Should college admissions decisions be based on whether whose family members attended? Secondary students read and respond to a New York Times article on the issue of 'legacy preferences' in college admissions. Following class...

Checking boxes on any admissions application is par for the corse. How much does race selections factor into admissions decisions? Kids read a New York Times article on the topic and then answer seven who, what, when, where, and why...

In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...

To prepare for crafting their own memoir, class members examine poetry by Margaret Atwood, Billy Collins, Robert Hayden, and Claude McKay, stories by Richard Rodriquez and Willa Cather, and Barry Levinson's film Avalon. They examine...

Entrance essays are the ultimate sales pitch! Show your seniors how to market themselves in the first of six college and career readiness lesson plans. Pupils discover the do's and don'ts of writing personal statements through research,...

How does the color of the sky change from blue to reds and oranges to black? An illuminating lesson explains how light travels through different mediums using the sun's light as an example. By examining diagrams and illustrations, pupils...

A tasty treat lends its curious substance to space exploration. Mimicking the discoveries of Albert Einstein, young astronomers beginning by making a batch of Jello-O, then four hours later, scholars place edible objects that act like...

Follow along as Stella Stardust interviews the sun. A fun and informative interview provides scholars with information about the sun. 

An interview delves deep into the life of famous astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson. 

Scholars take a journey through space with 16 eye-catching images. Along the way, learners read captions starting with the moon, then move onto asteroids, Mars, and Jupiter.

Colorful contemporary images contained in a PowerPoint presentation will capture the attention of class members and model for them the how to distinguish between the subject and the theme of a work. A great want to introduce this...

Prepare your scholars for the Regents' Essay Exam with these helpful tips. Advice from what one will need to bring, to how to develop a thesis are included. Writers are given a suggested timeline and sample questions as well. Reduce test...

Prepare your soon-to-be graduates to take the Writing Proficiency Examination given at Cal Poly. These slides cover everything from the various types of questions to writing thesis statements. This is more like an overview than a...

Study the different domain suffixes in web address becoming familiar with the types of organization that each suffix indicates. They evaluate web site using specified criteria.

Students research the universe, including the Milky Way and other galaxies. They investigate black holes in space. They create a replica of a galaxy on posterboard using Crayola Neon Twistables for concentric rings found in the galaxy....

Young scholars discuss the saying "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem". They brainstorm and create a list universal symbols for peace. They create a paper mache Bird of Peace using recycled paper, balloons...

Explore gravity, force, and mass as some of the natural forces in the universe. Each slide provides information and examples that describe each concept. Learners are encouraged to throw a basket ball and a bean bag into the air to...

Under construction, this lesson focuses on Canto Familia, a collection of poetry about Gary Soto's experiences growing up in California's Imperial Valley. Representative of the experiences of many Latinos, the poems also address themes...

Combine science and social studies with this collection of notes on ancient astronomy. Ideas propagated by early scientists influenced the way people viewed life and our place in the universe. Examine the philosophies of Aristotle,...

J-Peezy to hang? Would John Proctor by any other name be as brave? High school scholars update scenes from Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and perform them before the class. After viewing and enjoying the modern trappings of their scenes,...

Constructing a well-organized argument is the focus of this tutorial, originally created for the Purdue University writing program. The slides can be adapted for any composition course or writing unit. 

What makes writing literary? What comprises analysis? A 15-slide PowerPoint presentation, created by the Purdue University Writing Lab, tackles these questions. The explanations of what makes writing literary and what comprises analysis...

A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...

Note taking is an invaluable skill and requires practice. This instructional activity incorporates the Cornell Notes format, however the plan itself could be implemented to teach any style. The basic idea here is to use university...