Explore optics using an inquiry-based experimental approach! Young scholars use a set of materials to design and build a unit capable of focusing a beam of light. They experiment with different lenses to determine the best approach to...

Learners respond to multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions to demonstrate their understanding of global history and geography.

More asthma attacks happen at higher altitudes, but why? Scholars complete worksheets, learning about homeostasis and feedback related to breathing. Then, they work in small groups to experiment with breathing in limited amounts of...

Gain an understanding of the test before taking your own. Scholars develop an understanding of how calculus concepts appear on the AP® exam. The six released questions come from across the curriculum and include particle movement and...

How could consumer confidence affect an economy otherwise operating smoothly? A prompt from College Board examines the topic. Other questions include exploring the production possibilities of two fictional nations and evaluating a...

In a simple but unique lesson plan, youngsters learn about the history of voting systems. They then collaborate in groups to develop a new honest and consistent voting method. A class-wide poll is taken, evaluating the designs of other...

Bring this non-fiction text into your eleventh and twelfth grade classrooms. Your high schoolers will read the long passage provided, and use the information to complete eight multiple-choice questions. The answer sheet details where one...

Take your time with this lesson plan. Junior engineers read about different types of clocks and then work together to build a pendulum time-keeper. There are no hints as to how they might go about accomplishing this complex task, so you...

My friend told me how electricity is measured and I was like Watt! In the hands-on activity, learners explore electricity by building circuits, both parallel and series. They also determine how increasing the number of light bulbs and...

Teams design and build a windmill, under budget, that can lift an object. The groups evaluate and reflect on their own design, then on those produced by other teams. The goal is to determine which design is the most...

What happens to light as it passes through a hole? This is the main question centered around the designing of a solar eclipse dynamic art piece that uses a solar eclipse and paper to create a pinhole projection of the art.

Whatever floats your boat—with some additional weight. The first activity in a five-part series challenges pupils to design a boat to hold pennies. Using the design process, learners design, build, and test their boats, making sure they...

Mixtures, weighted percentages, and varying speeds make problem solving difficult. The resource give learners a strategy for tackling these types of problems effectively. 

Water is a powerful force; harness it through watermills. The task at hand is to create a simple watermill that functions in flowing water for at least three minutes. Scholars work together in teams to design and construct such a...

A lever comes in handy when scholars build a launcher for a ping-pong ball. They test the launcher and redesign it to send the ball higher or to accommodate a tennis ball. This is the third lesson in a five-part unit.

Shake up your lessons on earthquakes. A simple seismograph lets scholars record "earthquakes" in the classroom. These earthquakes occur when classmates drop balls from different heights. Young scientists measure these with seismographs...

Wind it up and let it go. Individuals build a basic spool racer in the second portion of a six-part unit on energy. After receiving three criteria, pupils modify their designs to meet the new challenge. Pairs compete against each other...

Can you determine how far down a rock drops without visual clues? Viewers observe a clip from a movie testing vertical distance only based on sound. They must determine if it is safe to drop down themselves or if it is farther than their...

A seven-question assessment determines how well your learners understand the procedures to add, subtract, multiply, and divide signed rational numbers. Pupils show their understanding through problem-solving situations. 

Students design a solar still and purify water.  In this earth process and design lesson, students observe how the heat of the sun helps to purify water. Students analyze why this could be helpful on a desert island.  Students...

As a middle school assessment task, learners interpret the graph of distance versus time for a bike ride. Pupils then determine distance of the trip, length of the trip, and speeds.

Using technology, learners create and deliver a multimedia autobiographical presentation to present to the class. This ambitious lesson has learners use a variety of sources both old and new; magazines, poster board, the Internet, and...

Give scholars the opportunity to show what they know about ordering fractions, decimals, and percents with a five-page, eight-problem independent practice. With clear instructions and supportive advice, learners are bound for a...

Take a moment in your language or social studies class to review key terms and details from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. A quick crossword puzzle allows learners to check understanding before a larger unit, test, or...