What would be on your family's coat of arms? Complete a template with the images that represent your family. Decorate the coat of arms and display in your classroom after your class has finished.

Students participate in two unfair activities to explain the concept of fairness. Then they role-play different scenarios demonstrating the idea of fairness. They discuss reasons to make rules and complete a web chart on fairness.

Students design Career Character Poster, research occupations of interest, write about their future career choices, and present a first-person narrative about their chosen occupation.

Students imagine and create their dream house.  In this comprehension and interpretation instructional activity, students read The Big Orange Splot, answer comprehension questions about the story and  complete a character...

Students discuss acts of kindness. In this character education instructional activity, students use a large sheet of poster paper, tempera paint, and markers to create a graffiti wall. Students write down their ideas of kindness and...

Second graders explore the geography, holidays, important teachers, and inventions from China in the nine lessons of this unit. The results of their inquiries are expressed through a variety of products, writings, and presentations.

Students utilize a new language to discuss dates and birthdays.  In this foreign language lesson, students practice using vocabulary words from a target language to speak about birthdays and culture related to a specific student....

Students investigate the lifestyle of Gandhi by creating a Venn Diagram.  In this biographical lesson, students compare the philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi while discussing their teaching methods.  Students...

Students inquire about biology by reading a children's book in class. In this insect lesson, students read the story "I Wish I Were a Butterfly" and identify the unique characteristics of butterflies and other insects. Students...

Learners listen to a book about careers and occupations before they research their own career choice using a variety of resources. They complete a KWL chart and Job Research worksheet and design a Career Character Poster that shows them...

Students create an African style mask that depicts a value or character trait that is important in their community.

Students listen to the book, Corduroy, and discuss the characters and the sequence of events. They take turns taking Corduroy home overnight, and write their own adventure stories using the Corduroy character.

Students research an African American person of interest to them. Once the research is complete, they share the information with the class. They also create a visual or written portrait of the person to show their character and...

Students contrast the traditional Cinderella character with a modern, independent and socially conscious Cinderella. To activate prior knowledge by eliciting from the students some of the familiar story elements of the traditional...

Second graders role play as dentists researching teeth and their care. They create a slide show showing how a character, Bear, can take care of this teeth explaining habitats, diets and teeth.

Students are introduced to the concept of multiculturalism. They explore "colors" of people in a book The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. Students experience the ingredients and materials for Rainbow Stew.

Young readers examine the elements of story structure that are included in all stories. They include these elements in their own written pieces. This phenomenally-designed plan has everything you need to easily implement it in your...

Bring the world of video messaging into your classroom with this creative communication application. Offering the ability to create animations with customized characters, backgrounds, and recorded messages, this resource is guaranteed to...

Combine art, math, language arts, drama, and delicious Jell-o with a instructional activity based on the African folktale Anansi and the Tug o' War. Kids make predictions and discuss plot points of the story before joining in...

This unit introduces book clubs/literature circles to lower elementary classes, but could be adapted to higher grades. It outlines the anticipatory activity that includes a WebQuest, a discussion to clarify questions about the unit,...

Dive into an author study of one of the most beloved children’s book authors, Eric Carle. After reading some of his stories, including Papa Get me the Moon, A House for Hermit Crab, The Grouchy Ladybug, and The Very Busy...

Students explore children's literature by reading biographies in class. In this history analysis instructional activity, students read books written by Jean Fritz about the Revolutionary War and discuss the events that led up to the...

Students read the book Anansi and the Tug O' War. In this folktale lesson plan, students read the book and discuss the sequence of events from the text. Students create a written response to the story, focusing on their favorite part.

Second graders research their family history and how it connects them to the past. They identify their ancestors, graphically organize relatives in a family tree, and chart significant events in their lives on a timeline.