Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" is a bit of a puzzle. Critics have long debated Montresor's motives for killing Fortunato. Young scholars examine examples of the three types of irony (verbal, dramatic, and...

Has your motivation disappeared? The seventh activity in the eight-part mindfulness series has participants remembering a time when they were frustrated by a situation and lacked the motivation to deal with it. They then practice...

An activity stresses the importance of self-motivation by encouraging scholars not to give up and keep trying. When learners feel frustrated, they turn a two-part sentence into a motivational mantra. 

Encourage self-motivation with an activity that allows scholars to reflect on their challenges and set goals to better them. A script prompts pupils to listen to the Can-Do Coach inside them. An inspiring statement reminds...

O. Henry's short story, "The Give of the Magi," launches a study of what motivates people to act as they do. Class members identify what they believe are the motivations of the characters in O. Henry's tale and then craft a one-page...

With the emphasis on incorporating more nonfiction in language arts classes the question arises about how to design activities that motivate kids to engage with informational text. How about an assignment that asks class members to...

Class members may "think themselves accurs'd" when they first hear of an assignment that asks them to create a motivational speech. After studying the Saint Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V; however, they will count...

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides the lens class members use to analyze and evaluate the motivations of the characters in Sylvia Plath's "Initiation" and scenes from Mean Girls. Readers then select a character from A...

Students explore a character's motivation in a text.  In this characterization lesson, students view a video about Duke Ellington. Students discuss motivations for Duke Ellington and write sentences explaining Ellington's changes.

Run headlong into a great resource. Young mathematicians explore the Nike+ app to see which measure of central tendency motivates runners the most. They use two screenshots of the app to help them make their determinations.

Attitude is everything when approaching a task. That's the takeaway from a worksheet that asks teens to consider the four ways leaders approach tasks. 

Capulets and Montagues. Sharks and Jets. Nortenos and Surenos. Gradwitzes and Znaeyms? Hector Hugh Munro's short story "The Interlopers" invites high schoolers to consider the causes of conflicts and reflect on what it takes to resolve...

Students complete play and vocabulary analysis for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this Macbeth analysis lesson, students use an online research engine to locate passages that highlight Macbeth's response to fear and his descent into...

Students examine the challenges of a new language and culture. In this cultural lesson, student read Running by Peter Hessler and discuss obstacles faced, including the language barrier. Students write an essay about a time they...

It is so important for impending high school graduates to start thinking about their potential careers. Here, they discuss the persistence of Blondie Hasler and his impressive transatlantic trip. They follow various routes on a map and...

Why do some people achieve their goals and persevere despite the setbacks they face? This question is the focus of this life skills lesson, which includes worksheets, discussion, and collaborative activities on developing a growth mindset.

Learners continue their work in The Boy Who Invented TV by examining pages 14-17. They work together to determine the gist of the section during a first read then complete a second read to make inferences, create a summary, and...

Turn on the tube. Learners take a look at pages 10-13 of The Boy Who Invented TV. They work in groups and complete a first read to determine the gist of the section. They then reread the pages to  make and revise previous...

Money motivates! Help young bankers understand how math plays a part in investing. Give learners math practice while instilling real-world financial literacy skills.

When we think of ocean exploration, many of us have visions of sunken pirate ships full of treasure or mysterious creatures of the deep. What really motivates deep-sea investigation? The first in a series of diverse six-part lessons...

Third graders read excepts from the story, Thank You, Mr. Falker in order to gain practice in understanding an unfamiliar story by focusing on the details. They use a worksheet, embedded in the plan, which directs them to certain...

Here is a lesson that sounds like a lot of fun. Kids discuss the artistic elements and motives for the painting, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. To get the scope and scale of this oversized masterpiece, they use butcher paper and the...

When gasoline is in high demand and on short supply, OPEC can raise the price to turn a significant profit. Help learners understand the economics behind demand, profit motive, and monopolies with a lesson that focuses on OPEC and...

NFL football in science class? Yes, please! In an engaging and motivating three-day lesson, kids take a look at their own nutritional habits and needs compared to those of an NFL player, then experiment with the effects of hydration on...