Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...

“Who’s This Guy Dylan Who’s Borrowing Lines From Henry Timrod?” The basic question in this lesson from the New York Time’s Learning Network is whether artists and authors who use the words of others are stealing from that artist or...

Engage critical and social thinking by exploring the value of language and word choice. The class considers the article "The Silence of the Historic Present" and analyzes several presidential speeches. They engage in class...

Study word choice and connotation in advertising. Readers examine campaign ads, both negative and positive, from the 2006 mid-term election before discussing an article and analyze a campaign of any candidate they choose. Finally,...

Can word choice affect a candidate's likeability? Use a New York Times lesson to explore how a presidential candidate's likeability factor can fluctuate in public opinion polls. Young readers choose a presidential election from...

Students explore the derivations and usage of common slang terms. Through internet research and discussion, students consider the Latin and Greek roots of contemporary slang terms. Groups complete an etymology chart documenting their...

Students explore stem cells. In this stem cell lesson, students research print and Internet sources regarding types of stem cells and their attributes. Students discuss their research findings participate in a debate about cord blood...

Young scholars explore and discuss the various account options available to them at the bank. They create a paragraph stating the pros and cons of each kind of banking account. This lesson is intended for students acquiring English.

Eleventh graders study the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. They collaborate in small groups to research and explore perspectives of each group, identify objectives of each group and key arguments...

Young scholars find words that begin with the letters in their own names, using a variety of sources including word banks and online dictionaries. They create an acrostic poem. Pupils revise poems as needed, for meaning and...

Students translate a 16th century English text into contemporary English. They discuss the cultural uniqueness and significance of language and document words or phrases currently used in their daily lives. They use this list to aid in...

Inform you class about space, the final frontier, with a word search and some simple research. Learners circle space age vocabulary terms provided in a word bank. For bonus credit, students research the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions, and...

Students categorize relative phrases from a word bank, then analyze and discuss an article on the subject.

Young scholars explore the costs of various cell phone plans, and various types of banking accounts to determine which one would yield the highest returns if the money saved from the cell phones were placed in different accounts.

How do facts and opinions impact the news? After reading "How to Cover a War" from the New York Times, middle schoolers evaluate the claims in the article. They also consider the media's responsibilities in reporting during wartime....

What is the missing link? Provide your class with this incomplete essay (it's missing transition words), and have writers place words from the transition word bank into the essay. Also, since only three of the five paragraphs are...

After locating Latin American countries on a world map, children read about how microbanks are loaning money to help start small businesses. Involving both current events and economics, the teacher introduces the article with a map...

Students construct sentences using nouns and verbs from a "renewable energy" word bank. In this cross curriculum ecology and sentence structure grammar and mechanics instructional activity, students listen to the book Our Earth: Clean...

What is a signal word? Recognizing these words is an important step in both reading and writing formal text. Review a list of signal words (provided and organized into specific categories), and then have your class play a game to...

Third graders match the body part words in Spanish to a picture. They receive a picture of a human with lines coming from its feet, hands, and arms. Students use a word bank, to write the Spanish word that corresponds to the picture. ...

Students consider an art exhibit comprised of words that tell stories and create their own original pieces of art.

Mount a variety of pictures (fantasy, rustic, portraits, action) on large sheets of paper and post them around the classroom. Groups rotate from poster to poster, adding adjectives to describe each of the pictures. Writers use these word...

Students interpret and analyze a work of art and write a narrative for the piece of art. In this narrative art lesson plan, students analyze a work of art and then write a short story 500-700 words long to narrate the art.

First graders make an "All About Me" book. In this high fluency words lesson students use a computer program to create a book about themselves. Students write their own text.