Jump back into expository writing and analysis at the start of a new school year! Start with a review of an authors' stylistic choices in diction, syntax, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language. Writers choose a text to...

Are marches and protests an effective form of resistance? That is the question high schoolers seek to answer in this inquiry lesson as they compare the 2020 protests to historical ones. Researchers use Venn Diagrams to compare images...

Students build a friendly environment for future students by creating a PowerPoint presentation.  In this middle school introduction lesson, students utilize a camera to record important moments throughout the school year....

Young scholars share, through discussion and writing, their feelings about violence in schools, as well as about ways in which such incidents and tragedies could be prevented.

Third graders answer text-dependent questions of the story Nasreen's Secret School both independently and then collaboratively through using the carousel of questions strategy. This plan is the seventh instructional activity in a...

This second lesson plan in a larger unit is perfect for the beginning of the year because it explicitly teaches 3rd graders how to use close reading skills by identifying unfamiliar words, figuring out the gist, and defining...

Various Muslim holidays and their meanings are researched and your young scholars will predict whether or not they should be recognized on the New York City school calendar.  An extension could be to write a letter to the Mayor...

Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older...

Third graders continue to practice the close reading skills of capturing the gist and reading again for important details in the sixth instructional activity in a larger unit. This is a great beginning-of-the-year unit for establishing...

Small groups place sand and ice in a covered box, place the box in the sunlight, then observe as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur. These models serve as miniature water cycles and demonstrations of the three phases of...

Students are introduced to the way the Japanese celebrate the new year. Using the internet, they compare and contrast the celebrations in Japan with those in Korea. After being read a story, they complete a worksheet on the series of...

Kick off the school year with some math fun! New classmates share information about themselves by using graphs and interpreting data. The goal is to use a general graph shape, such as linear or exponential, and create labels for the axes...

A great year-round activity that shows young mathematicians how the math skills they are learning are actually used in the real world. This exercise also helps learners begin to distinguish the difference between weather and climate. As...

Students explore their new science classroom.  In this classroom exploration lesson, students observe a floor plan drawing of their new science classroom through a PowerPoint presentation.  Students then get to have a hands on...

Give your pupils a front row seat at the biggest light show in the sky this year! In addition to admiring the total solar eclipse, young astronomers can explain the phenomenon with a little help from an inquiry-based instructional...

Burning off a Big Mac® doesn't seem like a big feat until you calculate the minutes of exercise necessary to break even. Young mathematicians look at different menu items in relation to different body weights and exercises to calculate...

Students examine the contributions of African Americans in New Haven, Connecticut in the 19th and 20th centuries. After being introduced to new vocabulary, they review the elements of autobiographies and read excerpts of African...

Students review 18th century New England schoolbooks to explain how changes occurred in early American education.

Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...

Students examine how the environment as affected people farming in New Hampshire. They visit a field trip to a local farm to make observations. They create a poem based on their observations.

A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe...

First graders discuss the importance of traditions in families. In groups, they share their traditions at certain times of the year. As a class, they read "When This Box is Full" and create a box representing the different seasons. ...

Nine action-packed organic chemistry exercises are contained in this mini-unit on carbon containing compounds. Examples include constructing models of alkanes, producing aromatic esters, and preparing pigments for paint and dyes....

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...