Planning a unit on simple machines? Save some time and energy with this collection of lessons and activities that explores how these devices are used in the real world to make life a little easier. 

How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The lesson includes hands-on activities,...

Through a variety of physical and theoretical situations, learners are led through the development of some of the deepest concepts in high school mathematics. Complex numbers, the fundamental theorem of algebra and rational exponents...

American women have been working toward equal rights since the ink dried on the Declaration of Independence. Focused on the words and actions of Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisholm, and Venus Williams, a language arts lesson takes eighth...

Mathematicians can embark on a math challenge. Fourteen pages of exercises for young algebra learners on fractions, decimals, and percentages let your learners put their skills to the test.  

It doesn't matter if you look on land, in the air, underground, or in water—evolution is everywhere. Scholars complete worksheets with multiple question types as they progress through six online missions creating phylogenic trees. 

A simple real-world problem involving taxi cab fares is used to practice the multplicaiton and division of integers. How many of two different-sized taxis  are needed to transport 75 people to the airport? What is the least...

Interpreting graphs of functions is addressed in a short instructional activity. Distance as a function of time is sketched on a graph, and a few quick questions ask about their meaning. This would make a good short assessment, or a nice...

As a middle school assessment task, learners first examine line graphs of monthly temperatures for two locations, and then match box plots to each line plot.

Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...

How do you assess whether pupils have mastered certain concepts and skills? Designing a performance task that asks learners to demonstrate their skills and providing writers with a rubric that identifies these skills and provides...

Powerful orators make their messages compelling with a combination of factors. Learn how to be an inspirational speaker with a reading assessment activity that presents a list of persuasive speaking techniques, as well as two...

Test mathematicians' knowledge of adding fractions with a brief assessment that challenges them to play teacher while correcting a peer's work. Scholars examine Carl's mathematical response, identify where he went wrong,...

A three-part assessment challenges scholars to read informational texts in order to complete three tasks. Following a brief reading, class members take part in grand conversations, complete charts, and work in small groups to research...

A three-part assessment promotes reading comprehension skills. Class members read literary texts and take notes to discuss their findings, answer comprehension questions, write summaries, and complete charts. 

A three-part assessment challenges scholars to write opinion essays covering the topic of the student council. After reading three passages, writers complete a chart, work with peers to complete a mini-research project, answer...

Scholars read excerpts from the story, Heidi, in a three-part assessment that focuses on comparing and contrasting characters. Each part contains three tasks that challenge learners to discuss, answer comprehension...

Solve simultaneous linear equations, otherwise known as systems of linear equations. Pupils practice solving systems of linear equations by graphing, substitution, and elimination. The workbook provides a class activity and homework...

Conquer any irrational fears you might have of irrational numbers. As class members investigate how to represent numbers geometrically, they learn about rational and irrational numbers, including approximating and ordering rational...

Three days of race car design and driving through the classroom while guessing probability could be a third graders dream. Learn to record car speed, distances traveled, and statistics by using calculation ranges using the mean, median,...

You aced the first test, so your score on the second one shouldn't matter, right? Young pupils first draw a best fit line on a provided scatter plot showing test scores for two different tests. They then evaluate five...

Solve any issues you have with solving linear equations. Learners solve linear equations in one variable, starting with two-step equations, in the first chapter of a 10-part eighth-grade workbook series. They then progress to equations...

Get the ball rolling with this upper-elementary science unit on forces and motion. Offering over three weeks of physical science lessons, this resource is a great way to engage the class in learning about simple machines, friction,...

The brother-sister pair Carlos and Clarita need your class's help in developing their new pet sitting business. Through a variety of scenarios and concerns presented to the siblings, the learners thoroughly explore systems of equations...