Second graders practice asking the 5 W questions by reading a Boxcar Children book.  In this journalism lesson, 2nd graders read a single story from the Boxcar Children series and answer the 5 W's about each specific chapter....

Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews, 

Beyond reading and arithmetic, one of the most important skills for graduating seniors to have is fiscal literacy and responsibility. Start them on the right financial track with nine lessons that focus on a variety of important...

Fifth graders identify the parts and functions of the body's five senses. In this biology lesson, 5th graders create a replica of the nervous system highlighting its parts. They create a scrapbook containing information on the senses...

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...

Students imagine themselves on a field trip to Seoul, Korea. They use the 5-W questioning method to decide how to gain information about the city.

After reading Julius Caesar 1.2 and 1.3, break your class into pairs for this role-play. Each pair will receive one of four prompts (or more, if you create additional examples), in which one person tries to persuade the other to do...

Upper graders play the voting game to help them understand voting patterns, political movements, and build a content specific vocabulary. Each student creats a chart to determine if his or her political view veers liberal or...

Fifth graders investigate diseases of the respiratory system. In this respiratory system lesson, 5th graders research, using a variety of sources, the common diseases this system. They determine the causes of a breakdown in the system...

Students explore Earth science by participating in an environmental care activity. In this natural resources lesson, students discuss ways to protect themselves from the environment if they are ever in need of shelter in the wilderness....

Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...

Does your class love reading cartoons? Use their talents and interests to examine the process of writing a story they wish to tell through a cartoon. They develop the beginning, middle, and end of a story based on their original...

Investigate ethical issues surrounding the Decode project in Iceland. Middle and high schoolers take the positions of the Icelandic government, scientific researchers, and citizens and defend or refute the Decode project in a Reykjavik...

Intended as a follow up to the Protecting Your Drinking Water activity, young environmentalists use their assessment of the a hypothetical town's water supply to debate the installation of underground chemical storage tanks. With...

Help your class recognize the capital and lower-case forms of the five vowels. They will learn how to make capital and lower-case forms of the vowels and all the rules surrounding vowels. Fun songs and activities are included. Links to...

Here is an authentic assessment task for Shakespeare's Macbeth. Young literature scholars prepare, perform, and record a news broadcast about the major events in the play. For example, groups may choose to report on the death of Lady...

Are you a koalafied biologist? The lesson begins with research about human survival and our ecosystem. Then, an online training module simulates the effects of changes to the plants and animals in an ecosystem. Finally, scholars research...

Young scholars assume identities of lawmakers, judges, writers, and protestors during times in American history when freedoms of speech and press were limited because country was on the brink of war or fighting one. Students use primary...

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...

Birds help other birds find food? Scholars are placed into one of five groups of different birds. Each group then "feeds" on letters of paper in a field and gather five pieces per person. As each group plays, more food is exposed,...

Students investigate Native American tribes through their stories.  In this cultural lesson, students read stories of the Inuit tribe and discuss the themes, people, and customs.  Students illustrate a picture of the Inuit...

Young scholars explore and become aware of the similarities and differences of weddings in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. They assess a variety of tools to assist them including their parents, books on weddings, costumes and props....

Pupils participate in a read aloud of the poem, "My Body" then perform several different movement activities such as a finger play, a letter dance, and a body puzzle. They then create a drawing of their body using a prepared outline.

Second graders read books about ice cream and plan an ice cream sundae party for the class. They research ingredients and determine how much the party cost each student. They hold a mock opening for an ice cream store and have their party.