This task asks students to classify shapes based on their properties. The task itself is straightforward, but there are a number of opportunities to present this task in class and push the level of discussion and reasoning. For example, the rule for the bottom circle is that all shapes must have all sides with the same length. Some students will likely conjecture that the rule is either that all shapes must be regular polygons or that all shapes must be equiangular. Either of these would be true except for the rhombus.

Though this would likely extend beyond the scope of 5th grade understanding, it might be interesting to look at the pentagon with the right angle. In the eyes of a 5th grader, it looks as if it might have sides of equal length. They have not yet derived any rules about the sum of interior angles in polygons, but they should be pushed to see that mathematicians cannot make assumptions based on the appearance of shapes. We only know that each of the shapes in the bottom circle is equilateral because the tick marks indicate that the sides are the same length. In that same line of reasoning, we must be careful to specify in part b that the rectangle does not have equal sides. A deep discussion would allow students to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (MP 3) and attend to precision (MP 6).

Benjamin Franklin is often described as a “self-made” man. It is one of the main reasons he is considered quintessentially American, along with his sense of humor and affinity towards innovation. The ability to acquire new knowledge, transform as an individual, and create opportunities for oneself are all deeply rooted elements of American culture and folklore. Though no doubt an extraordinary person, was Franklin truly self-made? This lesson asks students to question the concept of a self-made person in the form of a Structured Academic Controversy (SAC). Students will explore Franklin’s life story alongside the story of his contemporary Benjamin Banneker, a Black inventor, mathematician, and astronomer from Baltimore, Maryland. Both Benjamins are often described as self-made and both were highly accomplished scientists, writers, and inventors.

This is a series of lessons where students experience and learn about water as it moves through the water cycle.

This lesson is taken from the Justice section of Foundations of Democracy: Authority, Privacy, Responsibility, and Justice.

Purpose of Lesson
This lesson introduces you to some intellectual tools which are useful in resolving issues of corrective justice. When you have completed this lesson, you should be able to explain and use these intellectual tools. Other intellectual tools which you can use to evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues of corrective justice will be introduced in the next lesson.

With an introduction to the ideas of energy, students discuss specific energy types and practical energy sources. Associated hands-on activities help them identify energy types in their surroundings and enhance their understanding of the concept of energy.

Students learn about infrared energy and how it is used to sense the surrounding environment. They review where infrared falls on the electromagnetic spectrum and learn how infrared sensors work, as well as various ways engineers and scientists create and apply infrared technology to study science and collect information for security, communications, medical, research and other purposes. Pre/post-quizzes and a take-home assignment are provided. Learning the concepts prepares students to conduct the associated activity in which they design and program Arduino-controlled robots that use IR sensors to follow a line and make designated stops, much like the automated guided vehicles used in industry and commerce.

NUTSHELL: In the optional Field Enhancement portion of the lesson, the class explores the living and nonliving parts of a forest while on a hike. Students spend individual quiet time observing and drawing parts of a forest. In main portion of the lesson, students match plant species with forest ecosystems and learn that living things are influenced by the nonliving things around them. They create a song or skit to show what they have learned about living and nonliving connections. The students conclude the lesson by creating a mural of different types of Wisconsin forests.
BIG IDEAS
Forests are ecosystems characterized by a dominance of tree cover and they contain a variety of other organisms (e.g., other plants, animals).Forests differ in composition (species within a forest) and structure (layers in a forest). These are both affected by biotic (e.g., animals, plants, humans) and abiotic (e.g., soil moisture, sunlight, climate) factors. 
OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
Explain how living things in a forest depend on nonliving things.Recognize that all forests do not contain the same plants and animals.
SUBJECT AREAS: Arts, Language Arts, Science
LESSON/ACTIVITY TIME
Total Lesson Time: 190 minutes (including optional Field Enhancement)Time Breakdown: Field Enhancement (optional)--50 minutes; Introduction--15 minutes; Activity 1--35 minutes; Activity 2--45 minutes; Conclusion--45 minutes
TEACHING SITE Classroom; well-forested site for optional Field Enhancement

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
In this lesson you will discuss some important questions about the responsibilities of citizens. You must develop your own answers to these questions. We hope this lesson will help you develop good answers.

This lesson plan will identify what employ-ability/essential skills the employers in the area are wanting in their employees. Students will interview human resource managers at local businesses and ask questions to identify these skills. After they have identified the desired skills the students will present on one of the skills and describe what it means and what it looks like in industry.

This lesson plan will identify what employability/essential skills the employers in the area are looking for in their employees. Students will interview human resource managers at local businesses and ask questions to identify these skills. After they have identified the desired skills, the students will create and deliver a presentation on one of the skills and describe what it means and what it looks like in industry.

Companies that manufacture large products like those provided by Robinson often require painting. Robinson also provides this service to complete a product. The painting department uses both liquid paint and powder paint. Each product has characteristics such as thickness, durability, application waste, fire resistance, etc. This video shows how someone from the sales team might consult with a department in order to advise her customer.

In this lesson, students discover the basics of how their eyes work, and figure out some of the causes of vision problems. In the activity, Eye Model, students develop a working model of a human eye. They use a magnifying lens as a model of the cornea to explore how the structure of this lens is related to the function of our eyes.

3rd Grade Cultural Diversity Inquiry:

1. What do things people wear say about them?
2. What do things Sikhs wear say about them?
3. Why do people wear that?

This is a series of lessons where students engage in hands on investigations about snow.

This is a series of lessons exploring what happens to leaves in the fall.

In this lesson, students explore how energy can be stored as height. In the activity, Bumper Coasters (Part I), students build paper roller coasters. Students release marbles down the roller coaster track to understand height energy and energy transfer.

Site provides lessons, tutorials, interactive games, and resources to teach and learn personal financial concepts such as credit, budgeting, purchasing, and personal goal setting

This is a Monday assignment in my Native American Lit. Class. Students read articles on current topics in Indian Country and write about or present their findings to the class on Tuesdays to spark discussion. At the beginning of the year, I usually show a video or clip about a current hot topic to gain their interest. This year I showed the documentary AWAKE about the Dakota Access Pipeline and the protests there, which prompted debate and discussion, and ignited their interest in topics related to Native Americans.

The House and the Senate have mostly the same powers: they both propose and vote on bills that may become law. So why does the House have 435 members, and the Senate have 100? Why does legislation have to pass through both sides, and what kinds of power do each have individually? And finally: what role do you, as a voter, play in ensuring that Congress, and your Congressional delegation, is working in your best interests?

This episode features the opinions of former staffers from both chambers, Andrew Wilson and Justin LeBlanc, former member of the CA assembly, Cheryl Cook-Kallio, CNN political analyst, Bakari Sellers, and the inimitable political science professor from Farleigh Dickinson, Dan Cassino.

Short Ted-Ed video that helps explain the good and bad things that are in the air we breathe.