mapmakers' perspective in early depictions of North America.They determine how the spherical shape of the earth makes any north-south and east-west orientation a matter of perspective. For...

Sixth graders explore line segments, rays, parallel, perpendicular and intersecting lines. The teacher discusses, with the class, real life items that represent each geometric idea studied. They use cotton balls, strings and popsicle...

Fifth graders complete activities to investigate parallel and perpendicular lines. In this plane geometry lesson, 5th graders watch a movie about parallel and perpendicular lines. Students work in pairs to describe and draw the lines in...

Second graders make boats by folding paper. They identify and draw shapes made during the creating process and place lines of symmetry on them. They demonstrate their understanding by completing an activity sheet imbedded in this plan.

Fourth graders explore animals of the rain forest. They create a drawing of an animal in the rain forest. Students research the animal and write a paragraph about the animal. They use a stencil to create a picture of a rain forest animal.

Students collect and analyze data, then draw conclusions from the data and apply basic concepts of probability.

In this subject and predicate instructional activity, students draw a line between the complete subject and the complete predicate in 14 sentences.

Students analyze photographs, then create their own photo essays by using photos, magazine pictures or drawings to illustrate their stories.

First graders investigate the basic needs of a growing plant and make predictions regarding what a seed needs in order to grow. They draw their seed predictions, listen to the book "From Seed to Plant" by Gail Gibbons, and analyze their...

Learners put the events of a story in the correct order.  In this sequencing lesson, students are paired up and labeled A or B.  Learners in each group receive a set of story or event sequence cards and they take turns drawing...

In this subject and predicate worksheet, students review the two main parts of each sentence: the simple subject and simple predicate. They review the definitions of the complete subject and complete predicate. They draw line between the...

First graders identify the beginning, middle, and ending of a story and describe the plot, setting, and the characters. As a class they read a picture story and identify the beginning, middle, and end. Students then draw a picture of...