In this notetaking instructional activity, students practice the skill of notetaking by listening to the speaker, writing down key words and ideas. Then students reflect on their notes.

Students designs a unique tissue painting by filling in the sketch with selected colored tissue paper and its placement.

Tenth graders create images based on an understanding of historical and contemporary images and issues that reflect an understanding of responsibility to the context of a specific audience.

High schoolers evaluate the works of their peers using criteria for value and meaning.

Students create a self-portrait that is compiled by using individual student drawings. The drawings emphasize line, shape, color and possibly texture depending upon the student's selection of materials.

Students examine the point of censorship when dealing with Students. They explore essays by Stephen King.

Students examine the life and work of P.T. Barnum. They discover his advertising techniques and business practices. They examine his use of people with disabilities for amusement.

Students compare postcard samples from Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX. They examine them to find common elements they share (tone, mood, romanticized themes, artistic elements, etc.) They create postcards to show the "real" Austin.

Students assess the diversity of the photographs taken by a Czech photographer, that illustrate how existed in 1920's Texas. Then students compare and contrast these photographs with more current photographs of Texans and evaluate in...

Students read narratives of ex-slaves and then in groups write and act in their plays.

Students read a version of "The Three Little Pigs" and then work in small groups to design a wall. They use Legos to build the wall and subject their design to a strength test.

Eighth graders discover that literature can be a great way to gather information about the past. Using various types of text, they research its historical data and determine if it is correct. They write two papers to respond to the...

In this interpreting photos checklist worksheet, students use the checklist to self-evaluate their presentation on the family photograph. The checklist is also used by the student's peers and teacher.

Ninth graders discuss life of Lucas Samaras, identify familial, cultural, and personal characteristics, and create 3-dimensional containers exploring external and internal characteristics

Tenth graders analyze works from the period of the Industrial Revolution in England and identify the cultural values depicted and inferred that paved the way for the Industrial Revolution to occur at this time. They create captions that...

High schoolers analyze mood and voice in Emily Dickinson's poem, "There's a Certain Slant of Light." After the analysis, students write a poem of their own emulating the Dickinson poem, and then write a one-page essay describing what...

Create the ultimate miniature golf course. The 93-page model curriculum unit from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education contains nine lessons on understanding similarity in terms of both Euclidean geometry...

Students explore the editorial concepts, site designs and business models of online news digests. They propose detailed plans for Web sites that demonstrate their own areas of expertise.

Students combine elements of music with poetry.  In this creative writing lesson, students examine poems from a variety of authors with varying writing styles.  Students explore the different elements of poetry, including tone,...

Fifth graders explore the concept of waste management. In this recycling lesson plan, 5th graders discover the history of waste management and discuss how the U.S. should respond to the issue of ever-increasing waste.

While on-line banking and electronic payments seem to be the way of the future, next-generation wage earners still need to understand the details of check writing. Here the focus is on the details of the check including what the...

Young scholars create a miniature Japanese garden that incorporates the elements of traditional Japanese aesthetics. They study the simplicity, asymmetrical design and incorporate traditional structures.

Eighth graders examine the characteristics of caring people.  For this behavioral studies lesson, 8th graders differentiate between caring and uncaring personality traits.  Students view a video about personality traits, and...