The incredibly shrinking meter—decimeters to centimeters, to millimeters, and now to nanometers! Learners may have a difficult time visualizing particles on a nanoscale. Help them see a little clearer using a well-designed lesson...

Chart your way to an understanding of nanoscale. Using a Google map, learners estimate a radius around their location of 1,000 and 1,000,000 meters. Predicting what 1,000,000,000 meters would look like takes them off the charts!...

Don't let your eyes play tricks on you ... use scale to keep your eyes in check! Young scholars observe images without scale and try to identify the structure. Then, they look at the same image with a scale bar and assess whether their...

It's a race to the finish! Which ice cube will melt the fastest? Scholars discover the effect thermal energy has on melting ice. They experiment with melting ice cubes on different materials and learn that even at a consistent...

Should sanctuary cities receive federal funding, or do they defy federal laws? That is precisely the question scholars attempt to answer as they prepare for a class discussion or debate. After reading some brief background information,...

It all adds up to one. Pupils solve several items that involve finding sums of fractions in relationship to a whole. The assessment task uses fractions with unlike denominators to determine the amount of a tank of gas and the amount of...

How are forces and motion important to a swing set? Scholars explore the concepts of force and motion using swing sets. In preparation for their own STEM design project, individuals take surveys and data from peers, complete labs on...

While the Spanish claimed to bring civilization to California indigenous peoples, in reality, they also brought violence and forced assimilation to European values. Primary sources, such as the reports of Catholic priests and Europeans...

Build right angles using coordinate geometry! Pupils explore the concept of slope related to perpendicular lines by examining 90-degree rotations of right triangles. Learners determine the slope of the hypotenuse becomes the opposite...

What does similarity have to do with the Pythagorean Theorem? The activity steps through the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem by using similar triangles. Next, the teacher leads a discussion of the proof and follows it by an animated...

Is it a right triangle or not? Introduce scholars to the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem with a lesson that also provides a proof by contradiction of the converse. Pupils use the converse to determine whether triangles with given...

Develop an understanding of the properties of exponents through this series of activities. This third lesson of 15 explores the patterns associated with the power property. Scholars expand the powers before applying the property.

Prove the Pythagorean Theorem using multiple informal proofs. Scholars first develop an understanding of the origins of the Pythagorean Theorem through proofs. They round out the lesson by using the theorem to find missing side lengths...

Examine the application of the Pythagorean Theorem in problem-solving questions. Pupils apply the theorem to find lengths when given different scenarios. They finish the 17th installment in an 18-part series by applying the theorem...

What is the typical length of a yellow perch? Pupils analyze a histogram of lengths for a sample of yellow perch from the Great Lakes. They determine which measures of center and variability are best to use based upon the shape of the...

What's the story? Learners create the first of four storyboards about the invention of the television, incorporating narrative techniques and descriptive details. Next, they offer and receive feedback by participating in a peer critique...

Fifth graders investigate the significant events in America's history. Students listen to a variety of books based on significant historical events in America. Students divide into 6 groups, each of which is responsible for researching...

Students calculate mileage and determine how long a trip take and what stops are necessary as they plan a vacation within the United States. They take money, food, lodging and gas into account for budgeting purposes.

Sixth graders study the characteristics of volcanoes in this unit. They apply the research to the study of three volcanoes in Japan. They complete mapwork, identify indicators of impending volcanic activity, and describe the dangers...

Learners observe and measure tree leaves.  In this leaf lesson students do on a "leaf walk" then use the leaves they find to complete a few activities. 

Students examine primary sources. In this lesson on political parties, students view historic documents, speeches, and photos to trace the rise and fall of particular political parties. Students will be looking at the success of each...

In this habitats worksheet, 4th graders answer 11 multiple choice questions about the lives, the habitat and the social skills of the meerkats, with answers included.

In this fiction books worksheet, students complete 7 multiple choice questions about the book, "Predator." These questions contain concepts such as choosing the correct author, who published the book, when it was on the New York Times...

Students present scenes from As You Like It and critique presentations of their peers.  For this As You Like It lesson, students stage the opening scene, experimenting with different approaches to find the tone and style they think...