Activity
Illustrative Mathematics

Lake Algae

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Introduce learners to exponential growth with this real-world problem about algae that is rapidly spreading across a lake in a city park. The task presents the rate of growth and an end value and asks learners to determine what happened...
Handout
West Contra Costa Unified School District

Using Derivatives to Graph Polynomials

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
You can learn to graph as well as a calculator using calculus. The lesson introduces using derivatives to find critical points needed to graph polynomials. Pupils learn to find local maximums and minimums and intervals of increase...
Activity
Macmillan Education

Celebrations: St Patrick’s Day

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a couple of fun English language exercises. After first activating students' prior knowledge about Ireland and Irish culture during a class discussion, learners work in pairs or small groups to...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Electric Motor

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
How does a direct current run a motor? Pupils control five variables in an electric motor and observe how the force diagram changes. The force, magnetic field, and current vary based on the changes in the design of the magnet and...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Molecular Genetics of Color Mutations in Rock Pocket Mice

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Can you identify mutations just by viewing DNA sequences? Scholars apply prior knowledge of DNA sequences to do just that in an engaging activity. They transcribe and translate genes, thus identifying the locations of mutations. Then,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Predicting Events in Realistic Fiction

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
How do you make a prediction? Practice active reading comprehension strategies, like making predictions, with your readers. Learners make predictions during the independent reading of Dogs Don't Tell Jokes by Louis Sacher. They observe...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Ah, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer! Before your class reads this classic novel, encourage them to activate prior knowledge and build interest in the book with the KWHL strategy. Directions for walking your class through this strategy are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Inferences - An Introduction

For Teachers 7th
Help your learners identify the inferences they make every day with this SMART board activity. With a comic strip in the first presentation slide, they make inferences about the situation. A discussion addresses what type of prior...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Organelles and Their Functions

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students will be using Inspiration, which is a graphic organizer computer program, to create their own model community where they will label the community parts with the corresponding organelle. They will have prior knowledge of cell...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spider "How To" Make a Spider

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Young chefs follow the set-by-step instructions of a recipe and use their prior knowledge of the body parts of a spider to make edible spider cookies.  After completing a pre-writing graphic organizer they then write a "how to"...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Octopus Lesson Plan

For Teachers K - 4th
Children explore the life of an octopus. They listen to a story, answer prediction questions and share their prior knowledge of animals. Students observe the defense mechanism of the octopus. They create an imaginary defense mechanism...
Interactive
Curated OER

Student Exploration: Eclipse

For Students 4th - 7th
In this earthquake exploration worksheet, students complete 3 prior knowledge questions, then use "Eclipse Gizmo" to conduct several activities, completing short answer questions when finished.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Case for Clues

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Here's a strategy that can be used with any narrative, whether read by the instructor or as independent reading. At the end of each chapter, learners predict, using prior knowledge as clues, what will happen in the next chapter. Readers...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Molas

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders apply their prior knowledge of the Principle of Balance to create a paper mola. Students examine a variety of molas, which are fabric works of art made by women in the country of Panama. To arrange the composition of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United States History Pretest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Have your U.S. history class engage in pre-assessment activities at the beginning of the school year. They activate prior knowledge to answer questions. They also use information about particular topics to fill in a graphic organizer....
Interactive
Curated OER

Student Exploration: Building Topographic Maps

For Students 4th - 6th
In this earthquake exploration learning exercise, students complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use "Building Topographic Maps Gizmo" to conduct several activities, completing short answer questions when finished.
Interactive
Curated OER

Student Exploration: 2D Eclipse

For Students 4th - 6th
For this earthquake exploration worksheet, students complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use "2D Eclipse Gizmo" to conduct several activities, completing short answer questions when finished.
Lesson Plan
Austin Independent School District

Social Studies Strategies: Concept of a Definition Map

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Model for your class members how to use a definition map to make connections between new words and prior knowledge. Although the strategy is designed for social studies classes, the approach can be use at any grade level and in any...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Complexity Madness

For Teachers 5th
After introducing the concept and formula for finding the area of a square, try this instructional activity. Fifth graders will use their prior knowledge to break apart various shapes in order to determine area. This instructional...
PPT
Curated OER

Prior Knowledge Investigation-Food Webs

For Teachers 7th
Students explore food webs. They identify any misconceptions of producers, consumers or decomposers and their relationship within a food web. Students draw an example of a food web for each of the examples that are given. They address...
Lesson Plan
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Discovery Education

Election in the News

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young people are the future voices of the country. In order to be knowledgeable about local and federal elections, future voters must first become aware. Bring an informative lesson plan to your social studies class, in which middle...
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Year 4: Julius Caesar and Imperial Rome

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The study of the life of Julius Caesar can be divided into three parts: his early life and military successes, his reign as dictator, and the rise of the Roman Empire after his death. Young scholars demonstrate their mastery of the facts...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Editorial Writing

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Use your class's knowledge of pollution and water treatment to write an editorial to town citizens. They apply prior knowledge in order to compose a letter intended for newspaper publication, focusing on writing to an appropriate audience.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Compass Rose for the New Millennium

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders are introduced to the concepts of a compass rose and how it used in relationship to reading maps in geography. The activity is meant to build upon prior knowledge and skills.

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