Another fantastic lesson plan on energy is presented by the American Coal Foundation. This one focuses on electricity; how it is produced, how it is delivered, and how it is used. Some excellent handouts are embedded in this fine plan...

Use pumpkins of various sizes to experiment with weight and perimeter. First the class lifts the pumpkins one by one, estimating each pumpkin's weight. They arrange the pumpkins from lightest to heaviest, and then string weigh each one...

High schoolers review the units of the metric system, and practice estimating measures before actually converting between the two systems of measurement. They participate in activities to visualize a concentration of one part per...

Examine everyday life during the Great Depression, as well as the effects if the Depression on American population, society, and economy. Learners write who, what, where, when, and why summaries of a person who relocated to California...

Ninth graders research early mining in California. They study the "placer method" for mining gold, which is surface mining that does not involve tunneling. They examine what it was like for the early miners to pan for gold with...

Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...

The first part of this article by PBS on the Miss America pageants can be used in a health class when it's time to talk about body image. There are links to related articles. There are some great questions for discussion. There are ideas...

Elementary schoolers explore the wide variety of horse coat colors and reproduce an existing color as well a create their own horse coat color. There are two fine worksheets embedded in this plan that learners use to crete these coat...

Get your class out in the environment for hands on math activities. In this wetlands lesson, learners transplant native plants, calculate how much soil is needed, and perform math activities based on this experience. They then make...

A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...

The Cold War—with its roots in World War II—impacts the world today. Using an extensive curriculum, scholars consider its impact through primary sources, including speeches and propaganda, as well as other skills-enhancing activities. An...

Students explore what causes wind, why wind behaves as it does, early cultural beliefs about wind, high and low pressure systems, basic fluid dynamics, units of measurement for wind, and how lift is caused; students create and fly kites.

Students express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner. In this American history instructional activity, students read through the national anthem and complete an activities from a list of choices. Some choices include: writing the...

This lesson plan enables students to explore and measure the distance between blacks and whites in the past and present United States. By thinking about the intersections of whites, blacks, and others around the blues, students will...

A five-lesson unit challenges teams to design a complex to allow people to colonize the Moon. The teams first work in order to understand the challenge before becoming experts. Expert teams learn about different aspects needed to survive...

Differences make the world go 'round. Using a worksheet, scholars identify the similarities and differences that they have with their classmates. Next, pupils engage in a whole-class discussion about respecting differences in others. 

Reach for the STARs! Using the resource, scholars review the STAR (Stop, Think, Act, Review) method and discuss how to use it to solve a math equation. Next, small groups collaborate to solve a common problem in the classroom using the...

How do people manage to get everything done when there are so few hours in a day? Scholars explore the question as they participate in small group discussions about time management. They construct a daily schedule and complete a...

Creativity, communication, cooperation. Pupils assume the role of employees at a game factory working together to develop a new game. Using the principles of the STAR method (Stop, Think, Act, Review), they work in teams to create game...

Individuals consider why is it important to respect family members as they complete a self-respect survey to assess their respectful behaviors at home. They then choose three items from the survey and write about how they plan to improve...

Using a Venn diagram, pupils compare the similarities and differences between two classmates. Next, they review the CARE acronym (Collaboration, Acceptance, Respect, Empathy) and discuss how it applies to diversity in the classroom.

Scholars watch two puppet dialogues illustrating negative and positive communication between friends. Then, they discuss how the puppets' communication skills influenced the outcome of each interaction. 

Class members read a handout to learn about using I-Messages—honest statements that begin with I to get their points of view across. Next, learners practice using I-Messages with partners to better communicate without hurting...

Students analyze the steps that lead to the Revolutionary War. They view an eye exam chart to illustrate how important it is to focus on your end destination and see how difficult it is to focus on over time and the retelling of a...