Interdisciplinary Integrated Unit on Dna/Genetics Part C: Language Arts

This lesson is part of an interdisciplinary integrated unit on DNA and genetics. The idea is that students will complete a week's worth of activities in science, math, and language arts related to this topic. This lesson is Part C: Language Arts. Students will apply information retrieval skills as they investigate controversial issues on human genetic cloning. Students then will develop a point-of-view essay stating their personal opinion on whether human cloning should or should not be allowed.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Jane Lentz, Jimmy White, Marlene Smith, Tori Goldrick

Is Mr. Wolf Really a Bad Guy?

This lesson is intended to show children the importance of evaluating information as they read. The author's point of view is limited in that it only truly shows one side of the story. There is always another perspective. How the author views a subject colors everything that he or she writes about.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Leslie Pate

Graphing Quadratic Equations

This lesson will help students quickly graph a quadratic equation. It will also help them to understand the purpose of completing the square.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Kathy Schadt

Lines and Linear Equations

This lesson unit is intended to help teahcers assess how well students are able to interpret speed as the slope of a linear graph and translate between the equation of a line and its graphical representation.

Material Type: Assessment, Lesson Plan

Trig. Cheat Sheet

Free online mobile-friendly Trigonometry end-page notes and formulas.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Lecture, Lecture Notes

Algebra and Trigonometry

Algebra and Trigonometry provides a comprehensive exploration of algebraic principles and meets scope and sequence requirements for a typical introductory algebra and trigonometry course. The modular approach and the richness of content ensures that the book meets the needs of a variety of courses. Algebra and Trigonometry offers a wealth of examples with detailed, conceptual explanations, building a strong foundation in the material before asking students to apply what they’ve learned.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: David Lippman, Jay Abramson, Jean-Marie Magnier, Melonie Rasmussen, Nicholas Belloit, Rachael Gross, Rick Norwood, Valeree Falduto

Precalculus 1 & 2 with Trigonometry

Precalculus 1 & 2 / Trigonometry provides a study of functions and their graphs, including polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Additionally, right-triangle trigonometry, trigonometric functions and their applications are covered.

Material Type: Full Course, Textbook

Authors: David Lippman, Melonie Rasmussen

Precalculus II

This course begins by establishing the definitions of the basic trig functions and exploring their properties, and then proceeds to use the basic definitions of the functions to study the properties of their graphs, including domain and range, and to define the inverses of these functions and establish the their properties. Through the language of transformation, the student will explore the ideas of period and amplitude and learn how these graphical differences relate to algebraic changes in the function formulas. The student will also learn to solve equations, prove identities using the trig functions, and study several applications of these functions. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: measure angles in degrees and radians, and relate them to arc length; solve problems involving right triangles and unit circles using the definitions of the trigonometric functions; solve problems involving non-right triangles; relate the equation of a trigonometric function to its graph; solve trigonometric equations using inverse trig functions; prove trigonometric identities; solve trig equations involving identities; relate coordinates and equations in Polar form to coordinates and equations in Cartesian form; perform operations with vectors and use them to solve problems; relate equations and graphs in Parametric form to equations and graphs in Cartesian form; link graphical, numeric, and symbolic approaches when interpreting situations and analyzing problems; write clear, correct, and complete solutions to mathematical problems using proper mathematical notation and appropriate language; communicate the difference between an exact and an approximate solution and determine which is more appropriate for a given problem. This free course may be completed online at any time. It has been developed through a partnership with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; the Saylor Foundation has modified some WSBCTC materials. (Mathematics 003)

Material Type: Full Course

Drawing to Scale: Designing a Garden

This lesson unit is intended to help assess how well students are able to interpret and use scale drawings to plan a garden layout. This involves using proportional reasoning and metric units.

Material Type: Assessment, Lesson Plan

Using Dimensions: Designing a Sports Bag

This lesson unit is intended to help you assess how well students are able to: recognize and use common 2D representations of 3D objects and identify and use the appropriate formula for finding the circumference of a circle.

Material Type: Assessment, Lesson Plan

Author: http://map.mathshell.org/

Build the Biggest Box

Student pairs are given 10 minutes to create the biggest box possible using one piece of construction paper. Teams use only scissors and tape to each construct a box and determine how much puffed rice it can hold. Then, to meet the challenge, they improve their designs to create bigger boxes. They plot the class data, comparing measured to calculated volumes for each box, seeing the mathematical relationship. They discuss how the concepts of volume and design iteration are important for engineers. Making 3-D shapes also supports the development of spatial visualization skills. This activity and its associated lesson and activity all employ volume and geometry to cultivate seeing patterns and understanding scale models, practices used in engineering design to analyze the effectiveness of proposed design solutions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Aaron Lamplugh, Maia Vadeen, Malinda Zarske, Nathan Coyle, Russell Anderson, Ryan Sullivan

Crosscurricular Approach to the Child Labor Practices of the 1800s and 1900s Industrial Revolution

This a a cross curricular unit encompassing English, History, and Math Common Core Standards to teach the Child Labor practices of 1800s U.S. with the tragedy of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 which lead to child labor reform throughout the world and into the modern era.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Data Set, Diagram/Illustration, Homework/Assignment, Lecture, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Reading, Simulation, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Shelley Arca, Victoria Birbeck, Navpre, Navpreet Bedi, Victoria Birbeck

Bending Light

Explore bending of light between two media with different indices of refraction. See how changing from air to water to glass changes the bending angle. Play with prisms of different shapes and make rainbows.

Material Type: Simulation

Authors: Emily Moore, Kathy Perkins, Noah Podolefsky, Sam Reid, Trish Loeblein, University of Colorado at Boulder

What Is Heat?

Students learn about the definition of heat as a form of energy and how it exists in everyday life. They learn about the three types of heat transfer conduction, convection and radiation as well as the connection between heat and insulation. Their learning is aided by teacher-led class demonstrations on thermal energy and conduction. A PowerPoint® presentation and quiz are provided. This prepares students for the associated activity in which they experiment with and measure what they learned in the lesson by designing and testing insulated bottles.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Brendan Higgins, Duff Harrold, Nadia Richards, Travis Smith

Motion Commotion

Students learn why and how motion occurs and what governs changes in motion, as described by Newton's three laws of motion. They gain hands-on experience with the concepts of forces, changes in motion, and action and reaction. In an associated literacy activity, students design a behavioral survey and learn basic protocol for primary research, survey design and report writing.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Introducing Text Structures in Science Writing

This activity helps students understand that science writing is organized in identifiable patterns called text structures. Understanding and using these different text structures help refine students abilities to both read and write in science.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Introductory Lesson on Cells

This is an introductory lesson on cells. Student learning begins with the teacher modeling the use of a T-chart graphic organizer while reading an article comparing simple and complex carbohydrates. Students then move to independent practice using the T-chart graphic organizer to compare simple (prokaryotic) cells and complex (eukaryotic) cells.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Amusement Park Ride: Ups and Downs in Design

Students design, build and test model roller coasters using foam tubing. The design process integrates energy concepts as they test and evaluate designs that address the task as an engineer would. The goal is for students to understand the basics of engineering design associated with kinetic and potential energy to build an optimal roller coaster. The marble starts with potential energy that is converted to kinetic energy as it moves along the track. The diameter of the loops that the marble traverses without falling out depends on the kinetic energy obtained by the marble.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: C. Shade, Marthy Cyr

Creative Crash Test Cars

Finding the relationship between mass and momentum.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Baggie Chemistry

In this experiment, two chemicals that can be found around the house will be mixed within a plastic baggie, and several chemical changes will be observed.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Lecture Notes

Author: The Concord Consortium