A math model is a good model. A slide show presents 10 sample items on modeling and data analysis. Items from Smarter Balanced illustrate different ways that Claim 4 may be assessed on the 8th grade math assessment. The presentation is...

To solve or not to solve that is the problem. A slide presentation of 17 items show different ways that Smarter Balanced assesses Claim 2, problem solving. The items span from sixth and seventh grade concepts to highlight the...

Sometimes it's how you ask the question that counts. The sixth installment of nine from the Smarter Balanced Claim 1 Slideshow series presents a set of 13 questions to assess understanding of angle relationships as well as area and...

The toasts are written, the table is set: it's time to party! Young scholars use a role-playing activity to go toast to toast. After researching and writing toasts for their allied countries during the modern Age of Empires, individuals...

Time for statistics and learning to overlap! Learners examine Venn Diagrams as a means to organize data. They then use the diagrams to calculate simple and compound probabilities.

How can mineralogists tell a diamond in the rough from a chunk of table salt? Science scholars find out through an interactive that demonstrates the characteristics of minerals used for identification purposes. Topics include hardness,...

Reinforce historic knowledge of Christopher Columbus with an activity book compiled of a variety of coloring pages, puzzles, questions that spark discussion, and learning games. 

Get some laparoscopic training without the pain with an activity that challenges class members to find out what it is like to perform laparoscopic surgery. Teams perform three different tasks and quantify their performance. The...

Circles, circles, everywhere! Pupils learn all about circles, central angles, inscribed angles, circle theorems, arc length, area of sectors, and radian measure using a set of 12 lessons. They then discover volume formulas through...

Let units pave the way to success. A set of five questions in a helpful PowerPoint presentation highlights the SBAC Claim 1 Target C high school item specifications. It covers the use of units to steer solutions, identifying appropriate...

How do you create a residual plot? Work as a class and in small groups through the activity in order to learn how to build a residual plot. The activity builds upon previous learning on calculating residuals and serves as a...

Life's not fair, but decisions can be. The 17th installment of a 21-part module teaches learners about fair decisions. They use simulations to develop strategies to make fair decisions.

Assess the ability of the class to solve percent problems with an assessment that covers a variety of percent problems from basic to multi-step. Pupils make connections between percent problems and proportional thinking to complete...

Solving these percent problems is a matter of counting. Pupils find percents by counting the number of events that meet the criteria and the total number of possibilities. Participants create the ratio and convert it to a percent to...

Make an estimate by getting in line. The class works with scatter plots and lines of best fit to make an estimate for given values. Pupils determine whether there is a positive or negative correlation and draw a best-fit line. Using the...

What's so amazing about birds? Find out just how amazing birds are with a physics of animal behavior unit created by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Have learners explore and tap into their observational skills and notice how birds fly, what...

All it takes is a little adventure to interrupt a quiet, simple life. A study guide for The Hobbit explores the adventures that disrupt Bilbo Baggins' quiet life. Questions discuss key events found within J.R.R....

Math can be a problem in eighth grade. Sample items show how problem solving exists within the eighth grade standards. Part of the Gr. 8 Claim 2 - 4 Item Slide Shows series, the presentation contains eight items to illustrate the...

In statistics, probability rules—literally! Learners use their previous knowledge and explore a set of rules for conditional probability, independent probability, and complements. Given different scenarios, they must determine what type...

Budding artists study the history and significance behind ancient mosaics and mosaic murals. They study multiple examples of ancient mosaics, sketch a design, and use clay tiles to create thoughtful mosaics of their own. 

Get your kids moving on the first day of school! This action verb activity doesn't have to be used as an ice breaker, but it sure will work as one. Simply place pairs of cards face-side down on the carpet, each with an action verb...

Just as skin covers your body limiting what can go in and out, plasma membranes cover cells to do the same. Scholars begin with a presentation that gives overview of the structure and function of plasma membranes. Then, they learn how...

After reading about marine engineers and naval architects, it's all hands on deck to design and test a speed boat. This instructional activity is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering and can be a centerpiece...

The system of checks and balances is integral to the functionality of the United States government. Learn more about the ways the three branches of the government work together—and about the limitations of their power—with an informative...