Middle and high schoolers consider the characteristics that make for a great leader. For example, they investigate Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Researchers read a short biography, watch a...

One of the most diverse environments on Earth is the ocean. Young scientists explore the living things found in the ocean during an exciting seven-lesson unit. Their study includes organisms from plankton to invertebrates...

What do clocks and Ferris wheels have in common? Your class can model their heights using trigonometric functions! Scholars first use the Internet to find data on provided landmarks (famous clocks and Ferris wheels). Plotting this data...

What can we find out about the data from the way it is shaped? Looking at displays that are familiar from previous grades, the class forms meaningful conjectures based upon the context of the data. The introductory lesson to...

So the mean is not always the best center? By working through this exploratory activity, the class comes to realize that depending upon the shape of a distribution, different centers should be chosen. Learners continue to explore...

Should the standard deviation be used for all distributions? Pupils know that the median is a better description of the center for skewed distributions; therefore, they will need a variability measure about the median for those...

Just how far off is the least squares line? Using a graphing calculator, individuals or pairs create residual plots in order to determine how well a best fit line models data. Three examples walk through the calculator procedure of...

It is hard to determine whether there is a relationship with the categorical data, because the numbers are so different. Working with a familiar two-way table on super powers, the class determines relative frequencies for each...

It is all relative, or is it all conditional? Using an exploration method, the class determines whether there is an association between gender and superpower wish through the use of calculating conditional relative frequencies. The...

Is 0.56 stronger than -0.78? Interpret the correlation coefficient as the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. An algebra lesson introduces the correlation coefficient by estimating and then...

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,...

Karen Russell's short story "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" has a unique structure that adds value to the story. With the fourteenth activity in a unit about literary analysis and textual support, analyze how Russell has...

Lead your high school class on a journey through the world of symmetry and reflections as you discuss geometric principles. Pupils differentiate between reflections and rotations, explore rotational symmetry, and investigate how to...

Put another set of eyes on your class's historical fiction narratives with one of the final lessons in the unit. Fourth graders use feedback from their peers to annotate their drafts for revision, particularly their bold beginnings and...

Encourage young writers to edit text based on conventions. After reviewing the conventions, fourth graders watch a teacher demonstrate how to revise a paragraph for correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, or dialogue. Then, pairs...

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is an illustrative source of rich prose, deep character development, and strong literary themes. Use two of the book's key chapters, which focus on Waverly's relationship with chess and with her mother, to...

Track character development with an excerpt from Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. As tenth graders examine the relationship between Jing-Mei and her mother, they compare both characters' expectations of each other in the chapter "Two Kinds."

Are you searching for a purpose for geometric constructions? Use an engaging approach to explore dilations. Scholars create dilations using a construction method of their choice. As they build their constructed dilation, they...

How many ways can you create a dilation? Many! Individuals strengthen their understanding of dilations by using various methods to create them. The new technique builds on pupils' understanding of the ratio method. Using the ratio,...

Is it bigger, or is it smaller—or maybe it's the same size? Individuals learn to describe enlargements and reductions and quantify the result. Lesson five in the series connects the creation of a dilated image to the result. Pupils...

Applying a learned technique to a new type of problem is an important skill in mathematics. The lesson asks scholars to apply their understanding to analyze dilations of different figures. They make conjectures and conclusions to...

Learn similarity through a transformations lens! Individuals examine the effects of transformations and analyze the properties of similarity, and conclude that any image that can be created through transformations is similar. The...

How do you fit a tape measure around the Earth? No need if you know a little geometry! Pupils begin by extending their understanding of the Side Splitter Theorem to a transversal cut by parallel lines. Once they identify the...

I can multiply, so why can't I add these radicals? Mathematicians use the distributive property to explain addition of radical expressions. As they learn how to add radicals, they then apply that concept to find the perimeter of...