Goal: To help students learn how to develop a hypothesis and create an experiment to test it. Ojectives: 1. Students will examine a diagram to try and determine which of 4 cisterns will be filled with water first using pipes that are used to fill them. 2. Based on observation and critical thinking each student will create a hypothesis, then team up with students with the same theory of the problem. 3. Students will work in groups based on their hypotheses to create 3D versions of the drawings to test their hypotheses. 4. Students will discuss their findings with the entire class and share how they came to their conclusion. 5. Students will revise their hypothesis based on the results of their experiments and class discussion. *6. Students will follow up the discussion by following links online to see various approaches to the problem. *7. Students will tackle problems related to the topic to use mathematics to find solutions. *Grades 6 and 7, 4-7 gifted only Materials Needed (Grades K-3, Special Education Middle School): 1. Milk cartons 2. Straws 3. 1 liter bottles half full of water Materials Needed (Grades 4-7, Special Education High School): 1. 1 or 2 liter bottle 2. Straws 4. Plastic water pitchers THIS RESOURCE ALSO INCLUDES A FLIPPED CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

$$$$$$$How to Succeed in Business$$$$$$$ This project is based on a successful school business: “Chapman’s Chips,” a six-week mini-course for gifted students, grades 4-6. Goals 1. Students involved in running a business providing a product or service for half an hour each day will be responsible for their specific jobs and will work together to make their business a success. Each student will be responsible for performing the job they chose and helping support other students who may have difficulty. 2. Students will have the opportunity to share their experience after working in groups or individually, varying the method of sharing, as well as keep a written, artistic, or recorded summary of their experience each day. Students’ reflections will be part of their portfolio, along with their job and job description, and any other artifacts they have.

Students learn how literature and history coincide as writers describe and immortalize historical events. The goal of this lesson is for students to understand how media like poetry and drama evoke emotional responses of historical figures, events, and their effect of those event.

Using classic fables and fairy tales to analyze themes that are easily identified, this two-part lesson prepares 8th grade Language Arts Students to read and analyze themes in classic children's literature.

Goal: Connect typical students with students with special needs as coding mentors during Hour of Code initiative. Objectives: 1. Typical students will assist students with special needs to learn a simple coding game as a code mentor. 2. Students with special needs will be introduced to code by a mentor. 3. Students will decide after activity if they want to continue collaboration. Technology tool: Lightbot. ISTE Standards NETS - are included

Quizlet provides practice for learning or practicing skills. This Quizlet written for middle school students provides both learning and practice in defining literary terms and testing understanding of those terms in alignment with CCSS. Combined with activities using familiar stories as examples, this lesson provides numerous technology-based learning assessment that scaffolds learning and understanding literary terms through a variety of methods. Collaborative learning and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) also make learning cooperative and engages students in uses of a variety of instructional strategies that are in engaging and theoretically proven.

Goal: To broaden students' awareness of the world and where specific continents or located, as well as countries on specific continents, by researching host countries for the olympic games. Objectives: 1. Students will be assigned to a group using the name of a continent and will research countries that have hosted olympic games, the year(s) each country hosted the games, and where it is located on the continent. 2. Students will individually or collaboratively create a map of one of the countries on their continent that hosted Olympic Games. 3. Each student will create a poster providing a look at the Olympic Games the year(s) his/her country hosted the olympics using multimedia. 4. Students will share poster in a variety of media with various audiences.

Students in eighth year are facing the end of middle or junior high school and in the not-so-distant future the start of high school. between then and now they have a great deal of academics to learn, tests to pass, and the pressures of being adolescents. So why not start the year celebrating their final year in middle or junior high school in classic Hollywood fashion? This first week of 8th year English-Language Arts unit does just that! Show your students just how special they are whilst assessing basic language and writing skills. Roll out the red carpet, notify the paparazzi, and let your students have a great time watching film trailers, writing reviews, looking back at summer, and getting the star treatment; whilst introducing collaborative learning and project-based activities. Start the school year with high expectations and watch your students soar.

Students will trace history of papier mâché after being introduced to the subject with a video of an art installation of 1,600 papier mâché pandas. Students will develop an understanding and respect for the art form resulting in them creating their own Papier Mâché exhibit. This is a technology-based instructional strategy using cooperative learning and inquiry to engage students in research, analysis, and discussion.

"Cater Pillars" and "Butter Flies:" Language, Science, Math, and Art Plus Any Other Subjects That Can Be Added to This Fun Unit to Start the School Year Introducing Specific Skills, Collaborating with Peers, Investigating and Researching Online, and Including Family in Creating an Artifact for Display Goal: Students will learn how to investigate a topic that involves multiple subject areas and gain understanding about the topic and how the various subjects covered relate to each other. Objectives: 1. Students will learn how to research, investigate a topic using available resources individually, in pairs, and in groups. 2. Students will use skills in various subject areas to problem-solve, explain, calculate, and present materials to ask or answer questions or verify information. 3. Students will observe caterpillars and record changes as they go through metamorphosis. 4. Students will learn how to treat animals ethically during scientific observation and follow rules regarding the ethical treatment of animals involved in scientific experimentation. 5. Students will learn how to record and interpret scientific data. 6. Students will learn how to test scientific data and ask scientific questions about results and possibly create hypotheses for future study. 7. Students will learn how to create presentations of scientific study using technology, if possible. introduce this unit by having students read the following article on their tablets, laptops, or smart phones or in pairs or groups on school computers or smartboards. Note: if there's no available technology, create a power point presentation covering all of the points in the article and include the illustrations.

Goal: To create interest in/understanding of geography through exploration and mapping Objective: 1. Students will work in pairs to locate pokemon go figures on or within walking distance of school in search of hidden treasure ("gold coins"), following longitudinal/latitudinal clues using compasses to help locate each "gold coin." (for prek-second year students, use alphabetical mathematical problems, riddles, or simple code.) Note: more than one coin tin be placed at each stop according to the "value" of each pokemon character. multiple coins should be placed in individual plastic bags - enough for each pair. perhaps any not claimed tin be awarded to pairs that a. finish first; b. collect the most coins; c. collect the most Pokemon; d. have the highest scores, etc.) 2. Students will retrace their steps and take note (draw, videotape, vocally record, write, etc.) information individually, and as a class create a "thought map" of the area explored as a collaborative enquiry discussion of following: a. area covered from point a (school ) to point b b. (farthest parameter) c. number of steps, feet, yards, fractions of mile, miles, etc. covered 3. Students will also identify visual markers: a. street signs b. other markers (alleys, parks, houses, etc.) 4. Students will measure area after consensus of how it is to be measured, then create map scale - how many feet, yards, miles - and map equivalent: one inch = one mile. 5. Students will individually create treasure map games on Scratch or as Board Match , etc.

Inspired by Pokémon Go's use of maps, this curriculum gets students coming back to school this fall outside observing nature. The curriculum activities can be used at all grade levels and for all abilities. It includes school activities, as well as flipped classroom activities at home. Goal To teach observation, investigation, and presentation skills using integrated curricula to become more aware of natural phenomena in neighborhood and school environments and how to use science, math, geography, and oral/written descriptive language to study, record, and share environmental information and understanding. Objectives: 1. Students will observe natural phenomena (birds, trees, and in SchoolZone and MyZone). 2. Students will record information collected and synthesize through scientific thinking based on observation, research, inquiry, and presentation. 3. Students will work in pairs/groups to record, assess, and synthesize data, using research and observations made during investigations of their natural environments.

Goal: Start the new school year establishing a relationship with each students' parents. Send a short text or email introducing your students' family to the teacher and permission to send or drop by with a short list of things students can do to get ready to start the school year, each of which relates to the nine activities planned for the first week of school. Objectives: 1. Students and parental figuers will get acquainted with teacher, expectations for students and PF's participation in class activities. 2. Students and PF's will learn things about each other and establish a rapport. 3. Students will be asked to complete specific simple tasks and to be sure to bring very specific items to them the first day of school. 4. Students and parents will be introduced to and experience flipped classroom activities right from the start of school, using fun activities for children and adults. 5. Students will engage in several mysterious activities that will have them anticipating the first day eagerly. 6. Parents will be provided with contact information and told they will be contacted by text or email regarding their children's progress and/or any issues that may arise. 7. Students will also have an opportunity to communicate with teacher before the first day of school.

As part of the U.S. government's commitment to Let Girls Learn, First Lady Michelle Obama and the Peace Corps have formed a powerful collaboration to expand access to education for adolescent girls around the world. Educating girls is essential to healthy and thriving communities but, globally, 62 million girls are not in school, and barriers to adolescent girls completing school are particularly significant. In some countries, fewer than 10% of teenage girls complete secondary school. This program will address that challenge by empowering local leaders to put lasting solutions in place. Peace Corps Volunteers who live and work at the grassroots level will serve as catalysts of community-led change, and every American can get involved and make a difference. https://letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov/ FOR GIRLS' SCHOOLS AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR GIRLS Let Girls Learn STEM: Elementary Science States of Matter: This science lesson is for young students and older students with special needs. Ice, Water, and Steam Goal: Students will learn about the states of matter through observation and engagement. Objective: Students will physically interact with matter at three different states - solid, liquid, and gas - by identifying snow or ice as a solid, water from melted snow or ice as a liquid, and steam from melted snow or ice as a gas. Outcomes: 1. Student provide information to create a concept map on a white board or other display area showing the three states of matter, using the students’ pictures and/or photographs, and images from the video. 2. Students work collaboratively in small groups or pairs using their collective pictures/photos showing the states of matter to create a “states of matter” timeline. 3. Students make their own picture or video books referring to the concept map and their group discussion timeline.

Students in eighth grade are facing the end of middle or junior high school and in the not-so-distant future the start of high school. Between then and now they have a great deal of academics to learn, state tests to pass, and the pressures of being adolescents. So why not start the year celebrating their final year in middle or junior high school in classic Hollywood fashion? This first week of 8th grade ELA unit does just that! Show your students just how special they are while assessing basic language and writing skills. Roll out the red carpet, notify the paparazzi, and let your students have a great time watching movie trailers, writing reviews, looking back at summer, and getting the star treatment; while introducing collaborative learning and project-based activities. Start the school year with high expectations and watch your students soar.

Goal: To increase physical activity in schools Objective: Students will participate in activities supervised by school staff whilst following all instructions given, observing safety rules set by school and written into the curriculum, and reflecting good sportsmanship. Read each fairy tale (or a synopsis) from a picture book for grades PreK-K-1. Give synopsis for each one to higher grades to remind them of details of each story. Note: challenge students in grades 1-12 to come up with other physical activities based on other fairy tales, using clever names; mother goose poems; super heroes, film villains, etc. individually or in groups. There will be a competition for the best idea and prizes for individual classrooms. Each activity should be recorded using graphs in ppt. or tables in google docs, etc. Help students create their own individual charts online (if possible) or offline (if school does not have the technology). Instruct students to learn how to record their scores and assist each student that needs more guidance individually and/or pair them with a student that's proficient. The five fitness games (5 points each possible)

BULLIES (Better Use of Language Labeling Individuals to Enrich Socialization) is a unit to be used across grade levels that assists students in examining language used and social interactions experienced during bullying incidents. Labels are given to individuals involved in bullying scenarios and real-life incidents. These labels include 'bullies,' 'bullying victims,' 'witnesses to bullying,' 'teachers,' and 'parents.' However, instead of just labeling those involved actively or inactively during bullying incidents, this unit will help students identify which label applies in various scenarios and explore how the social behavior of each individual in specific scenarios can be changed to prevent bullying. There is also an easy to facilitate assessment teachers can use to determine which of the labels fits each student after participation in the unit's activities. NOTE: the assessment may also be used as a pre- and post- test of each student's possible role in a past, present, or future bullying incident. Although the main purpose of the assessment is to determine if students meet the goal and objectives of the unit, the three-question multiple choice assessment could be used in a number of ways; including: assessing students after a bullying incident to determine the states of mind of students involved in a bullying incident; and/or to assess school staff and/or parents' attitudes regarding bullying.

This CCSS-based 8th grade lesson, which can be done in two lessons plus flipped classroom practice, helps to reinforce and remediate instruction in punctuation and capitalization with fun technology-based group and pair activities.

STEAMLASS/Super Moon Study The study of this year's second and third super moons can start 11/16 or later and end 12/14. In it students will learn about the closest super moon since 1948. STEAMLASS (STEM plus Art, Language Art, and social studies) by reading information about super moons and answering open-ended questions, participating in activities such as creating a Super Moon Anticipation Calendar to mark off the days to the last super moon and locating places where super moons were photographed using U.S. and world maps. Students will also have a flipped classroom assignment that will require them to create their own simple language using various types of graphics that they display on their own Rosetta Stone and bring to school for other students to try to decipher. Goal: Working together in pairs, groups, and individually, students will learn about Super Moons investigating STEAMLASS concepts. Objective: Students will use mathematical, science, engineering, language arts, history, technology, and observation/photography to study and engage in activities to learn what super moons are, their history, and why they appear in the sky. This unit is for Upper Elementary and Middle School students, but can be adapted for lower and higher grades.

This unit for children in grades 5-7 helps students understand how important it is to support other children whose safety is at risk. Goal: To help students become empathic and able to express empathy by supporting students who are being bullied or feel unsafe by developing strategies to create safe school climates. Objective: Students will increase and/or develop empathy toward peers who are bullied and/or feel unsafe at school through discussion to assess their understanding, awareness, and empathy; interactive role-playing activities; reading and using critical thinking skills to debate whether or not the "safety pin" campaigns are effective in making people that are harassed feel more supported or just another trend that will soon pass; and creating products and activities that go beyond wearing a safety pin that potentially will change the school climate by forming a support network that helps students who are victims of bullies feel safe and empowered. All Graphics Are From Google Images