Complete studies of the memorable characters in Richard Peck's novel A Long Way from Chicago. The instructional activity describes three different activities to help your class better understand characters in the story, character...

Students, who are adult learners, read books by Richard Peck and complete a variety of activities aimed at increasing their reading comprehension. They participate in read aloud and student independent reading, complete KWL charts and...

Pasta is great for cooking—and for making Ferris wheels. Aspiring engineers use an assortment of pasta types to create a functioning Ferris wheel. They keep track of the design process to refine their designs, if necessary. Let's hope no...

Cultural discourse can start through a variety of venues. Learners begin to think about how our minds, memories, and identities shape our attitudes toward culture and history. They analyze seven pieces from the Dongducheon art exhibit...

Rhyme, rhythm, free verse, imagery: Do these words describe poetry, or jazz music? The answer is both! A resource explores these similarities as scholars watch a video, engage in discussion, read author biographies, write poetry and...

Students discover what it was like to cross into freedom. In this slavery lesson, students read the "Emancipation Proclamation," and letters written by Abraham Lincoln and John Washington (a former slave). Students identify the key ideas...

Did you know horsepower is actually based on the power of a horse? 60 horse power is the equivalent of being pulled by a team of 60 horses! Viewers will learn other interesting facts like this from a presentation that begins with the...

Young scholars explore irrigation. For this science lesson plan, students show that water is necessary for plant growth and show how a dam can turn a nearly useless water way into a valuable form of irrigation.

Students explore polymer properties. In this lesson about polymers, students perform an experiment to understand polymers, their properties, and that they are formed from small molecules. Students role play pretending they are polymer...

Students examine and research the importance and functions of the skeletal system in vertebrates. They construct a 10-foot geodesic dome to illustrate the importance of architectural frameworks and create a clay animation movie.

Fourth graders experiment with gravity and lift by building paper airplanes. In this physics activity, 4th graders compare the falling rate of a crumpled vs. flat sheet of paper. Then after class discussion and demonstration of...

Students listen to examples of Japanese folktales and identify universal themes. Students construct a 'kamishibai' - a traditional Japanese storytelling prop - and dramatize a folktale through puppetry.

Students draw three cattle trails that passed through Indian Territory, using a written description of the trails and will create a diary of trail life. Students research a historical trail as assigned. Students share their information...

Learners investigate a circuit and build a flashlight transmitter. In this electricity instructional activity, students are introduced to the parts of the modulated laser and define the purpose of each part. As an assessment,...

In this atoms activity, students answer four different sets of questions related to atoms (fill in the blank, multiple choice, word puzzle and true and false).

Students investigate the symbolism and meaning of samplers in American history. In this American history and sampler lesson, students examine pictures of original samplers and look at lists of the symbolism included in them. They connect...

Students spin themselves to understand rotational inertia. In this Inertia lesson plan, students will also use ramps, balance beam and pendelum to conduct rotational inertia experiments. Students draw conclusions to explain rotational...

Students explore the characteristics of water. In this water exploration lesson, students participate in various learning centers to inquire how water drains and how to increase the flow of water. Students use estimation and measurement...

Check out this informative site about "A Long Way From Chicago" by Richard Peck and learn about small-town life during the Depression in seven short stories for the years 1929 through 1942.

This reading guide for "A Long Way From Chicago and a Year Down Yonder" by Richard Peck takes a comprehensive look at the author and his work, seven stories about small-town life during the Depression.

This site is a review and plot summary of Peck's book, "A Long Way from Chicago", and has some links to reviews of some of his other works.

Used as an introduction to the reading of Richard Peck's book, A Long Way From Chicago, this lesson is designed to familiarize students with topics that help them to better understand the setting of the novel. Students search the...

To prepare for reading a historical novel, such as A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck, Countdown by Deborah Wiles, Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, or The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon, students research various aspects of a...