This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...

Have you ever seen a Mexican yarn painting? They're beautiful! Create a Mexican yarn painting with your class using this lesson. Start by discussing Mexico's culture and viewing different yarn paintings. After reading about important...

Earthquakes can be frightening and dangerous, but being prepared can make a world of difference. Perform an earthquake simulation during which the class practices how to drop, cover, and hold on as you read a script...

Go on a walking adventure through Irene Smalls' touching book Jonathan and His Mommy, an excellent resource to practice vocabulary in context. Go over the walking-themed terms (humongous, pace, leap, and zigzag)...

Read The Napping House and describe the visual characteristics of the illustrations.  In this perspective lesson, learners identify color elements.  They recognize that the text is repetitive and find patterns in the...

Students identify the basic freedoms of citizens in the United States.  In this Bill of Rights lesson, students act out scenarios about the Bill of Rights.  Students create a picture book describing the rights they've acted out.

Young scientists design a picture of a saguaro cactus that shows the cactus and some of the animals and plants that interact with it. There are many of these special relationships between plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert. Your...

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,...

Learners write a friendly letter. They write a friendly letter to author, Cynthia Rylant, after reading a number of her books, and watch a presentation by the teacher that describes how to write the letter. They word process their...

Youngsters examine how people show respect and care for the land. Specifically, learners see how the Native Americans truly did care for and respect the land, and still do so to this day! They also explore how they themselves can care...

"Ode to la Tortilla" and "Ode to Joy"? Sure! Use Gary Soto's poem to introduce learners to the ode format. After examining the descriptive words Soto uses, class members study a poster of Ludwig van Beethoven, suggest words that describe...

Inferencing is a necessary reading skill to uncover non-explicit messages in text. Use the set of resources as a way to guide learners toward becoming expert inferrers through reading prompts and literature with text and without text.

Learn about grammar the fun way! Eight activities about prepositions of time and place and phrasal verbs are sure to intrigue learners of all levels. Each activity requires minimal materials and set up, but will pay off in skills and...

Here is a very fun idea that introduces young learners to how geographical location affects cultural development. They are introduced to four areas where Native Americans have lived in the past by reading stories and examining images....

Second graders determine what it means to be clumsy before listening to Eric Carle's, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle. They examine the part where the click beetle does flips before drawing three frames that show the beetle flipping. For...

Students describe shapes to other students who have to guess that shape. In this shape lesson plan, students describe shape attributes to other students. Then those other students have to guess the shape that is being described to them....

Students listen to the story The Littlest Matryoshka and sequence the story. In this sequencing lesson plan, students sequence the story and also make little dolls based on the story and write stories about them.

Second graders listen to the story, The Whispering Cloth and discuss the message of the story. In this feeling alone lesson, 2nd graders make connections about what feeling alone means to them. Students define and interpret...

Students create original short stories that feature distinctive weather phenomena, such as rainbows, snowstorms, tornadoes, thunder and/or lightning. They use a story map, imbedded in this plane, to help them organize their story.

Learners compare and contrast the traditional Cinderella to the modern-day fairy tale, Cinder Edna. In this fairy tales lesson plan, students read both stories and construct a Venn diagram to compare the two fairy tales. Learners...

Second graders listen to pieces of literature that take place in different regions of the world. Using a map, they identify and locate the continents and oceans mentioned in the story. They describe the physical and human characteristics...

Students study about the first people that came to the Lansing area. After reading a series of stories students have gained an examineing of how people in the 1800s and 1900s dressed. They design trading cards to portray their settler...

After a close study of the pastel drawing Waiting by Edgar Degas have the class imagine the story Degas may be telling through the body language and clothing of the people in the work of art. Your young writers then create a...

Pupils listen to stories about and research the life of an Uighur child from China. They investigate their own cultural heritage and design a mural.