Don't just sink the boat. Using a closed container as a submarine, pupils experiment to see what to add to the container to make it float, sink to the bottom, and hover in the middle. After finding one option, learners see if they can...

Put all the balls (same type of ball) in the middle of the basketball court. One person from each team must run to the center of the court and bring back the ball to their team's hula hoop. If using soccer balls, players must dribble;...

No fair! I had to run more than they did! Young mathematicians first measure various lengths on a school track. They develop strategies and show calculations to prove that all participants will run the same length using a staggered...

Individuals play a computer game to terraform planets. Learners add plants, animals, fungi, and minerals to the planet surface by creating numerical expressions that represent the objects. After playing the game for a while, the class...

It may take up less space, but the mass stays the same. Tackle a common misconception about conservation of mass using a hands-on instructional activity. Learners measure the mass of substances before and after melting, dissolving, and...

Help youngsters make connections between two different texts. They read two stories about the same character, Ira Sleeps Over and Ira Says Goodbye. They discuss how the character of Ira acts in each of the stories, how he...

In this mathematics worksheet, 1st graders identify various numbers and use counters to illustrate each fact given. Then they complete the math sentences correctly.

Students compare the news angle, information sources and construction of different news reports about the death of Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. They analyze how various media outlets report on a different news story.

Young scholars use playing cards to examine probability. In this probability instructional activity, students work in groups with a deck of cards and predict if the next card they lay down will be high or low. Young scholars fill out a...

In this dominoes worksheet, students solve a word problem involving different ways to put dominoes together. Students complete 1 complicated higher order thinking problem.

Systems of parallel lines have no solution. Pupils work examples to discover that lines with the same slope and different y-intercepts are parallel. The 27th segment of 33 uses this discovery to develop a proof, and the class determines...

Learners compare three sets of fractions using the greater than, less than, and equal signs. To justify their answers, a drawing is also required that illustrates their reasoning. Including fractions with like and unlike denominators, as...

Life's a beach! The 16th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program first examines different types of coasts and how they form. An activity then has learners investigate the shoreline...

Ever played 20 Questions? A similar game helps young learners practice asking and answering yes-or-no questions. Spread out several objects, preferably all similar with slight variations (buttons or coins would work well). A leader...

Fifth graders have a debate and defend one of the three different perspectives of the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson plan, 5th graders defend either the North, the South, or the Neutral perspectives.

Middle schoolers read two articles about the same event: "Plane from J.F.K Crashes off Canada" from the New York Times and "No Survivors from Crash of Swissair Jetliner Off Nova Scotia" from the Associated Press. They then compare the...

Working in teams, pairs, or individually, scholars select one resource from a gallery of historical sources and consider which examples might be considered propaganda, the techniques used to persuade audiences, and evaluate how the...

Let's build a castle! Dennis and Cody have big plans, but do they have enough blocks between the two of them to accomplish their goal? A great context that requires learners to add and compare mixed numbers. Encourage the use of pictures...

Density: the reason a giant pumpkin will float, but a tiny cranberry won't. Lesson begins with a demonstration of two of the same-sized cubes having different densities. Then pupils take eight cubes, each of the same size, and have to...

After analyzing newspaper articles portraying different perspectives of the explosion of the Battleship USS Maine, your young historians will take a stand on which position is the most believable in both discussion and writing.

Engage emergent readers in learning their basic sight words with this fun game of bingo. With four simple 3x3 game boards including a total of 32 different sight words, this resource is a must-have for any primary...

If you discover an unknown powder, how do you determine if it is safe? Lesson uses four different tests to identify the properties of various powders that appear the same. Then scholars get an unknown powder and have to determine which...

Get your classes moving and practicing sequences at the same time! Learners move about the room solving problems and finding their solutions. Problems include both recursive and explicit formulas and both geometric and arithmetic sequences.