Students design emergency shelters.  In this designing emergency shelters lesson, students discuss living conditions of people after a natural disaster.  Students discuss the tsunami that struck East Asia.  Students design...

Students research ways to help a women's shelter in a service project. In this service project instructional activity, students develop ways to meet needs of a women's shelter. Students select a need, plan, and conduct a service project...

Students research ways to help a homeless shelter and design a service project to meet the needs. In this service project activity, students identify and develop a list of ways to meet a homeless shelter's needs. Students then conduct a...

Students map a map of their school. In this school map lesson plan, students make a map of their school, record major features, and not wildlife on the school grounds.

Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity.  For this biodiversity lesson, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment.  Students also...

Students examine different homes and shelters across cultures and time periods. For this Houses and the People They Shelter lesson, students draw conclusions about society and culture according to the features of their dwellings....

If the world were 100 people...17 would not have access to safe drinking water, 18 would not be able to read or write, and 52 would not have a primary education. Using the theme of "100 people," this resource explores other major issues...

Khaled Hosseini’s video “Using Real People and Events” motivates learners to reflect on their own experiences and to use those experiences as the basis of a graphic novel that expresses a universal truth. The richly detailed plan...

Students arrange a service project for a local animal shelter. In this animal shelter lesson, students collect items to be given to a local shelter. They learn how to estimate the monetary value of the donated items. They can do optional...

First graders explore different types of Native American shelters. In this Native American homes lesson, 1st graders compare the shapes of shelters used by Native Americans. They build a home using the program "Community Construction...

First graders explore the four basic needs. Through discussion, 1st graders discover that all people need food, clothing, shelter and love. They create a collage representing the four basic needs. Students sing songs about basic needs.

Students create a town model and analyze the type of greenhouse gases their town emits. In this earth science lesson, students build greenhouses to investigate how trapped heat causes temperature change. They relate this activity to...

Construction projects of any kind require learners to use spacial reasoning, creative thinking, and critical analysis skills. They design and make a twig/leaf structure out of natural and recycled materials. This project would be great...

Burrowing animals are busy! Get your middle school ecologists busy as well by having them create a scale model of a burrowing population. They also design a PowerPoint or poster to explain their models. 

Young scholars examine the unique and diverse historical artifacts that people have designed to fulfill their everyday needs in extraordinary ways. They identify ways humans have used design throughout history to enhance the ways they...

Students observe geometric relationships in buildings and structures. They reason why structures are constructed in a specific way by applying geometric concepts. They construct a shelter using their geometric knowledge.

Second graders, after spending several weeks developing skills necessary to become a "Community Development Team," create and build their vision of a community. Consideration is given for needs and wants, food, shelter, safety concerns,...

Second graders listen to stories about homeless people.  In this public service lesson plan, 2nd graders recognize the problems of being homeless and the importance of community activities.  Students listen to Fly Away Home and...

What better way is there to teach about human rights than by seeing them firsthand? Introduce your class or club to the spirit of service through a myriad of service project ideas. First in a series of human rights instructional...

Students identify the seven basic needs for survival. They describe the symptoms and treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. Students compare and contrast the value of different materials in a survival situation. They use their...

Learners, after hearing the story, "The Rag Coat" discuss how family, school, and neighborhood provide basic needs and learning experiences. They decipher the difference between wants and needs and create a collage showing wants and needs.

Students discover ways to help those in need within their community. In this early childhood lesson plan, students gather clothing donations for use in a fundraiser for their community shelter. Students also create posters to advertise...

Students analyze the habitats of animals and people, how they are developed and maintained, and what factors affect shelter selection. They create a classified ad that describes a specific animal's habitat.

Students build rain gardens. In this community service instructional activity, students study the effectiveness of rain gardens in allowing water to run off. Students build a community rain garden at their school.