Explore the Ukraine through a reading of The Mitten. Readers will determine the sequence of events, cause and effect, make predictions, and find the main idea of the story. They also use math skills to make charts and graphs. Finally,...

Students explore budgeting. In this finance and math lesson, students brainstorm ways in which households could save money. Students view websites that give cost reducing ideas. Students complete an expense comparison chart and use the...

Young writers read excerpts from Gary Paulsen's memoir to identify figurative and literal language that contain sensory details. They determine which selections are examples of sensory language and fi the language is used literally or...

Fifth graders examine line, bar and circle graphs in the newspaper and on the Internet. They complete sketches of graphs with an emphasis on selecting the best model to depict the data collected.

In the first lesson plan of this unit on colonial trade, fourth graders gain background knowledge of different jobs performed by early colonists. The class begins with a slide show presentation that includes a variety of great...

Second graders predict and graph data based on the color of jelly beans they think are in a handful. In this prediction lesson plan, 2nd graders will predict how many of each color jellybean are in a handful. Then they graph these...

Students preview the novel, "Dragonwings," by Laurence Yep, make connections between the novel previewed and their prior knowledge, other texts, and the world. They utilize graphic representations including charts, graphs, pictures, and...

Students listen to the book "The Bookshop Dog" and discuss what happens when there is a change in their lives. They create a class T-chart about changes and feelings, develop a graph related to the story, and define key story vocabulary...

Second graders collect data from their families about their reading habits and graph them. In this graphing family reading habits lesson, 2nd graders interview family members about their reading habits. They then use a graphing computer...

Students investigate the weather by reading children stories.  In this weather observation lesson, students read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and several other stories about weather before they create a KWL chart....

Students compare and contrast two routes selected for a virtual field trip. They create a data table of educational activities, lodging, and meal costs using Microsoft Excel software.

Is there a correlation between a country's wealth and the extent of its ecological footprint? What exactly constitutes an ecological footprint, and how does one country stack up against the rest? This is a unique lesson to incorporate...

Students perform experiments to see if items will sink or float. In this sink or float lesson plan, students work in groups to make predictions, and record the results. After the experiments are complete students make a book of the results.

To conclude a unit study of Octavia E. Butler's Kindred, groups use MovieMaker or the class website to publish an original story about slavery in America. The detailed project assignment sheet includes a list of possible topics,...

Students hear the story "The Flood," and take a survey of the favorite pet animals in the class. They take the information complied in the survey and make a bar graph to show favorite pet animals using the computer program KidPix.

Young scholars listen to a teacher led lecture on jaguars, their habitats, and how they became endangered. Using a specified web site, they choose an endangered animal to research. After gathering information, students participate in...

Honing reading and communication skills through the theme of farm animals is the focus of this lesson. Students read a book about Scandinavian farm animals and complete prediction journal activities. They complete a worksheet about the...

Third and fourth graders study literary devices and figurative language. They view a PowerPoint presentation (which you must create) to review hyperbole, idiom, simile, and metaphor. They read and discuss the book There's A Frog in...

Students identify the themes of different books by classifying their genre.  In this genre lesson, students examine a specific animal by reading both a nonfiction and fiction book about the species.  Students compare the...

Students download information from a NASA website into a database. They transfer it to a spreadsheet by completing the information and analyze the information. They determine temperature averages, mode, and graph the results. They write...

If you are beginning Laurence Yep's Dragonwings, this will provide activities for the first five chapters. The objectives include making connections to oneself and the world, organizing information and events, vocabulary acquisition,...

Students investigate the differences in Lake Tahoe from the past to the present. For this geography lesson, students read the book Washoe Seasons of Life and identify the descriptions of the land and lake. Students create a Venn diagram...

Students explore the stages of a butterfly. They read and discuss the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. They draw a picture of their favorite part and create a graph. They write a letter to Eric Carle and observe a...

Students investigate the effect of dams on the ecosystem. In this environmental instructional activity, students read case studies on the Aswan Dam and the Colorado River Basin and construct a T-chart to compare the effects on the region.