How dry is it? It's so dry, the river only runs twice a week! Through an analysis of maps and discussions, pairs learn about droughts across the United States in the ninth of 12 lessons. They then read about, answer questions, analyze...

Students examine the differences between air temperature and ground temperature.  In this investigative lesson students find NASA data on the Internet and use it to create a graph. 

Create a language mosaic to reveal the linguistic diversity in your community. Pupils interview a person with a home language other than English and contribute to a bulletin board display representing the variety of languages spoken. The...

Does increasing the pressure between two moving plates provide a stabilizing force or create more destruction? The hands-on lesson encourages exploration of strike-split fault models. The sixth lesson in a 20-part series asks...

Young mathematicians research and discuss real world math word problems and ways in which they apply math concepts in their everyday lives. They create a storyboard of a math word problem from which they create a slide for a multi-media...

Students examine the process of drawing a picture to scale. They analyze and discuss real-life blueprints for a house, and create a scale drawing of an original invention using calculators and rulers.

Class members will dig this activity that has them trying their hand at recovering artifacts. Groups are assigned a section of a sandbox, carefully uncover the artifacts in their section, and then develop theories about who might...

Is obesity a disease or just a preventable risk factor for other diseases? Scholars attempt to form their own opinions by reading a background of the issue and watching videos that explore the main pro and con arguments using an included...

Learners discover that multiplying transformation matrices produces a composition of transformations. Using software, they map the transformations and relate their findings to the matrices. 

Students practice reading and math skills using technology.  In this main idea activity, students retell the important events of A Birthday for Tia in sequence using Kid Pix.  Students create a bar graph using The Graph...

In this earthquakes worksheet, students create a brochure, poster, or other form of presentation to show what they know about earthquakes. Students complete 4 sections.

Learners identify and analyze map symbols and map grids by completing various worksheets and creating their own map using these skills. Students identify and analyze what latitude and longitude are on a map to play a game of Bingo....

Students watch a portion of "The Wizard of Oz" and discuss how a map could be useful to Dorothy. They identify key components of maps and design a map of their classroom, including a key.

Students design monuments, taking into account what is known about geometric shapes and measuring. Students create a museum complete with monuments and descritions of the monuments. Students provide guides at each monument in order to...

Students chart statistical information on graphs, interpret the information and use it to explain spatial relationships, and identify the relationship between climate and vegetation.

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...

Students examine and plot atmospheric data on bar graphs.

Students choose a fish from anywhere within the Ocean Center. They observe it for a given time, recording its behavior. Students comprehend the concept that living things have individual characteristics that enable them to live in their...

Students review their prior knowledge on topographical maps. Using a map, they examine the sea floor off the coast of San Diego, California. With a partner, they chart the sea floor of an area and use cutouts to create a visual...

Students are introduced to the software program WorldWatcher. In groups, they discover the temperature variations throughout the world and color a map according to the temperatures. They also practice using visualization to communicate...

Parallel parking might be difficult, but finding parallel lines is fairly simple. In this lesson plan, learners first complete an assessment task involving parallel and perpendicular lines in the coordinate plane. Individuals then take...

Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...

Round and round we go. Learners first complete a task on writing equations of circles. They then take part in a collaborative activity categorizing a set of equations for circles based on the radius and center.

To conclude a unit study of Octavia E. Butler's Kindred, groups use MovieMaker or the class website to publish an original story about slavery in America. The detailed project assignment sheet includes a list of possible topics,...