CCSS ELA Standard: 7.W.1

Power Can Be Fast, Slow, Loud, or Quiet

Power may seem loud and fast, but it can also be slow and quiet.

That Quote’s Not Quite Right: Albert Einstein

When I see a quote, I often think, “That’s not quite right!”

Two Animals Switch Biomes

What if a capybara and a kangaroo rat switched homes? Would their adaptations be helpful at all?

Holiday Shuffle – Day vs Date

Wouldn’t some holidays be better on a certain day of the week? Should Thanksgiving have a set date?

Tournament of Mythological Creatures

Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?

Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors

Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?

Not Like The Others: Rivers

Students will determine which river is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Cephalopods

Students will determine which cephalopod is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Flowers

Students will determine which flower is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: 19th Century Presidents

Students will determine which US President from the 19th century is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group B

Students will determine which of these US Presidents is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group A

Students will determine which of these US Presidents is not like the others.

Domesticated Animals Tournament

Which domesticated animal will win the tournament?

Types of Energy Tournament

Which type of energy will win the tournament!?

Natural Disasters Tournament

Who will win the tournament of Natural Disasters!?

Not Like The Others: African Nations

Students will determine which country in Africa is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: US National Parks

Students will determine which US National Park is not like the others.

Discussing An Important Decision from History

How would people with two different perspectives discuss a decision from history?

Not Like The Others: Types of Diseases

Students will determine which of these types of diseases is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Desert

Students will determine which desert bird is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Penguins

Students will determine which type of penguin is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Microstates of Europe

Students will determine which of these tiny countries is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Microorganisms

Students will determine which of these microorganisms is not like the others.

Plant Adaptation Tournament

Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?

Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System

Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?

Not Like The Others: Ants of the World!

Students will determine which type of ant is not like the others.

The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament

Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?

Exploration Technology Tournament

Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?

Precipitation Tournament

Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.

Tournament of Ancient Inventions

Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?

Animal Adaptation Tournament

Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?

Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament

Which object in the solar system is most habitable?

Parts of Speech Tournament

Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?

Not Like The Others: Types of Volcanoes

Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Types of Rocks

Which of these rocks is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Snakes of the Rainforest

Students will determine which snake of the rainforest is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Deserts

Which of these deserts is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Stars

How is each of these stars not like the others?

Not Like The Others: US States

How is each of these states not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Mountains

Which of these mountains is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Tropical Rainforest

Which of these four birds is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government

How is each part of the United States Government not like the other parts?

Tournament of Presidents

So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?

A Lunar Survival Mission

A favorite of mine! This task is delightfully complex and ambiguous, forcing students to make choices without enough information and with no right answer. How will they survive on the moon for three days?

Not Like The Others: Natural Disasters

Students will determine which type of natural disaster is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: States of Matter

How is each of the states of matter not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Countries

How is each of these four countries not like the others?

Think Like A Philosopher

What would Socrates have thought if he watched Frozen?

Characters Dressed as Other Characters for Halloween

What if one character dressed up as another for Halloween? Would the Cat in the Hat pick Captain Jack Sparrow, because they’re both chaotic yet good-natured people? Would Elsa dress up as The Ice King since they are both lonely?

Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web

Students will determine which of the characters is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Creatures of the Tundra

Students will determine which creature of the tundra is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: US Presidents

Students will determine which founding US president is not like the others.

Not Like The Others: Planets

Which of these planets is not like others? Well, it sure looks simple at first. But quickly, you start to realize… there’s more to it than you thought. Each option could be the one that doesn’t fit in.

The Tournament of Biomes

Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!

Do Narrators Have Too Much Power?

Imagine being a character in a story. Are you worried that your story’s narrator may inaccurately describe you? What if they reveal something you wanted to be kept secret? Do narrators have too much power!?

Fraction Ordering Tournament

Which set of fractions would be the trickiest to order from least to greatest? Let’s have a tournament!

The Resiliency Tournament

Your students will set up a tournament to determine which person or character best demonstrated resiliency.

Creating A Realistic Flower and Pollinator

Your students will create a new flower, designed to attract a specific pollinator.