21st Century 7th-Grade Learners

Critical Thinking Lesson Plan - Students will analyze the current standing of Arlington Cemetery and use systems of equations to determine how long it will be before the cemetery runs out of space. Groups will then research different possible solutions and debate which one they think will work best by providing mathematical evidence. Students will have to use critical thinking skills and creativity to determine the best answer.

Creativity Lesson Plan: Students learn about tessellations and how shapes can translate, dilate, rotate, and reflect. They will then create their own tessellation by choosing a shape or picture and picking an appropriate online tool to help them transform that picture. Students will share their final products with the class and other students must determine which transformations were used.

Collaboration Lesson Plan - Students work together in small groups to complete a Tangram activity. Each group member will have a specific role to play and students will reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the group when working together. Students will describe ways they could have been more efficient and have a class discussion to see if other groups came up with different collaboration ideas.

Communication Lesson Plan - Students will analyze a book of their choice and write a summary that gets other students excited about reading that book. They will create a book trailer script and put together a short trailer video to best convey their thoughts on the book. Students are practicing how to get their message across in a concise and clear way.

Technology/Media Literacy Lesson Plan - Students will learn how to research online and determine what types of content they find. The lesson stresses the importance of categorizing data and understanding how to use technology correctly. Students will practice analyzing resources before discussing reliable content and sites as a class.

Leadership Lesson Plan - Students will experience and understand the concept of STEAM through a variety of hands-on activities. Each activity promotes a variety of learning styles and gives opportunities for students to work as a team and gain leadership skills. Groups will collaborate to set goals and complete team challenges and activities.

All 21st Century Skills Lesson Plan - Students will work in groups to research how old and new cruise ships were designed, engineer a cruise ship of their own, create a mockup using an online program, and create a physical model of their design. They will then share their work with the class and explain how they went through the design steps. Students are using critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, technology/media literacy, and leadership skills during this project.