What's the best way to start a story? Learners write a memoir using effective openings. They research the process and work through a list of hooks to use in their writing. They use at least two hooks to begin their personal memoir. A...

Pupils analyze and critique theater events by evaluating and constructing meanings from improvised and scripted scenes and from theater, film, television, and electronic media productions.

Learners discuss folktales and read Tiger and The Big Wind, listening for animal characters for later discussion. In this language arts activity, students complete a T chart on characters and make a doll for one either chosen or...

Work on making good shopping choices with a fun economics project. Kids analyze the differences between brand names and generic products, bigger and smaller units for purchase, and different places they can shop for different items.

After a discussion on horse in art and a presentation on safety techniques using materials, students construct a horse sculpture (or other animal of their choice) from sticks and natural fibers.

Students participate in shared readings of Eric Carle's books and investigate the art and story elements. They create a collage and answer questions.

Sixth graders study eight persuasive techniques that occur in a variety of media types. They write a persuasive essay and present it to the class. They create a "new product" for which they produce an advertisement using persuasive...

Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion...

Does your class love reading cartoons? Use their talents and interests to examine the process of writing a story they wish to tell through a cartoon. They develop the beginning, middle, and end of a story based on their original...

Enlighten young consumers to advertising techniques aimed specifically at their generation. Have learners answer questions about how advertisements are geared for a younger audience, then have them practice selling to other teenagers....

Think about a moment, frozen in time. Now take a critical look at the painting, Better, Homes, Better Gardens. This painting works to provide learners the opportunity to analyze art, critique artist's choices, and write a story inspired...

A thorough lesson plan on persuasive writing takes middle schoolers through several activities, including group discussion, collaborative posters, and independent writing. They compare historical speeches and analyze the persuasive...

Students study nutrition, healthy choices for food, and ways to prepare food. They review the Food Guide Pyramid and play Nutriend Tic Tac Know to select healthy foods. As a group they make pretzels, Mystery Muffins, soda, and play the...

Students, in groups, create a minibook with simulated textures using crayons and a rubbing technique. They create a cut paper collage from crayon rubbings.

As your class finishes the novel Dragonwings, use these culminating projects. A vocabulary list is given for chapters eleven and twelve and either an epitaph or letter activity concludes the book. The final project consists of creating a...

Learners identify the social climate that created the terms Degenerative Art and Fascist Aesthetic. They also identify how and why certain artists' artwork fell into these categories. Students recognize and discuss the Expressionist...

Second graders create a multimedia painting using warm or cool colors expressively. They demonstrate multimedia techniques in a drawing using pencil, oil pastel and tempera paints. They recognize and discuss mood created by warm and cool...

Encourage your artists to go wild with their color choices in this fun art lesson. Similar to the pop art by Andy Warhol, your class will color ordinary black and white photos with vibrant colors to simulate photo tinting. What a fun way...

Students examine the techniques that companies use to sell their products.  In this consumerism lesson students create an ad for a company and create a handcrafted butterfly. 

Move beyond buttons when designing user interfaces. In the fourth installment of a 21-part unit, young computer scientists learn to apply design mode, which gives users options for colors, fonts, etc. They learn to incorporate these...

Students redesign a particular album cover of their choice in this excellent high school Art instructional activity. The instructional activity suggests using Adobe Photoshop and glossy inkjet paper for the final presentation of all...

Analyze different types of graphs with learners. They conduct a survey and determine the mean, median and mode. They then identify different techniques for collecting data.

Students integrate techniques in printmaking with readings in poetry and literature. They read various pieces of student literature and poetry, and create prints using various printmaking techniques.

After watching a video of Native American artist Maria Martinez create art out of clay, learners will create burnished coil pots similar to those made by artist, Kerry Moosman. This lesson includes a supply list, web links, historical...