Pose the question to your historians: who really freed the slaves? They critically assess various arguments, using primary sources as evidence. In small groups, scholars jigsaw 5 primary source documents (linked), and fill out an...

What a wonderful way to explore wind power! Through this activity, learners get a background in the history of wind power, create their own wind turbine, and the test their designs. This is a terrific way to tie scientific principles to...

After viewing a Prezi presentation on Toulmin’s argument, (claim, reason, warrant, backing, grounds, qualifiers, rebuttals), groups re-examine the format, and then individuals craft an argument essay in response to Lord Chesterfields...

Encourage readers to think deeply about text with a reading strategy that promotes active comprehension. Individuals develop questions on four levels (right there, think and search, author and you, and on my own). Step-by-step directions...

Physical science juniors will enjoy this sensational enrichment on aerodynamics, especially if they are also sports fans! With a focus on physical features and behaviors, collaborative groups make observations on five different golf...

Is the circumference of a circle always, sometimes, or never rational? Learners answer questions individually and also work in groups to look at sums and products of rational and irrational numbers. They must also be able to use the...

You'll need scissors, glue sticks, and mini whiteboards for this activity on rational and irrational numbers. Learners work in groups to classify a variety of expressions as rational or irrational. They are also given a mock discussion...

Interpreting algebraic expressions is a fundamental skill in beginning algebra. This lesson approaches the task in numerous ways. First, learners assess their understanding with a short worksheet on converting between words and...

When is a staple remover a fanged monster? In your ELA classroom when you're teaching this fun figurative language instructional activity, of course! Get your young writers using figurative language by making a game of it. Give groups a...

Using an incredibly engaging activity and detailed lesson plan, your learners will serve as advisors to President Madison on whether to participate in what would become the War of 1812! Utilize a variety of effective instructional...

Your biology class plays the role of epidemiologist when a mysterious illness breaks out in Kildare, USA. Using interviews with doctors, patients, and local citizens, maps, the results from different materials sampling, they work to...

Learners explore scatter plots. In this linear regression lesson, groups of pupils graph scatter plots and then find the line of best fit. They identify outliers and explain the correlation. Each group summarizes and shares their...

Become a bean counter. Pupils use a fun activity to design and execute an experiment to determine whether they can grab more beans with their dominant hand or non-dominant hand. They use the class data to create scatter plots and then...

Is time on your side? Pupils come up with an experiment to test whether their classmates can guess how long it takes for 30 seconds to elapse. They divide the class data into two groups, create box-and-whisker plots, and analyze the...

Provide a real world context in which exponential functions are used to determine a eal world phenomena such as compound interest and exponential growth. This lesson should be taught after students have mastered the laws of exponents and...

Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson plan. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of...

Students rank a list of everyday risks to compare with classmates. They rate each risk on both its ability to be controlled and its observability in the environment. Results are graphed.

Students construct models that demonstrate potential sources of contamination. Students select one type of contamination model (septic system, sinkhole, landfill, disposal lagoon, leaky barrels, oil spill, agricultural contamination) to...

Students determine the normal behavior of California blackworms. They determine how various concentrations of assigned toxicants affect the worm's behavior. Students are introduced to testing of potential toxicants, an important...

Academic goals can lead high schoolers toward bright futures. Get your class to think about where they want to be in 20 years and what they'll need to do to get there with this lesson plan. Learners fill out a brief questionnaire about...

Demonstrate strategies for tackling unfamiliar vocabulary words in preparation for the SAT. Using Visual Thesaurus computer software, middle and high schoolers interpret contextual clues, solve sample sentence completion questions, and...

Learners explore the concept of univariate and bivariate data. In this univaritate and bivariate data instructional activity, pupils discuss the differences between univariate and bivariate data. They work sample problems where they must...