Lessons and Ideas

Physics teachers take heed: Halloween is the perfect time to brush up on your Edgar Allan Poe. You may ask, "Aren't they covering that over in the English department?" They may. But with this interdisciplinary mini-lesson, you'll have your students thinking about this gothic tale of terror in a mathematical way. So go ahead...teach physics with "The Pit and the Pendulum." Before you begin, you can watch our video that summarizes "The Pit and the Pendulum" or read the full story here.Then you are ready for two key questions. QUESTION ONE: HOW DEEP IS THE WELL? In the story, the…

Need some scary stories for Halloween? Just flip on the news. An earthquake shook Turkey, police clashed with protesters in Oakland, and the SAT is upping test security by hiring...former FBI agents. But we've got some good news, too. So tune in to the latest Week in Rap. We recap the news this week with some spooky flourishes. And we're asking you... How are you celebrating Halloween? Are you dressing up? Are you teaching a special lesson? Let us know in the comments!

Teach Figurative Language With Flocabulary [jwplayer file=https://s3.amazonaws.com/flocabulary/media-jrev/figurative-language-media.mp4 image=http://flocabulary.s3.amazonaws.com/images-jrev/figurative-language-image.jpg]Listen to Flocabulary’s new, free Figurative Language song. You’ll learn all about osymorons, as well as metaphors, simile and more. OXYMORON Definition: A figure of speech where two contradictory words are placed together. The result is something paradoxical, or something that doesn't make sense. Basic examples are expressions like jumbo shrimp or old news, but they can get more complicated and expressive. Why Writers Use It: Oxymoron comes from a Greek word meaning "pointedly foolish." And that relates to how writers use oxymorons. Oxymorons are often inserted to highlight absurdities, or to explain…

The Industrial Revolution brings to mind smoky factories and puffing trains. But it was much more than just those new inventions. The technology of the Industrial Revolution turned daily life upside down: What to eat. Where to live. How to work, travel, communicate and simply spend the day. What was revolutionary about the Industrial Revolution? Pretty much everything. The Industrial Revolution set off an explosion of change, and history hasn't stopped flying since. During The Industrial Revolution... The world population DOUBLED. Then it doubled again! The invention of the telegraph allowed people to communicate around the world faster than ever.…

This week, the Obamas, the poet Nikki Giovanni and singer Aretha Franklin and thousands of others gathered to dedicate the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. You can learn about that story, and others, in the most recent Week in Rap! You don't need to wait till January to teach your students about MLK; this week's dedication is a relevant opportunity to learn more about King's life and inspire students to set lofty goals.