Students are encouraged and motivated to read independently by appealing to their different learning styles and offering students multiple choices when responding to books. Many of the choices are completed while they are reading the books.

Want to get your learners motivated in science class? Given only a piece of aluminum foil, assign groups the task of designing a "barge" that will support the weight of a bunch of pennies.  The group who is able to put the most...

Creating a good main character is a must when writing a creative narrative or novel. Elementary aged writers create main characters for the novel they are writing. They first use themselves as a models, then create a character as a...

Students create questions they would like to ask another class of Students, send the questions by email, examine results, and create slideshow illustrating results.

What is a Hoosier? 4th graders will identify sayings/expressions to reflect a region or culture. They will research Indiana history to work in groups to prepare for the annual 4th grade program where they will present the information...

Students read and respond to a history of Korea. In this occupation lesson, students work in groups to research the effects of Japanese occupation and create an illustrated timeline. Students listen to a lecture and write an acrostic....

Explore the rainforest with your class. Learners study the meaning of the word endangered, choose an animal to study, gather data, and discuss why the animal is in danger of extinction. This is a motivating way to have your class discuss...

Guide your readers to explore character traits. As a class, discuss and record the traits of a commonly-known fairy tale character. Then do the same with the main character in the class novel. Finally, have learners use magazines...

Learners explore 5 senses poetry.  In this poetry writing instructional activity, students visualize a special day and brainstorm related vivid adjectives and phrases.  Learners create mindmaps of the five senses to go with...

Review the difference between rocks and minerals using this resource. Learners identify and investigate the physical properties of these objects. They create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast types of rocks. This is a motivating way...

Third graders play a football spelling game where two teams spell words and gain yardage for each correctly spelled word. This clever spelling game will be highly motivational for your class! Each team gains ten yards every time they...

Young scholars investigate and design various models of size and distance related to the solar system. They work together to build a solar system model. The models should focus on distance and scale. They don't include moons or...

Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...

Discuss the history of slavery by analyzing historic photography depicting slavery. Learners write fictional stories based on these photographs. This is a creative and motivating way to launch a discussion of these topics. 

Fifth graders, after viewing a PowerPoint on different mammals, analyze what a biome is. Then they choose a mammal to research and go outside to feel the grass and leaves and hypothesize about which biome they live in as well as its...

Fourth graders download pictures and write script for narration as they create a KidPix slide show to introduce the study of the California Gold Rush.

Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...

Fourth graders read Cassie's Journey: Going West in the 1860's. In this pioneer literature lesson, 4th graders develop a timeline of the major happenings in the story by creating a timeline. Students discuss new discoveries about the...

First graders construct a KWL chart on sound. In this physics lesson, 1st graders describe different ways to produce sound. They explain how sound waves propagate.

Young scholars are introduced to how they produce sounds. In groups, they participate in experiments in which they measure sound and identify their five senses. Individually, they make their own musical instruments using different...

Second graders make posters.  In this good citizens lesson plan, 2nd graders read Arthur's Pet Business, discuss the examples of good citizenship, share their responsibilities, and make responsibility posters.

Fourth graders share their information about their home state. For this research lesson, 4th graders use graphic organizers to make a travel guide about the state of Indiana. This lesson could be modified for use with any state, it also...

Fourth graders, after exploring and researching the state of Indiana, create a travel guide about the state of Indiana including its capital, major rivers, governors and two famous people from the state. They utilize a variety of art...

Fourth graders access prior knowledge of simple machines to build a car. For this car design lesson, 4th graders create and race their cars.  Students evaluate what was good and bad about their designs. Each car will incorporate a...