Discover the environmental and economic impact of global warming. After reading an article, emerging environmentalists identify how different countries are responding to the Kyoto Protocol. They research emission laws and write a news...

Share pupil responses to an interactive slide show about a design initiative intended to help the world's poor. The class works in groups to brainstorm ideas, and then prepares sketches of their own design solutions. Each rendering...

Read informational text which relays how medical care differs around the globe and throughout history. There are three separate lessons, each focused on a particular case study, regional medical availability, and cultural norms. Learners...

It's so interesting to see kids respond to articles about education. To start the day, prompt learners to discuss the words colorblindness and diversity. Then, split your class in two and have one side read an article from 2007 and the...

Students work together to research a historical event. They create their own poems based on their research. They share their poems with the class and discuss the historical event further.

Good readers have internalized a system of strategies to understand text. While most reading programs explicitly teach these strategies, this presentation could be used as a discussion starter to help students understand such things as...

The story of Abe Lincoln serves as the backdrop to this vocabulary-in-context activity as you read David Adler's A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln. Scholars learn these politically themed words before listening to you read the story...

What is technical knowledge? The class explores what technical knowledge might mean to an Olympic athlete. They catalog the different types of information that athletes would need to compete in various Winter Olympic sports and develop...

This vocabulary-in-context strategy can be applied to any book that learners read with you; however the activity here is designed around Byron Byrton's fiction book, Airplane. First, introduce the new words you will learn: attendant,...

Where is "tornado alley," and what do you do in case a tornado comes your way? This lesson talks about tornadoes, where they are most common, and basic tornado safety. Although they most commonly occur up the middle of the United States,...

Explore the seasons. Why do we have different seasons? How do you know when you've transitioned into a new season? Learners visit a website (included) to find out why the seasons occur. They reinforce their understanding of the seasons...

Upper elementary learners examine how to write exemplary summaries. First, they read a summary and determine the quality level. After discussing the summary as a class, they attempt to write a brief summary for an event that everyone...

Reinforce comprehension of informational text. This is a one-on-one lesson intended to build an internal dialogue the reader can use to boost overall comprehension. They work independently with a tutor or teacher to read a nonfiction...

These questions ask learners to think about the text "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" in a variety of ways. In addition to practicing reading comprehension, class members work on interpreting, making inferences and connections,...

Learners create a design and compose directions for re-creating it. Then in pairs, they take turns drawing from one another's written directions. Upon completion of the attempts at drawing, each pupil revises directions for clarity. This...

To help learners better comprehend informational texts, they work through a series of activities. They discuss strategies, make predictions, skim passages, focus on key words, and practice taking notes. This lesson focuses on what to do...

Design a public information campaign to improve understanding of the coral reef crisis. Read about and discuss the biology and threats to the coral reef. The class creates a public information program about the problems facing the coral...

Students write a rap or hip-hop lyric about the life of a famous Black American. They explore famous Black Americans in history and explore how the rap form compares to other forms of poetic expression.

Natural disasters are both terrifying and fascinating. This lesson provides an introduction to some natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Emerging scientists read about and view pictures of these phenomena and...

Young scholars compare and contrast the physical appearance and adaptations of dugongs with those of elephants. Next, they consider the evolutionary relationship between these two animal species. They finish by writing paragraphs about...

African-American history is an integral part of what America is. Learners examine important events, read informational texts, and create quilts depicting specific eras in African-American history. Each image created for the quilt will be...

Examine ways in which historic places and landmarks represent significant themes and events in American history. Then create theme-based travel guides for related historic locations. This lesson requires informational reference materials...

Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...

Discover basic information about nurse sharks and read articles describing recent studies in the Florida Keys. To show their textual understanding, learners write grant proposals as if they are scientists wanting to research nurse shark...