High schoolers analyze the vertex form of a parabola and find an approximate fit of a model. They explain the quadratic parabola function and its properties by developing quadratic models. They use translation and dilation to change the...

Mathematicians use a CBR 2™ motion detector to determine their speed or velocity going down a playground slide. They also experiment with different ways to increase their speed going down the slide. Finally, students complete the Student...

Celebrate Opposite Day by using a Visual Thesaurus to match words to their antonyms. They match a list of vocabulary words to their antonym counterparts using the Visual Thesaurus, and then they play Antonym Bingo with the words from...

Examine and distinguish between words that have similar definitions but different connotations. Middle schoolers define connotation and denotation and participate in a "shades of meaning" contest in small groups. Groups use the...

Use a Mad-Libs like activity to create modern poetry! Writers will identify different words and their parts of speech and study "The Red Wheelbarrow" by Williams Carlos Williams. Then, use the sheets attached to craft your own poem! An...

Upper elementary schoolers examine the concept of synonyms and how using a variety of vocabulary through synonyms can expand their writing skills. They revise a paragraph using synonyms located on the Visual Thesaurus and participate in...

Demonstrate strategies for tackling unfamiliar vocabulary words in preparation for the SAT. Using Visual Thesaurus computer software, middle and high schoolers interpret contextual clues, solve sample sentence completion questions, and...

Read and analyze a variety of Shakespearean and contemporary puns using Visual Thesaurus computer software. Middle and high schoolers analyze a pun as a class; in small groups they analyze a Shakespearean pun using contextual clues and...

What's the best resource to use when looking up words? Use Visual Thesaurus to see a word's meaning. The class accesses the interactive website and then compares and contrasts the difference between using a traditional dictionary and the...

Put your feet up and grab a cup of coffee before going through this extensive field work unit plan! Based on folklorist studies of traditional culture and ethnography, several activities focus on topics such as cultural sensitivity;...

In this vocabulary worksheet, students choose the best answer from the four possibilities to compete each of the eight sentences. The worksheet is intended to be used with advanced English language learners.

Scholars of all ages can use the various tools of technology to construct and illustrate a story. Utilizing this resource, learners work with a partner to brainstorm and draft a story based on personal experience. They use computer...

Review the concepts of additive inverses and adding positive and negative integers. Relate understanding to the subtraction of integers. This is done with either the use of "Algeblocks" (any square or tile manipulative should do) or...

Students explore the concept of linear regression. In this linear regression lesson, students find the line of best fit for a set of data pertaining to a frog population. Students use their line of best fit to predict the frog population...

Students demonstrate how to alphabetize animal names. In this word study lesson, students identify animals that live on the farm and conduct a favorite farm animal survey. Students order animal pictures in alphabetical order.

Dedicate one or two class periods to creating a class glossary of geometry terms. Many geometry terms also appear in our every day vocabulary, but they have very different meanings. For example, the word gross in geometry is very...

Middle schoolers read and review informational texts, analyze cause and effect, and distinguish fact from opinion. They assess a "one-minute mystery" you read aloud for cause and effect relationships. Resource includes complete set of...

How does one use a graphic organizer to plan writing? Introduce your writers to different types of graphic organizers by dividing the class into groups and assigning each group a particular organizer. Then, as they research chocolate...

Students investigate unit conversion.  In this unit conversion activity, students will build models of square and cubic centimeters using grid paper and generate formula tables for converting units of area and volume.  The...

Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...

What can a middle schooler do in 90 minutes? He can practice using the commutative, associative and distributive properties of addition and multiplication. He can also simplify expressions using the commutative, associative and...

Students practice using graphing tools to make tables, bar charts, scatter graphs, and histograms, using census data. They apply the concept of measures of central tendency, examine the effects of outliers. They also write inferences and...

Students plot earthquakes on a map. In this lesson on earthquakes, students will explore recent earthquake activity in California and Nevada. Students will plot fault lines and earthquake occurrences on a map.

Kindergarteners practice showing 1:1 correspondence while incorporating information they learned about a local Native American culture. The objects used for counting are taken from the previous day's Native American lesson. The intention...