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...

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 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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

In many places in the world, people go to great lengths to get books to read. This beginning-of-the-year activity uses pictures of people reading in extraordinary situations to stimulate effective listening and speaking using the...

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...

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...

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...

Learners explore geography by participating in a mapping activity. In this concentric ring lesson, students utilize a poster board, string and markers to identify their current location within the entire world. Learners write about their...

Young scholars examine the problems associated with gender based and race based education. In groups, they research the history of education and the laws that have changed education and impacted lives. They brainstorm a list of the...

Celebrate the geography of the Americas and develop map skills through a series of activities focused on the Western Hemisphere. Learners study everything from earthquakes and volcanoes of the Americas and the relationship...

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.

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.

Students observe their local forest and document the change that occurs over the school year.  For this forestry instructional activity, students utilize a GPS to mark a certain area of the woods as their study area for the...

With many factors leading to a great athlete, does height make Usain Bolt unfairly fast? Middle schoolers conduct analysis to change the running distance of the Olympic races to be proportional to the height of the participants. They...

Students observe the school for one week to identify social boundaries.  In this map it out activity, students sketch the school's social boundaries, identifying where social cliques hang out.  Students compare their...