9th Grade Critical Thinking Projects

Need a new, creative, and fun way to teach landforms? This lesson, which includes a Faces of Earth Landforms Speed Game and will allow your students to grasp the concept of each landform, both contextually and visually

Includes:

Introduction Activity

Speed Time Contract

Faces of Earth Portrait activity

Grading rubric and in-depth teacher instructions

Answer sheets

All game pieces are included. May require minimal amount of teacher prep.

Your kids will have fun while learning!

Note: This lesson is written for individual student instruction, but can be easily modified for group collaboration. Suggestions are included in teacher instructions.

Desert Island Explorer is an engaging, two-week game-based sub unit designed for grades 5 to 9, offering an immersive and bilingual experience centered around the theme of desert islands. This project-based learning module combines elements of language arts, science, and teamwork to enhance students' critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative skills.

• Lessons are provided in English, and all activities within are French and English.
• These products work in English or French classrooms.

Nothing is more stressful than having to leave work for an extended time: our profession requires us to plan, to create engaging resources, and to assume the subs covering have French capabilities. We all know that's... not the reality of this profession. When you've gotta be out, you've gotta be out, and frankly, when you're in this position, you've not got the time, energy or mental health to allow for this level of planning. That's where I come in! This ressource covers you for roughly two weeks: providing your sub with direction in English, and activities in both English and French to ensure a seamless absence... And if you aren't actually out (or maybe you're checked out and just a body in the room!) but just want someone to tell you what to do for 2 weeks, this checks out for that, too.

I integrate discussion-based prompts, writing activities, reading activities, film watching, reflections, games, math tasks, group work, projects, presentations, art tasks - just about everything to keep them engaged while you're away! This is a clear and engaging this resource for your next emergency absence.

In this mega crypt of activities relating to desert island survival, you'll discover the following activities:

• All lesson plans (in English) for 15 activities and projects;
• Desert Island Charades (An engaging team activity where they must act out different desert island scenarios and go head-to-head against the opposing team);
• Island Survival Expedition (A team-based activity on choosing the items to bring to a desert island - without surpassing a maximum weight limit);
• Shipwrecked (An activity which will have students ranking items based on their importance for survival after being shipwrecked);
• A Brief History of the Message in a Bottle with 2 questions;
• Make Your Own Message in a Bottle (An engaging, meaningful task which involves students writing, decorating, "throwing to sea" and finding bottles with their classmates);
• Bottle + old paper templates (For use with Message in a Bottle activities);
• Dilemme sur une île déserte (4 pages of math activities - French only);
• 2 x Reading comprehension:
  • “Perdus en mer” (French only - grades 7-9) with questions;
  • “L’Île mystérieuse” (French only - grades 4-6) with questions.
• Desert Island Dilemma (A writing prompt with information for idea generation);
• Film project (Success criteria and rubrics included for this team-based, drama-focused task);
• The great survival strategy (Stations activity on persuasive language techniques and strategies)
• The great survival strategy (Persuasive prompt following the stations activity)
• Jeopardy-style flash cards (Whole group team-based game on finding the best answer)
• Watch + Respond (A film to be viewed with examples on how to engage students with their listening)
• Watch + Respond (Student question list - English only)
• Watch + Respond (Collaborative question cards - English only)
• The Ultimate Survival Guide (A final project which will have students creating pamphlets, brochures or an infographic on a desert island. Includes success criteria and rubrics in both English and French).

Hopefully this provides a sense of relief and calm to you in this time of need!

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For goodness sakes, don't forget to have fun!

Kaitlyn.

The task: Draw 4 points such that when you connect each point to the other 3 points for a total of 6 line segments, there are exactly 2 distinct lengths of line segments. You must connect each point to every other point.

This product includes

• examples and non-examples to use when introducing this task to kids
• questions to support struggling and advanced groups
• a detailed two page answer key that demonstrates each solution visually

This worked really well with my honors Geometry students, it led perfectly into the symbols we use to show congruent side lengths and the definition of point, line segment, etc and many other geometry topics. It has also been a good challenge for my more advanced 6th and 7th grade students.

My Other Thinking Classroom Tasks

Noncurricular Task: Estimating Rational and Irrational Numbers

Rectangle Area and Perimeter Thinking Problems

Writing Equations from Tables Thin Slicing Task

Geography | Earth Day Project | Creating a 501c3 | Real-World Activity

The Compassion Project | Facing Needs Around the World

Students learn through play or reenactment — yes even when they are older and in middle school or high school. This lesson has students work in cooperative groups to identify an educational, health, human or environmental need around the globe. As if in real-life circumstances, students come together to create a non-profit 501c3 with a purpose or mission on solving this world issue. It may range from animal cruelty issues to lack of resources like water to deforestation, etc.

Each team will work to combat an issue in one of the following categories:

° Animal Cruelty & Endangered Species Issues.

° Plant & Environmental Issues

° Human & Social Issues

° Other

OBJECTIVES:

• The learner will understand the difference between pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion.
• The learner will research human, educational, health, environmental, and social issues throughout the world.
• The learner will work to plan and create a non-profit compassion organization to help the cause and issue.
• The learner will work with his/her team to create promotional material for their non-profit 501c3 organization.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

1. Compassion Goes Beyond Sympathy and Empathy (Compassion Wheel)
2. Technology to display various Compassion Wheel, Compassion Organizations Websites, and introductory video.
3. Whiteboard/Blackboard on which to write.
4. Wall Signs: Animal Cruelty & Endangered Species Issues, Plant & Environmental Issues, Human & Social Issues, and Other.
5. Compassion Organization Planning Guide.
6. Computers, environmental magazines such as National Geographics.
7. Paper, posters, markers, pencils, erasers, rulers, glue, scissors, etc.

INCLUDES:

• Guiding questions
• Suggested YouTube videos
• Compassion Wheel
• Detailed teacher instructions with intro, procedure & closure
• Wall signs for intro activity

Student Packet

• Student instructions: How are You Going to Make a Difference?
• Examples of mission statement & logos
• How to Create Your Non-Profit planning graphic organizer
• Compassion Activity Choice Board
• Guardian permission slip (if needed for YouTube, Instagram, FB)
• Mockup of a 501c3 application
• Grading Rubric
• Mockup letter of tax exemption approval letter.

And More!

Disclaimer:

One purchase is for the use of one teacher. If additional teachers would like to use this product, please purchase additional licenses.