Students create their own landscape paintings. Students will learn various techniques to create an effective foreground, middleground, and background.

Slavery is a serious topic that can be challenging for middle schoolers to study. Young scholars can see firsthand through primary sources what occurred during that time period in the United States. The third of five lessons provides...

Explore ancient warfare through a dramatic reading of select portions of The Iliad with your class. They will identify the major characters in The Iliad and explain the strategies, external forces, and alliances of the Trojan War

Middle school earth scientists describe the behavior of the Coriolis force. They compare and contrast conditions under which the Coriolis force has a significant impact with conditions under which it has very little. They model the...

Young scholars learn about the causes and properties of tornados. Students create a simulation of a tornado and observe its characteristics.

Students make a striking visual display showing the distribution of water on earth.

Students investigate magnetic evidence that supports the theory of sea floor spreading.

Learners make puzzles from world maps, dramatizing how much of the globe is covered by ocean.

Students integrate history and science while discovering how salinity affects the density of water. After a lecture/demo, students work in groups to complete a lab activity that demonstrates how salinity affects the density of water.

Students are able to define and give an example of a proportional tax and the impact that it can have on different income groups and explain how a proportional tax takes the same percentage from all tax groups.

Perfect for establishing classroom protocols, this activity gets even the youngest learners thinking about rules and their consequences. The lesson begins with a discussion and a reading of the poem Humpty Dumpty that gets...

Middle schoolers develop an understanding of our planet as a system by designing a very-long-duration space mission in which the life-support system is patterned after that of earth.

Encourage learners to think critically about common myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in Colonial America. They discover that behind every myth are many possible explanations—and that learning more about American history helps them...

Why do we even have rules? Youngsters need to fully understand the answer to this question in order to be on their best behavior. First they examine how they help people get along in a group and keep people safe. They create personal...

One of the great things about technology is that it lets youngsters visit museums that may be many miles away. With this resource, middle and high schoolers can visit the portrait galleries at J. Paul Getty Museum, located in Los...

Picture this. Class members follow in the footsteps of W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea Lange, James Nachtwey, and Lewis Hine by creating their own photo essay about a local event or issue.

Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, devastating plant and animal life for miles around. Two activities are included in this lesson plan. In one, learners evaluate tree rings to determine the age of a tree and the year of a volcano....

Was James Monroe the sole contributor of the Monroe Doctrine? Young scholars study the doctrine and cite evidence to show contributions of John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson in its formulation.

Students list some changes in presidential election laws and/or procedures since 1796, and cite examples from presidential campaign materials from 1824.

Let's go an an archaeological dig! Prepare your kids with a list of vocabulary terms relating to archaeology, including different types of items that one might find. They study pictures of each item and play a memory game based on the...

Young scholars create a sculpture inspired by the masks, pendants, or human and animal forms found in ancient Indian art of the Americas. They focus on the techniques of metalworking, especially repousse.

Fifth graders correspond with one another regarding interesting global topics. They swap interview questions and collaborate in the publishing of an online newspaper. This should be a highly motivating lesson which get kids writing!

Third graders describe and come to the understanding the American Indians in this locations and their customs. They explain that the region and its natural resources affected how Native Americans developed their cultural practices.

Middle schoolers engage in a discussion about bullying. They list the many forms bullying can take, and how much of a problem bullying is at their own school. Then, learners plan their own campaign to eliminate bullying at their school....