Today, many young people find it hard to understand why it took over 150 years for women in the United  States to get the right to vote—why there was even a need for the suffrage movement. As they read a series of primary source...

Take this simulated archaeological dig one layer at a time with your young pupils to encourage observation, critical thinking, and careful attention. Using a transparent box full of layers of sand and artifacts, pupils examine the...

Here is a thorough exercise in forming hypotheses for scientific investigations. Young scientists consider factors that may be related to the question they would like to address. They think through measurable changes that may result from...

Use political cartoons to help your class understand the European Debt Crisis and visual symbolism. This analysis handout includes two cartoons depicting the crisis and prompts learners to consider possible symbols and allusions to best...

What is happening to our newspapers? In the context of the current trends of media and the ever-declining print news industry, this handout includes two political cartoons for pupils to analyze, both created by artists working for...

What does your class think about big business bailouts by the U.S. Government? Find out with this activity, where learners analyze a political cartoon comparing the "Big Three" automakers with the Greek Myth of Sisyphus. Background...

What makes a TV program enjoyable? As an introduction to media analysis, kids identify their favorite programs and the elements they find engaging.

Dive into animation creation using Dreamworks® animated films. Compare and contrast characters, wonder and ponder why the plot is so important, and think of background and themes as your creativity unrolls onto paper.

How do databases store and retrieve information? The activities in the resource provide fundamental concepts of databases by introducing an approach that teaches the basics without using computers. The pupils act as the actual data...

Here is a unit consisting of activities designed to challenge your scholars. The extended learning opportunities include planning a celebration, making a presentation to the class, poster making, writing poetry, a problem-solving...

A teacher's guide for Kindred provides instructors with a wealth of materials to enrich either a full-class reading or independent study of Octavia E. Butler's popular science fiction novel. The activities are designed to...

Build a function to solve problems rooted in archeology. A comprehensive set of five lessons presents problems requiring individuals to use functions. The initial lesson asks learners to find the possible number of dinosaurs from a...

Double the dog ears, double the fun. Five problems provide increasing challenges with non-linear growth. Topics include dog ears, family trees and population data, and geometric patterns.  

Who wouldn't want to wear four pairs of sunglasses? Each pair of sunglasses reduces the percent of incoming light by one-half. An interactive tutorial helps young mathematicians build a graph that models this scenario. They...

Students compare real-time Earth and Mars measurements for temperature, wind speed, humidity and atmospheric pressure by accessing Internet-data resources from NASA. They access real-time weather data and maps for their school location.

Students locate and access data to help them with their science inquiry.  In this geographical positioning lesson students evaluate and compare data sets. 

Fourth graders work with patterns while using large numbers. In this patterning lesson, 4th graders go over the definitions of the words: predict, estimate, attendance, increase, and decrease. They complete worksheets in which they track...

In this data handling worksheet, students interpret data found in table, graphs and charts. They organize data and draw bar charts. This two-page worksheet contains 2 multi-step problems.

Students explore different ways to display data. In this statistics lesson plan, students create pie charts, bar graphs and line graphs to show data. Students then write a paragraph discussing which types of graphs are helpful for...

Students explore and discuss hurricanes, and examine how meteorologists, weather officers, and NASA researchers use measurement and data analysis to predict severe weather. They plot points on coordinate map, classify hurricanes...

Students define terms and analyze data. In this statistics lesson, students plot their data using bar and line graphs. They analyze their data after they graph it and apply the results to the Great Depression.

Learners analyze sculpture, poetry, and music to gain an understanding of historical events. In this critical thinking skills lesson, students take a closer look at African-American history as they examine "Lift Every Voice and Sing'"...

Students explore the concept of literature analysis.  In this literature analysis lesson, students discuss the story elements of a book.  Students also discover how to pair share and use each other as a resource. 

Fifth graders research the Civil War through the use of primary documents. In this historical events of the Civil War activity, 5th graders write about the information gotten from the primary document. Students answer critical thinking...