This three-day lesson plan provides students with an introduction to reading topographic maps using multiple modalities. The goal is to give students a range of opportunities using different media to increase their map-reading skills. After hands-on modeling, a summative assessment provides students with the opportunity to put their topographic…

Mathematical concepts have been a consensus goal for decades, yet there is little consensus on what is meant by the terms "mathematical concept" and "mathematical understanding." This article attempts to discuss these terms in a way that can be of practical use to teachers. Greater clarity on "mathematical concept"…

"Introducing Engineering to K-8 Students" will provide you with the tools you need to incorporate engineering design into your classroom. Rather than prescribing a specific curriculum to follow, this book will help you engage your students with hands-on, open-ended engineering design problems that can be easily integrated into your…

An essential understanding of the uses and practices of algebra remain out of reach for many students. In this book, award-winning researcher Dr. Nicole Fonger addresses the issue of how to support all learners to experience algebra as meaningful. In a highly visual approach, the book details four research-based lenses with examples from 9th-grade…

To facilitate people using mathematical reasoning to compare risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the COViD-TASER (Creation of Visualizations of Data: The Application of STEM Education Research) research team to create the COVID-19 Relative Risk Tool (RRT). The RRT uses an interactive bar chart…

Discover the value of small-group reading instruction that accommodates students' individual literacy needs. Author Julie A. Taylor provides lesson plan templates to incorporate small groups into any learning structure. Teachers will design laser-targeted skills and strategy lessons to create more productive, positive, and equitable classrooms by…

Our middle school mathematics department used lesson study to investigate how to introduce fractions division to our sixth-grade students. We highlight our learnings during the Study and Plan phases, describe our observations during the lesson, and provide tips for educators interested in using lesson study to study their own content.

Models are an important tool for geography teaching, as they can be used to represent features of human and/ or physical systems. In addition, they enable the student to identify with the demonstrated reality, since they work with iconic images and symbols specific to each culture, used to represent the elements contained in the models (da Silva…

I am a teacher educator from South Korea. In this article, I introduce two international children's books on the Korean War and a fifth grade lesson based on the books to teach the Korean War through a critical lens. Before proceeding, I first explicate why teaching about wars critically, including the Korean War, is vital.

"Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 9-12" is the one-stop resource that will inspire you to reimagine your approach to high school physical science. The book discusses the 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) as a specific pathway for teaching and learning. It also shows how simple shifts in the way you arrange and…

"Local foods" are inherently geographical, rooted in space and place. Students can explore local foods from multiple geography angles. This introduction highlights some of these potential angles as applied to ice cream shops in New York State. Teachers are encouraged to adapt this lesson to fit their own needs and appropriate local food…

This article is a presentation of a three-day sequence of lessons that engaged fifth-grade students in an exploration following the activities of scientists. From asking questions and analyzing data, to engaging in scientific modeling, to defending their theories to the scientific (classroom) community, these fifth graders were mirroring how…

Social connections are crucial for today's middle and high school students. We address this social need through a 3-H Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Cycle. Through the Three Sisters Garden activity presented here, we teach secondary school students about biodiversity and sustainability as we integrate the arts into STEM (STEAM). Students…

The discovery of and research into penicillin resistance by Sir Edward Abraham and Sir Ernst Chain can be used to teach the concept of natural selection and also multiple nature of science (NOS) objectives associated with Next Generation Science Standards, such as "scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence" and "science is…

"This We Believe" advocates the use of a curriculum that maximizes early adolescent learning by integrating multiple disciplines rather than teaching them in isolation. The development of an interdisciplinary curricular unit is a common assignment in middle grades teacher education programs that seek to prepare teacher candidates to…