Two slide shows, viewed side-by-side, permit middle schoolers to compare and contrast the lives of the Pilgrims of the Plimoth colony and the Wampanoags. Four videos take learners on virtual field trips to the Plymouth plantation. And an...

Second graders explore the books in the Elizabeti Series. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, young readers discuss pre-reading focus questions about their feelings on the first day of school. They investigate the book...

Note-taking is an essential study skill, and it needs to be taught! In the context of a research project on energy sources, learners find multiple sources, evaluating, paraphrasing, and citing them correctly. Two lists with note-taking...

A guided-inquiry lesson asks seventh graders to research the compelling question, "What does it mean to be equal?" Guided by three supporting questions, researchers complete three formative performance tasks and gather evidence from...

A lot of secrecy shrouded the creation of the atomic bomb. Readers uncover some of that secrecy using an educator's guide for the novel The Green Glass Sea. Three weeks of lesson plans feature discussion questions and reading...

Young readers examine the elements of story structure that are included in all stories. They include these elements in their own written pieces. This phenomenally-designed plan has everything you need to easily implement it in your...

Effective researchers use a variety of techniques to find what they need online. Pupils who complete the activities listed here should already have an arsenal of strategies for searching. They will learn about and practice two new...

Working in groups or individually, learners study images of important events that occurred at, or directly affected, the White House, and share their findings of a specific event. They then post the image of their event on a...

Critically Evaluating Alarming News students use a guided reading strategy to explore news articles about the Washington-area sniper attacks, and conduct a roundtable discussion to investigate public reaction to the case. October 17, 200

Students listen as the teacher reads "Possum Magic" to them. They watch the movie of the book, and create a T graph illustrating the differences and similarities between the book and movie. They research an animal and print a picture in...

Second graders investigate philosophy by researching the life of Mahatma Gandhi.  In this biographical lesson, 2nd graders listen to a reading of the book "Gandhi" and make a character map of his actions, feelings and thoughts....

Extra, extra, read all about it! Scholars research information on endangered species and produce a news report to share their findings with the rest of the class. In groups, they then consider engineering solutions to problems on habitat...

Students explore various kinds of bears and gather information about them.  In this research and habitats activity, students chart their bear information on large posters with illustrations of their bears. Students map the...

Students examine websites about the fourth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Mini-marine biologists use Scholastic Explorers website to learn about declining numbers of leatherback sea turtles and dusky dolphins. They fill out a K-W-L chart and observation journal worksheet, which are both provided in the lesson...

Students examine how the Jamestown settlement changed the first few years after it was founded. They take a virtual field trip of Jamestown, read primary source documents, discuss census information, and write a summary of changes in...

Students investigate the childhood of one of the greatest philosophers of our time, Gandhi.  In this biography lesson, students analyze the upbringing and events that finally shaped Mahatma Gandhi's life.  Students locate...

Sixth graders read the chapters in their social studies books and answer questions about Egyptian Dynasties. In this Egyptian Dynasties lesson plan, 6th graders research in their book, and then work in groups to answer the questions.

Reading, writing, and rings! A lesson from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this lesson are pre-reading activities, four mini informational booklets on Saturn, a structured...

Students share their knowledge of England, then read a news article about Prince Charles's anticipated visit to the U.S. For this current events lesson (written prior to Prince Charles's visit), the teacher introduces the article with a...

Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity.  In 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 locate...

Research was very different in the past. Pupils once had difficulty finding sufficient information, but now they have the opposite problem. Show your class how to pick the best resources out of the millions of sites an online search will...

How do discerning readers determine bias and credibility? Ask small groups to figure it out! First, each group is provided with either articles or videos that contain bias. They examine the resources, respond to included questions, and...

Bone up on bone density. The second installment of the seven-part series has pupils read articles on two different websites to learn about bone density and its measurement, as well as X-rays and other imaging tools. A quiz assesses their...