Fifth graders work in groups to practice adding decimals. In this adding decimals lesson, 5th graders call out different money amounts to each other and mentally add the coins called out. Students take turns calling out and adding the...

Third graders arrange numbers up to 1,000. In this arranging numbers lesson, 3rd graders play a game to try and build the biggest number they can using number tiles.  Students work in groups to draw number tiles from a jar and...

Learners view a seven minute video called Gorilla in the Greenhouse. In this Earth day lesson, students review the history of Earth day. Learners work in groups to describe the life cycle of a plastic bag. Students understand that...

Distinguishing between and understanding the purpose of landmarks and monuments is the focus a short activity designed to provide all learners with the context of a performance task. Images of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the...

Reinforce research skills, close reading, teamwork, and biographical writing skills with one collaborative instructional activity. Groups create slide shows detailing the elements of a biography through a presentation on a famous...

Collaboration is the key for this equation-solving lesson. Learners solve a multi-step linear equation that requires using the distributive property. Within collaborative groups, scholars discuss multiple methods and troubleshoot mistakes.

Have your class consider the issue of minors' accountability for their crimes. They discuss specific cases and the general issue of juvenile crime in round table discussions. Use this lesson to emphasize the rules and individual roles...

The second lesson plan in a series of fourteen, this plan takes the short story basics a step further. Learners complete a quiz about the story from the previous day, discuss the text, learn about Anton Chekhov, and work in groups to...

Can utopia be achieved? Included here are three literature worksheets to pair with Lois Lowry's The Giver. Pupils work in groups to come up with solutions to society's issues, individuals back up a statement related to a topic in the...

Who says math is boring? Turn dry concepts like properties and vocabulary into an interesting lesson! Examine the commutative and associative properties of addition and multiplication using geometric reinforcement. Through collaboration,...

Household materials can be used for more than cleaning! In this collaborative experiment, emerging chemists use products such as vinegar and liquid antacid to explore chemical reactions that commonly occur in the human body.

Make your classroom a supportive and communicative place to be before beginning a unit on the Holocaust. Working together as a class, learners reflect on their previous experiences of classroom discussions before establishing a...

Apply scientific principles to designing an experiment to study organisms living on the coral reef in our oceans. Through reading, individuals learn about the coral reef ecosystem and important factors that affect its function....

Explore a basic pattern to practice writing expressions. In collaborative groups, learners examine a contextual pattern and write an expression to model it. The task encourages groups to describe the pattern in multiple ways.

Controlling the efficiency of a greenhouse is a mathematical task. A collaborative project challenges learners to create an efficiency plan for a closed greenhouse. Using algebraic equations, they consider a set of constraints, design...

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...

Explore place value and regrouping with your class. They develop awareness of several ancient number systems and how they differ from the base ten system commonly used today. They play "Chip Trading" with partners to practice addition...

Prepare your pupils for making excellent presentations. Class members discuss elements of a successful presentation, work in groups to come up with their own scripts for the featured video, compare their work to the original...

Continue work on the two-piece poem that compares two characters from Esperanza Rising. Give class members a few minutes to finish their drafts. After they have a complete product, model how to critique and edit the poems with one group....

Put a little love in your classroom! Help middle school scholars understand differences among people and build a sense of community within their school through 10 well-organized lessons. Each unique lesson incorporates writing,...

The answer is blowin' in the wind. Using the resource, scholars read and analyze a model essay about wind power. Next, they work in groups to write an introductory paragraph that expresses an opinion about the topic. 

Pairs of pupils get together in order to measure the heights and lengths of their shadows. They use these measurements in order to predict the height of other friends in class. A good activity to practice measuring things that cannot be...

How can you measure the height of a tree or telephone pole with only a short measuring tape?  It's not a problem when you start by measuring your shadow and your height to create a ratio to use with taller objects. Additional...