PRISM Library

Browse free, privacy-first educational resources

Found 173 resources

The Language of Operations

Lesson Grade 6

Students learn the precise vocabulary for all four arithmetic operations (sum, difference, product, quotient, factor, dividend, divisor) and connect these terms to real-world situations while building confidence through familiar contexts.

NC.6.NS.4 NC.6.RP.1 NC.6.EE.1
Heredity from parents to offspring Boxes for two parents with arrows pointing to an offspring, showing traits passed down across generations. Parent 1 Parent 2 Offspring genes in DNA genes in DNA traits inheritance

Heredity - Vocabulary

Lesson Grade 7

A robust Grade 7 genetics vocabulary reference aligned to heredity, dominant and recessive traits, genetic variation, and mutation.

LS.7.2.1 LS.7.2.2 LS.7.2.3 +2 more

Predicting Traits

Lesson Grade 7

Students learn how to use Punnett squares to predict the probability of offspring inheriting specific traits, understanding dominant and recessive alleles, genotypes, and phenotypes.

LS.7.2
Position-Time Graph: Maria's Walk to SchoolA three-segment position-time graph showing constant speed, rest, and faster constant speed during Maria's walk to schoolMaria's Walk to School0100200300400012345678910Time (minutes)Distance from Home (m)Segment 1: Constant speed40 m/minSegment 2:At restSegment 3: Faster!80 m/min

Graphing Motion

Lesson Grade 7

Students learn to create and interpret position-time graphs, calculate speed from slope, identify periods of rest, constant speed, and acceleration from graph shape, and compare the motion of multiple objects on the same graph.

PS.7.1.3 PS.7.1.1
Particle Arrangement in Three States of MatterThree panels comparing particle arrangement and motion in solids, liquids, and gasesParticle Arrangement in the Three States of MatterSOLIDVibrate in placeDefinite shapeDefinite volumeLIQUIDSlide past each otherNo definite shapeDefinite volumeGASMove rapidly, all directionsNo definite shapeNo definite volumeLeast energy→ → →Most energyAdding energy increases particle motion and changes the state of matter

States of Matter and Phase Changes

Lesson Grade 6

Students learn how particle arrangement and motion differ across solids, liquids, and gases, explore all six phase changes and the role of thermal energy, and interpret heating curves to understand what happens at each plateau.

PS.6.3.2

Weather and Climate Unit Introduction

Lesson Grade 7

A 45-minute introduction lesson where students differentiate weather from climate, explain air masses and fronts, interpret weather maps, and connect the water cycle to weather patterns.

ESS.7.1 ESS.7.1.2 ESS.7.1.3 +2 more
Energy enters and moves through an ecosystem Flow diagram: Sunlight to producers (plants and algae) by photosynthesis, then to consumers by eating, then to decomposers from dead matter. At every step, some energy leaves the system as heat from respiration. Energy flow in an ecosystem Energy enters mainly as sunlight, is transformed, and is lost as heat at each step. Sunlight Producers plants, algae Consumers herbivores Consumers carnivores Decomposers fungi, bacteria detritivores light energy eating eating waste + death heat (respiration) heat heat heat Energy flows one-way: in as sunlight, out as heat. Matter (atoms) can be recycled.

Food Webs & Energy Flow

Lesson Grade 8

A 30 minute Grade 8 lesson on how energy enters ecosystems (mainly sunlight), how producers convert it to chemical energy, and how energy is transferred and lost as heat through a food web.

MS-LS2-3
Fraction and Decimal Number LineNumber line from 0 to 1 showing that fractions and their decimal equivalents occupy the same points: 1/4 = 0.25, 1/2 = 0.5, 3/4 = 0.75Fractions and Decimals: Same Points on the Number Line01/41/23/4100.250.50.751.0Fractions (top)Decimals (bottom)same point, different name

Fractions and Decimals: Two Languages, One Idea

Lesson Grade 6

Students discover that fractions and decimals are two representations of the same value, master equivalent fractions and simplifying using GCF, convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers, understand the reciprocal, and connect fraction-to-decimal conversion to the division meaning of a fraction.

NC.6.NS.1 NC.6.NS.3 NC.6.RP.1

Matter and Its Interactions - Remix

Lesson Grade 6

A fast-paced review of the first three lessons covering atoms and subatomic particles, phases and properties of matter, and elements and the periodic table. Designed to get students caught up and re-oriented after absences.

PS.6.3.1 PS.6.3.2 PS.6.3.3

Unit Review - Heredity: Inheritance and Variation

Lesson Grade 7

Comprehensive unit review covering heredity and genetics: inherited vs. acquired traits, DNA/chromosomes/genes, alleles and dominance, genotype vs. phenotype, Punnett squares, sexual vs. asexual reproduction, genetic variation and survival, and environmental effects on inheritance.

LS.7.2 LS.7.2.2 LS.7.2.3 +1 more

Under Our Feet

Lesson Grade 8

Students explore how water moves through soil and rock to form aquifers, understand how watersheds collect and channel water, and analyze human impacts on water quality.

8.E.1

Expressions, Equations, and Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson Grade 6

Students learn the vocabulary of algebra (variables, expressions, equations, terms, coefficients, and constants) and apply order of operations (PEMDAS), properties of operations, and expression evaluation to build the foundation for all 6th grade mathematics.

NC.6.EE.1 NC.6.EE.2 NC.6.EE.3
Rock Layer Cross-SectionSix horizontal rock layers labeled A through F from oldest at bottom to youngest at top, with an unconformity between layers C and D and a fault cutting through layers C, D, and ERock Layer Cross-SectionLayer ALayer BLayer CLayer DLayer ELayer FKeyLayer F (top) = YoungestLayer A (bottom) = OldestUnconformity(gap in the rock recordbetween C and D)Fault(crack where layers shifted;younger than layers it cuts)Fossils (Layer B)Reading Order:1. Layers A-C deposited2. Erosion (unconformity)3. Layers D-F deposited4. Fault cuts through C-E

Reading the Rock Record

Lesson Grade 8

Students learn to read Earth's history from rock layers using the Law of Superposition, index fossils for correlation, relative and absolute dating methods including radiometric dating and half-lives, the geologic time scale, and additional geological evidence from ice cores, faults, and igneous intrusions.

ESS.8.1.1 ESS.8.1.2
Simplified Geological ColumnFive rock layers showing the progression of life from simple bacteria 3.5 billion years ago to modern organisms today, arranged from oldest at bottom to youngest at topLife Through Earth's HistoryOldest layers at bottom, youngest at topTIME (oldest → youngest)~3.5 Billion Years AgoSimple bacteria & single-celledorganisms (prokaryotes)~500 Million Years AgoMarine invertebrates, trilobites,early fish~370 Million Years AgoAmphibians, land plants,insects, early reptiles~250 - 66 Million Years AgoDinosaurs, early mammals,flowering plants, early birds~66 MYA - PresentModern mammals, birds, humans,flowering plants dominateKey PatternOldest layers contain thesimplest organisms.Each newer layer showsprogressively more complex life.Transitional fossils bridge thegaps between major groups.Transitional Fossils:Tiktaalik (fish → land animals)Archaeopteryx (dinosaur → bird)Pakicetus → modern whalesThe fossil record is incompletebut tells a remarkablyconsistent story of changeover billions of years.

Evidence for Evolution

Lesson Grade 8

Students explore four major lines of evidence for biological evolution: the fossil record (including transitional fossils), comparative anatomy (homologous, analogous, and vestigial structures), embryology, and molecular biology (DNA comparisons). Students also learn how modern classification systems reflect evolutionary relationships.

LS.8.3.1
SUNNSJUNESummer (NH)SEPTEMBERFall Equinox (NH)NSDECEMBERWinter (NH)MARCHSpring Equinox (NH)Earth's axis always points the same direction. The tilt never changes, only Earth's position in orbit.NH tilted TOWARD SunNH tilted AWAY from Sun

Why Charlotte Doesn't Freeze in June: Seasons & Earth's Tilt

Lesson Grade 6

Students watch the Generation Genius 'Causes of Seasons' video and build a mental model of how Earth's axial tilt, not its distance from the Sun, drives seasonal changes in temperature, daylight hours, and sunlight intensity across the hemispheres. The lesson connects abstract orbital mechanics to students' lived experience of seasons in Charlotte, North Carolina.

ESS.6.1.1 6.ESS.1.1 MS-ESS1-1 +1 more

Grade 7 Science Assessment

Assessment Grade 7

Comprehensive assessment covering NC DPI 2023 K-12 Science Standards for Grade 7

PS.7.1 PS.7.2 LS.7.1 +3 more

Number Relationships and Place Value

Lesson Grade 6

Students deepen their understanding of factors and multiples, distinguish prime from composite numbers, find GCF and LCM, and extend place value knowledge through thousandths, building the vocabulary and number sense needed for fraction and decimal operations.

NC.6.NS.4 NC.6.NS.3 NC.6.NS.1

Grade 8 Science Assessment

Assessment Grade 8

Comprehensive assessment covering NC DPI 2023 K-12 Science Standards for Grade 8 (EOG Aligned)

PS.8.1 LS.8.1 LS.8.2 +5 more