Students complete readings and mini-lectures to explore the life of Golda Meir, Israeli leader. They study her biography, discuss their research, write response journals and compare her government with its US counterpart.

Students explore the leaf as a design motif in art. They conduct Internet research on leaf and tree symbolism, view and discuss artwork, and create an original work of art featuring a leaf or leaf motif.

Students compare and contrast the four main religions of Asia (Buddhism Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto). This lesson is intended for use in the middle school Social Studies classroom.

Students discuss and compare contemporary class systems with those of the Middle Ages. They explore Websites on HyperStudio stack and review art and music of the Middle Ages. In groups, students design and draw castles reflecting manor...

Greeting cards can be cute or pretty, and they end up in the trash. Turn your old greeting cards into a functional box. Learners fold, cut, and tape old cards to create small boxes that are perfect for holding paperclips, erasers, or...

Students discover the skills needed to work with the mentally and physically challenged. In this service learning lesson, students create a set of guidelines for working with the mentally and physically challenged.

Students take a field trip to an art gallery reflecting on the paintings they like the most. Individually, they use magazines to find pictures related to their personality. In pairs, they make a mask to represent their ethnic group and...

Thomas Jefferson is one of the most recognized names and faces in America—but is there more to the third president of the United States? Upper elementary and middle schoolers conduct research on Jefferson, his famous home at Monticello,...

If you're looking for a way to structure your unit on Jack London's White Fang, use a well-organized guide to bring the intrigue of the novel to your middle school classroom. Covering a biography of the author, main background and...

Discuss how diseases have impacted human history. Divide your class into groups and assign each group one of the following: tuberculosis, malaria, plague, cholera, smallpox, and AIDS. They read up on, complete a concept map, and present...

What does it mean to be a hero? Who qualifies as a hero? In groups, middle and high schoolers brainstorm a list of heroes and create a list of characteristics that a person must possess in order to be a hero. Extend this instructional...

A poet's word choice can be the difference between a poem that is merely sad, and a poem full of heartbreaking regret. Middle schoolers discern the tone in four different poems, noting the relevant textual evidence that supports...

Learners are introduced to the concept of cultural diffusion. In groups, they identify the culture of Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia and work together to research how cultural diffusion has changed the country. To end the lesson, they...

Young scholars develop a class definition of folklore. In groups, they read various folklores and discuss the loss of independence and how to survive. They answer discussion questions and compare the folklore tales to art. To end the...

Students enjoy hands-on learning experiences. In this current events lesson, students may visit the Lulworth Castle, Roald Dahl Museum, Glasgow Science Centre, Salts Mill, or the Sherwood Forest online or in-person to discover details of...

Pupils create stories using powerful introductory sentences by creating something other than "Once upon a time...". In this sentences lesson plan, students read The Cross of Lead to base their introductory sentences on.

Sixth graders investigate insect anatomy by analyzing a live cricket.  In this insect science instructional activity, 6th graders discuss their knowledge of insects and describe their characteristics from memory.  Students...

What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary students examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are links...

Students examine the geological time scale: the Earth is ancient; time can be divided into periods based on its fossil content.

Students explore how F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. In novels such as Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise, and The Great Gatsby, he captured the mood and manners of his time.

Pupils examine and analyze a poster that presents various types of animals throughout the ages. They determine biological classification with fossils and earth history in a game.

Learners are introduced to non-violent ways to solve disagreements with others. In groups, they analyze the ways Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Thoreau shared their views in non-violent ways. They complete a sketch of the life of each...

Students explore John Paul Jones. His sense of adventure brought him to America. His bravery made him the country's greatest naval hero.

Students create an animal in the tradition of medieval animal combinations. They choose components from various animals and design a new animal from those parts. Students draw their animal with careful attention to surrounding...