Tenth graders explore mathematics by participating in hands-on daily activities. Learners identify a list of different shapes and classify them by shape, size, sides and vertices. They utilize tangrams and geometric pieces to gain...

Help young writers with the daunting prospect of a five-paragraph essay. Using William Golding's Lord of the Flies, learners work through a short process to shore up their brainstorming and prepare to write a longer essay.

How can we heal our hearts through forgiveness?  The third activity in a series of six prompts readers to answer questions about Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen. Not only does it activate background knowledge on the...

Students design their own experiments . They study the scientific method and determine what a testable question is. They distinguish between questions that are testable and those that are not. They identify variables, make and understand...

What is a KWL chart? Here is a well thought-out instructional activity that has learners use KWL charts to gain historical perspective. Your class examines primary sources about historical events and identifies what they know, want to...

Writing teaches us so much. One can identify the many characteristics of a newspaper, use the Internet to gather information, and communicate with others. Primary students create a class newspaper for publishing and dispersal.

Youngsters compare the heat-holding abilities of three different cans by insulating two with different materials and measuring the temperature change of hot water over a 20-minute period. 

Get high schoolers thinking about their post-secondary plans with a lesson plan that teaches them how to navigate the application and financial aid process. They create a junior/senior calendar identifying time-sensitive tasks,...

Students work to create a design that will protect an egg from being dropped from a one story floor. They test their prototype after it is completed. They write clear instructions and link aspects of the design process to the scientific...

Learners analyze the Declaration of Independence. They identify and describe various sections of the document then discuss how the colonists responded to it. As a culminating activity, they write their own declarations of independence as...

Computer-interfaced motion detectors are required to carry out this inquiry. It is a new twist on exploring motion with plunger carts: they are set back-to-back and then propelled away from each other. Their velocities are measured, and...

Young historians channel the very medium used to convey news during World War I. They create and present a five-minute radio broadcast on a particular topic from the war, such as the roles of African Americans and women, war bonds,...

Young scientists find out what makes amphibians such unique and interesting animals in this simple life science lesson plan. After looking at pictures and discussing the characteristics of amphibians, learners complete a...

Did you know baking powder can be used to treat acne, whiten teeth, and make sugar cookies? The lesson on the development of baking powder is ready-to-go with no preparation required. Through readings, pupils answer questions, complete...

World War I was the first major conflict on a global scale. Using primary documents, learners determine why the United States chose to enter World War I when it did. After analytical writing and group research, the causes of America's...

Weight is a function of the distance from sea level. Learners explore the many implications of this fact in an inquiry-based task. Given the function, pupils answer questions before manipulating the function to rewrite the distance...

Students explore the factors that affect how long coffee stays hot. They develop a question and a testable hypothesis for one factor such as initial temperature or size of opening of the container. Then they design and conduct an...

As an experiment is demonstrated for them, students write down their observations and brainstorm questions that can help them understand what they saw. After watching the experiment again—which demonstrates a soda can collapsing due to...

Students will develop goals for inquiry. They will also improve content area reading and research skills. The context of studying dinosaurs will help learners to distinguish from organisms that live presently and those from the past...

Students review examples of questions that represent different levels of thinking. They then focus on the contributions of leaders from different eras and generate interview questions that a contemporary leader might ask of a...

Pupils brainstorm the concept of a machine. They make lists of the characteristics that all machines share. The teacher uses questioning in order to get students to think more deeply about the subject. They create a lab to demonstrate...

Third graders prepare an oral report using Appleworks to present information on their animal. They write a short narrative comparing and contrasting their animal to another students and, after watching other presentations, discuss what...

Students write about an artifact that they are studying. In this artifacts lesson plan, students analyze details of the artifact and answer short answer questions about it.

Students observe the pictures and maps of the Sequoyah Indians. In this Sequoyah lesson plan, students use the maps and pictures to discuss observations and write responses of the Indian point of view.