What percentage of your class understands percents? Pupils learn the meaning of percents based upon rates per 100 in the 24th lesson in a series of 29. They represent percents as fractions, decimals, ratios, and models. The scholars...

Use a unit approach in developing a fraction division strategy. The teacher leads a discussion on division containing units, resulting in a connection between the units and like denominators. Pupils develop a rule in dividing fractions...

Everyone does their fair share. The sixth segment in a 22-part unit presents the mean as a fair share. Groups build a conceptual understanding of the mean of a data set, rather than simply learn an algorithm. Learners use the...

It's a balancing act! Pupils balance pennies on a ruler to create a physical representation of a dot plot. The scholars then find the distances of the data points from the balance point, the mean.

Which dot am I? Pupils create dot plots to represent sample data through the use of frequency tables. The third segment in a series of 22 asks individuals to analyze the dot plots they created. The scholars translate back and...

Boost reading comprehension skills with a lesson all about freaky frogs. A poem hooks scholars and takes them into a reading of an informational text followed by peer discussions. A three-page worksheet focuses on text features and...

Poison Dart Frog babies are the focus of a instructional activity that challenges scholars to compare and contrast two informational texts. Beginning with a read-aloud, followed by a discussion, readers complete a practice page that...

Is there power in persuasion? After reading paragraphs six and seven of Booker T. Washington's "Atlanta Compromise" speech, learners look at how Washington uses rhetoric and carefully planned word choice to add to the persuasiveness of...

Hungry? Try a quote sandwich! Writers discover the concept of using a quote sandwich to introduce and analyze a quote in an argumentative essay properly. Additionally, pupils engage in peer critiques, analyzing each other's drafts and...

Writing is all about progress, not perfection. Scholars engage in a peer critique protocol to gain feedback on their quote sandwich from a previous lesson. Next, pupils begin drafting their argumentative essays based on the novel Lyddie...

Get inspired to help those creative juices flow. Using the resource, scholars write their final, best version of their narrative monologues or concrete poems. Next, they prepare for a performance task by watching and discussing a video...

Calling all archaeologists! Scholars dig through their research about overfishing, searching for the best information to include in their consumer guides. Next, pupils engage in a pair-share activity to discuss their findings with a...

Prepare, practice, perform. Using the resource, actors first revise their conclusions for their readers theater scripts. Then, groups perform their scripts in front of the class, while peers evaluate each performance using a rubric. 

The balance of nature can be a wondrous thing! With the 19th lesson of the 21-part series on systems, learners explore the cycle of photosynthesis and cellular respiration using a lab-based activity. Groups set up different test tubes...

Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the...

Can a small change in laboratory procedures save energy? Scholars test three different methods for heating water in a science lab. Then, they calculate the energy efficiency for each and compare them to determine which uses the least...

While well intentioned, human intervention sometimes has negative effects. Learners explore this and other environmental topics as they respond to four free response exam questions. Topics span from the implementation of bioelectric cars...

Ninth graders examine an issue in a school in Britain. In this ELL lesson, 9th graders read an article and answer reading comprehension questions.  Students write a short story using key words from the article.

Students examine the rules and procedures involved for taking summer school. They determine the consequences and rewards surrounding the compliance or non compliance with school expectations. The features of rules and expectations are...

Students discuss germs and where they come from. They participate in an experiment in which glitter is used to represent germs. They try different ways to get the glitter off, but they discover nothing works expect for washing their...

Students analyze the monetary cost associated with smoking cigarettes. They calculate the life expectancy associated with how many cigarettes are smoked a day. They complete story problems as well.

Middle schoolers discuss what they expect out of their education. After reading a story, they answer comprehension questions and match the meaning of the word to the vocabulary word. To end the lesson, they write a story about a time in...

Sixth graders determine the possibility of establishing a colony on Antarctica to help eliminate the world's overcrowding. They consider environmental and economic criteria in determining how this colony functions ans is expected to do...

Students label the continents, oceans, and seas on a provided world map and use it to determine where they would expect most of the world's coral reefs to be found based on provided information the teacher has read to them.