Explore environmental care by conducting a pollution experiment. You'll discuss the causes of pollution in our environment and what the overall impact will be if we can't change our ways. Clear plastic tape, a can, and compass are used...

Students study how to create a compost heap. For this composting lesson, students create a compost heap. Students write an essay describing the process.

Middle schoolers create an indoor container garden. In this container garden lesson, students explore seed germination. Middle schoolers discuss edible seeds.

Students determine ways of conserving water and write a Big Book about them. In this water conservation instructional activity, students participate in a puppet show about Drip and Drop, and ways to conserve water. They write a book that...

Learners experiment with the color and solar energy absorption. In this color and solar energy absorption lesson, students spend two days discussing and experimenting with the concept of energy absorption. They paint cans with different...

What better day to celebrate the US Constitution than on Constitution Day! After reading a short passage about the different understandings of habeas corpus and ex post facto, sixth graders respond to 10 multiple choice and short...

Dirt Bike Proportions is a multi-player racing game that allows students from anywhere in the world to race one another while completing equivalent proportions!

Creating an environment where learners feel both educated and empowered challenges any teacher when discussing a sometimes bleak topic. A respectful resource provides them with the details and permits them to make a plan of action....

Scholars become rocket scientists as they take off on a journey exploring Newton's laws of motion. After learning the laws of motion, pupils design their own investigations using straw rockets. They highlight their literacy skills in a...

Order up a unit on rational numbers. A unit overview gives a basic outline of instruction and activities on rational numbers for the 7.NS domain. A performance task on profits at pizzerias assesses understanding of the concepts in the...

Scholars become detectives and use science to solve a crime! A complete unit introduces DNA and includes hands-on activities that have learners model DNA and extract it from different food types. A culminating activity challenges...

Use texts and dances to teach inequalities and equations. A sixth-grade unit covers using variables in equations and inequalities to solve problems. Learners show what they know at the end of the unit using two performance tasks, one...

Make the connections between area, tiling, and multiplication. A performance task and associated unit presents the concept of area and makes the connection to multiplication. Pupils work through three major sections of instruction that...

Create a geometric playground. Pupils work through a performance task to demonstrate their ability to use geometric concepts to solve everyday problems. The accompanying engineering design lessons show teachers how the assessment works...

The lesson guides young academics through the steps in producing a 10-page research paper on any topic in American history. Historians begin by formulating a thesis and gathering resources, then move on to creating an outline, and end...

What makes a community? How communities differ? Young scholars research different types of communities, small rural towns, and large crowded cities. They respond to writing prompts, and write essays in groups to understand the wide...

How do humans affect ecosystems? Learners read two articles and interpret a graph to develop essays on the human impact on ecosystems. They read about human impact on tigers and manatees as a basis for their overarching papers.

Don't jump to conclusions but to products instead. Pupils participate in an online race as penguins. Users choose the ice sheet with the correct product to the individual's multiplication prompt. The penguins jump from one product to...

Students are introduced to the safety procedures to follow while boating. After taking a quiz, they complete open-ended questions about boating accidents in Illinois. They discuss as a class how those accidents could have been prevented.

What is the difference between formal and informal letter writing? Who gets a formal letter? What about an informal letter? This reference page presents different introductions and phrases you might see in each type of letter, and then...

Second graders investigate the process that creates wind. In this wind activity, 2nd graders create a wind diagram. Students write an essay to accompany their diagram.

Students calculate gains and losses of stock portfolios. Although the Global Stock Game (GSG) calculates profits and losses automatically, students should learn the basic math skills in calculating their stock investment the...

Students explore ocean biology by participating in a plant growing activity. In this seaweed lesson, students identify the importance and uses of seaweed in the ocean and examine different seaweed samples. Students utilize an aquarium,...

Students construct sentences using nouns and verbs from a "renewable energy" word bank. In this cross curriculum ecology and sentence structure grammar and mechanics instructional activity, students listen to the book Our Earth: Clean...