Students explore the concept of community helpers.  For this community helper lesson, students brainstorm the community helpers in their neighborhood after reading a book about jobs in the community.  Students then host a...

Fifth graders use visual art as a form of communication as they create a codex book based on their knowledge of Mesoamericans.

Students identify the function of organizations, then read a news article about an organization called Room to Read that is sending books to poor countries. In this current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a...

Students use video and the Internet to research the life of Nellie Bly, a famous female reporter from the 19th century. They research a writer and present their information to the class in the style of a news reporter.

Students donate items to organization to demonstrate kindness. In this kindness lesson plan, students read many books and discuss how the characters in each one demonstrate kindness, and then they themselves donate to charities.

Students follow a six step plan to create a civic action project. In this civics lesson, students create their own project based on interest and implement it to improve the school or local community. Goal setting and monitoring are...

Students who have disruptively talked or created a disturbance during a lesson then write an essay about respect. They read an explanation of what respect looks like in the classroom and copy an explanation about why talkative behavior...

Students participate in an official "Hip on Hemingway Club." They explore Hemingway and create a biography of Ernest Hemingway patterned after an alphabet book. They record their "key word" with each of the twenty-six letters of the...

Students investigate how quilt making was a family and community activity. They read and discuss books, complete various handouts, and create a paper quilt celebrating philanthropic activities.

Third graders explore and analyze about famous African-Americans by listening to four picture book biographies. They generate a list of 15 famous African-Americans and then create a survey to rank them according to importance of...

Students will take notes on 19th century settlement houses using a four-door book of foldable notes. In this lesson on Settlement Houses, students will analyze the Hull House through a variety of primary sources, then create a list of...

Students examine the life of Dolores Huerta and her contributions to the development of labor unions. They read the book "Cesar Chavez: Triumph of Spirit," and in groups create a quiz, complete a Venn diagram, listen to a guest...

Students create a manual for sixth graders entering middle school.  In this Stargirl lesson, students read the story and discuss middle and high school issues found in the book. Students create a list of topics students need to...

Students observe the procedures of the Michigan Supreme Court. They identify the processes and procedures being used. They debate a case that was presented to the Court and analyze the oral arguments of the case.

Second graders identify the founder of the Girl Scouts Juliette Low. They name reasons as to why clubs are created and brainstorm a list of other clubs they know about. They read the story "The Green Leaf Club News" and discuss why she...

First graders create a book about their interests and talents. In this lesson on personal differences, 1st graders share what makes them unique and who they are.

Students develop their leadership skills. In this character education lesson plan, students discuss the characteristics of leaders and create leadership books that feature leadership pointers.

Students read the novel "Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. They Reaearch Japanese Culture and design a presentation based on information from the Sadako Peace Club link.

Young scholars examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. In groups, they compare and contrast the type of art before and after the movement along with the state of society at the time. After reading a book on the topic of...

Students are introduced to the genre of detective fiction. Based on their reading level, they are given a different series of books to read. For each story, they are to make predictions and practice decoding messages. To end the...

Mark Twain, the famous American author, is often studied in the school system. Use "The Prince and the Pauper" to analyze the differences between the text and its video version.  This lesson includes several culminating project...

Out of the classroom and into the streets! With Ben Franklin’s Junto society as inspiration, learners develop their ideas for improving their communities and put them into action. After analyzing meeting notes to discover what the Junto...

Students work together in groups to create a book about how to save the environment. They are to research ways to help the environment and assemble them into the book. They can even design a cover if they choose.

Students observe John Muir Day by visiting Websites containing fact sheets, excepted writings, as well as songs, pictures, and educational sources. They use April 21 as a day to reflect on Muir's accomplishment and environmental legacy....