If your fifth graders have mastered fractions, push them to the next level! They multiply fractions by whole numbers and decimals (in the form of money math). The worksheet provides space for pupils to write out their work, based on two...

A little bit complicated, but a whole lot of fun. Show your class an episode of the British television game show Just a Minute. After an explanation of the rules (no repetition, hesitation, or deviation) groups develop topics, based on...

Give a voice to even the most quiet learners! Post discussion questions in different locations (on the whiteboard or around the room on posters). Class members then either answer a question posed or comment on a peer's response. Instead...

“What’s in a name?” Just about everything. Barack Obama, Vincent van Gogh, Justin Bieber. Famous names evoke a multitude of reactions and poets often use the names of famous people in their works precisely because names carry...

What makes a poem difficult? Explore that topic and more with your class as you work through the lesson detailed here. Using materials from Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest, individuals or small groups examine poems and...

Have a fun time teaching children to read analog clocks with this whole-group math activity. Using large sets of the numerals 1-12 and 0, 5, 10...55, the teacher creates a large clock on either the carpet or the white board, explaining...

The second lesson in a unit of 15 introduces pupils to text compression. The class begins with discussing how they already use text compression when sending text messages. Pairs learn more about the subject as they work to compress a...

Discover what's behind an online search. Scholars read a handout and engage in discussions to learn how to critically evaluate online search results. Then, working in small groups, they create posters listing their demands for search...

Girls like pink and boys like blue. Working in small groups, learners discuss stereotypes about children in advertisements. Then, scholars create their own manifestos about how they plan to respond to the consumer market they see in...

Lights, camera, action. Scholars use page 33 of The Most Beautiful Roof in the World to create a readers theater. They work in triads and use sticky notes to mark and create their own speaking parts from sections of the text. They...

Can I ask you something? Scholars read about the night walk on pages 37-39 of The Most Beautiful Roof in the World. After discussing the text with their group, they work together to create interview questions they would ask Meg...

Following the reading of the book Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, the ninth lesson in this unit involves emerging experts in a science talk about how bullfrogs survive. Looking back through the text, young scholars prepare for the...

Eighth graders work together in groups to introduce themselves to the six types of simple machines. They are to record what the machine does, its mechanical advantage and identify real world situations in which they are used. They...

Students play "Trivia Pursuit" in order to review material in any subject area. Groups are chosen to answer a given question, they discuss the answer and orally give it together.

Middle schoolers work in pairs or small groups to gather data about a tree. Each group might gather data about a different tree; all groups might collect data about the same tree; or two teams might gather data about each tree and...

Young scholars investigate Florida lighthouses. In this landmarks lesson, students go on an Internet scavenger hunt for facts about Florida lighthouses. Young scholars work in pairs to visit suggested websites and find out answers to...

In order to practice problem-solving skills, pupils work through a series of word problems. They each determine an answer and then share their thinking process with the class. This lesson demonstrates that there may be more than one way...

Are you planning to have a guest speaker talk to your class? Prepare in advance and help your class transform into an engaged and thoughtful audience. Before the visit, young writers work cooperatively to brainstorm what they want to...

This lesson is written from the perspective of a student teacher. A step by step lesson in which the class works on the trigonometric form of complex numbers. They convert between trigonometric and complex forms. They will also practice...

Learners of all ages participate in a unique review activity. They work in a small group setting on individual review questions designed by the teacher. Each individual answers a key review question on a notecard or sticky note and...

Students use common and unusual objects to make observations of details, design, and functionality. They describe and draw each object while working in small groups. The differences between observation and perception is covered as part...

Fifth graders work on the different possibilities of reaching the number 100. The class is divided into homogeneous groups for cooperative learning. The lesson uses discussion questions to help with problem solving.

Young scholars are arranged into groups and are given a map or globe. Students select a location on the map. Young scholars as yes and no questions to guess the specific place that was chosen.

Groups become experts in one aspect of the six traits of writing, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, jigsaw, and teach others about their trait. Writers then focus on these traits as they compose a persuasive essay about a person they...