CCSS ELA Standard: 8.RI.1

What’s In My Brain: Ramp vs Bike

Students will deduce the topic of simple vs compound machines.

What’s In My Brain: Grass vs Mold

Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Plants.

Power and Symbols

When does a simple symbol have more power than a word?

Who has more power: the Queen Bee or the Hive?

Sometimes power is concentrated in one place. Other times it is spread out.

Indirect Power – Lighthouse vs Magnetism

Students explore the idea of indirect power – which can be both visible (a lighthouse) or invisible (magnetism).

Power – Blue Whale vs Krill

Sure, a Blue Whale is huge. But does a tiny krill have more power?

Power Big Idea Worksheets

Your students will investigate statements like: Power leads to change, Power comes in many forms, Power can be used or abused.

Founding The Colonies

13 colonies activities including a word search and task cards packed with facts. Plus, students will create their own colony with a name, story, and map!

Hero or Not A Hero?

Students will determine what makes a hero a hero.

What’s In My Brain: Inventions vs Discovery

We’re looking at inventions vs discoveries.

What’s In My Brain: Paperclip vs Straw

We’re looking at magnetic vs. non-magnetic materials.

What’s In My Brain: Lion vs Bear

We’re looking at carnivores vs omnivores.

What’s In My Brain: Guinea Pig vs Potbelly

Let’s look at misnomers – things with the wrong name!

What’s In My Brain: Spain vs Germany

We’re looking at monarchies vs democracies.

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.

What’s In My Brain: Pentagon vs Pentagon

We’re looking at regular vs irregular polygons.

What’s In My Brain: Austin vs Los Angeles

We’re looking at capital cities.

What’s In My Brain: Italy vs Normandy

We’re looking at countries vs states (and other smaller regions).

What’s In My Brain: Coral vs Water Lilies

Let’s look at saltwater vs freshwater organisms.

What’s In My Brain: Tree vs Tree

Let’s look at deciduous vs coniferous trees.

What’s In My Brain: Ball vs Book

Let’s look at Kinetic vs Potential Energy!

What’s In My Brain: Crocodile vs Tree Frog

Is it a reptile or an amphibian?

What’s In My Brain: Narwhal vs Penguin

We’re looking at the arctic vs the antarctic.

Types of Energy Tournament

Which type of energy will win the tournament!?

What Happens In Your Brain When You’re Worried or Afraid

Allison Edwards explains how blood flow in your brain affects your decision-making

Create A Civ: Capital City

How are capital cities a combination of natural and human-designed features?

Not Like The Others: African Nations

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

Concept Attainment: Japan vs Jamaica

Is it an island or an archipelago?

Not Like The Others: US National Parks

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

Famous Structures

Students explore famous structures from around the world, put them into related categories, pick some winners, and then design their own.

Concept Attainment: Conductors

Some of these examples are conductors and some are insulators!

Concept Attainment: Walnut vs Clouds

Let’s look at living vs non-living things.

Concept Attainment: Hornet vs Tiger

Can your class spot the vertebrates vs invertebrates?

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 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: Rainforests

Which of these rainforests 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?

Create A Civilization: Currency

What type of currency will your civilization use? What symbols will be on it? Why are they significant?

Create A Civilization: Design A Flag

What makes for a good flag? What makes a bad flag?

Tournament of Presidents

So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?

What’s In My Brain: Owl vs Eagle

Some of these animals are nocturnal and some are diurnal.

Concept Attainment: Art

Can your students tell the difference between cubism and abstract art?

The Pros and Cons of Producers and Consumers

Sure, students might know the difference between a producer and a consumer… but have they considered how they feel about each other? What, in a producer’s opinion, are the pros and cons of a consumer?

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?

What’s In My Brain: May vs May

The word “may” can be used for possibility or permission. It’s a modal auxiliary verb!

How Renewable Is That Resource?

Which resource is more renewable? And which is easier to find?

What’s In My Brain: Trapezoids or Not?

Which are trapezoids and which are not?

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 each option could be the one that doesn’t fit in.

Create A Civilization: A Change In Government

It’s a great moment for your civilization! Power is moving from the hands of a few to a more democratic government.

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!

What’s In My Brain: Painting vs Painting

Students infer the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs.

What’s In My Brain: Cute Baby vs Fast Cheetah

Can students spot similes vs metaphors?

Fraction Ordering Tournament

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

Upgrade Research Questions With Depth and Complexity

Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn’t already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.

What’s In My Brain – Independent vs Dependent

Some of these clauses are dependent and some are independent.

Simple or Compound Sentences – What’s In My Brain?

Can your students spot simple sentences vs compound sentences?

Run On or Not? – What’s In My Brain

Can your students spot the run-on sentences?

Complex or Compound – What’s In My Brain

Can your class spot the complex sentences vs compound sentences?

What’s In My Brain: Progressive vs Simple Tenses

Will your students notice progressive tense vs simple tense?

What’s In My Brain – The Park vs The Museum

We’re looking at the past progressive tense and the simple past tense.

The Resiliency Tournament

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

Propaganda and Logical Fallacies

Let’s see how propaganda techniques can make even something great seem bad.

A Caffeine Investigation – Part 3

Students will analyze advertisements about caffeine and create a public service announcement to communicate their findings.

Create A Civilization: From Hunter Gatherers to Farmers

What happens when your civilization suddenly has a surplus of food? Think of the possibilities!

Create A Civilization: The River

The Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Seine, the Thames, and now… your river!

Persuasion and Packaging: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

How does a drink’s packaging affect us emotionally and logically?

Create A Civilization Introduction

Combine social studies, science, and language arts in this year-long creative project!

Think Like An Economist

How would an economist read Goldilocks? How would they see a rainforest? How would they study the American Revolution?