Fourth graders take an unannounced test (failure is expected) and the top scores are rewarded with candy bars. They compare this test to the literacy tests given before 1960 and votes to candybars. They journal their responses.

Students examine the reason for removal of the Cherokee and other Indian nations. They map the water route of the Trail of Tears from its origination in the east and through the Arkansas River Valley to Indian Territory.

Third graders explore important events leading up to the Revolutionary War. In this Revolutionary War lesson, 3rd graders work in pairs to research dates and important events prior to the Revolutionary War. Class discussion is followed...

Students analyze historical events to develop a historical perspective. In this critical analysis lesson, students read excerpts, primary sources and other materials in order to understand the Native American Removal that occurred during...

Students take the sides of Patriots or Tories. In this colonial American lesson, students read primary sources that feature James Murray and Captain Jones. Students then write dialogues and limericks based on a fictional meeting of the 2...

Middle schoolers understand the sacrifices and problems in undoing an unfair situation. In this unfairness instructional activity, students discuss the reasons for the Montgomery Boycott and discuss worksheet and feelings about dealing...

Students watch the scene (divided into three segments). After each segment is played, students are given time to annotate and answer briefly the context questions.

Students examine and locate rainforests on maps, and research the patterns of their destruction. They develop a bar graph of rainfall and temperature data, write a journal entry, and research the people, animals, and plants/products of...

Students write an essay from rough draft to final copy about the Underground Railroad. Civil disobedience is researched from a variety of sources. There is a prewriting exercise that is included in the lesson. The whole writing process...

Discover the nutritional wonders of apples and get to know Johnny Appleseed with a plethora of learning experiences that cover subjects math, history, English language arts, health, and arts and crafts. Activities include an apple...

With throngs of Americans out of work and hungry, Franklin D. Roosevelt made the bold move to establish a social safety net with programs such as Social Security. The move was—and still is—controversial. Using documents from the 1930s,...

Tenth graders research the elements of Canadian identity and history. They analyze and organize the information. They investigate the concept of Small Group Acting, storyboarding, and writing a good script.

Students journal in response to reading act 1, scene 4 of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night. In this literature lesson, students read the play, discuss characterization and other literary elements, and create a list of persuasive...

Teens experience natural selection firsthand (or first beak) in an activity that has them act as finches foraging for food. Using different household items  to act as different beak styles, your little finches will collect as much...

Was the fatal crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 cause by mechanical failure or was it an act of sabotage? The crux of the debate and the subsequent controversy centers on translation of an Arabic phrase uttered by the pilot. The New York...

Help your middle and high schoolers reflect on the responsibility of newspapers to act as a vehicle for 'everyday citizens' to voice their opinions. Then, using an article about the first day of the Senate impeachment trial of President...

Elementary schoolers read many tall tales. They create their own tall tale about a specific event of their choosing. They must act the part of the author. This well-designed instructional activity takes three class sessions to complete,...

The options are vast with this Ancient Greece and Olympics research project! Using Scholastic online resources, historians have interactive and educational supports to guide them through researching and writing about the 2004 Olympics in...

This is a cool math activity. Kids collect and interpret data based on a physical act. A board is balanced between a scale and a step, learners record a peer's weight as it decreases while s/he walks further away from the scale. They...

A creative spin occurs when one pupil acts as author Ann M. Martin. Using a Q & A at the back of her book A Dog's Life, other classmates ask the "author" questions. They discuss the reasons why they know the book is from a...

Students explore the water cycle and associated phase changes. They predict what happens to the mass of an ice cube in a Ziploc bag, discuss and act out phase changes and diagram the water cycle.

The nursery rhyme "Elsie Marley" is used to help childrent determine the meaning of the verses. They act out the rhyme, chant the rhyme as a class and complete a cloze activity. Afterward, they add the rhyme to their "My Very Own Nursery...

Art acts as inspiration for a conversation about human impact on the environment and creative writing. The class examines three pieces, looking for evidence of human impact on the landscape. They then write a first-person narrative, from...

The class is presented with an image of a hand-carved leg. They act as art historians and hypothesize as to the purpose, nature, and creators of this amazing wooden leg. They compose journal entries from the point of view of an art...