The pull to sloth can be strong in the summer. The couch and the beach beckon, but the lazy days also provide the opportunity to practice healthy habits. Two activities urge tweens to try something new. First, they research healthy items...

Fifth graders read a book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder to examine the hardships that were endured by pioneers traveling during the Westward Expansion of the US. They predict, summarize and participate in literature circles. They visit...

After reading a picture book about planting and harvesting cucumbers, learners get a chance to examine some cucumbers of their own. First, they see photographs of a cucumber on a vine, and learn that it is part of the gourd family....

Here is a week-long lesson on the roles of family members designed for first graders. In it, learners share stories of their families, listen to books about families read to them by their teacher, complete homework assignments and...

Students read Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Himmelman. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Hanukkah. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library...

Third graders complete various activities pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day. They conduct research and complete writing and art activities on the...

Can you tell how tall someone is just by looking at their feet? In this activity, young mathematicians measure their height, arm span, and foot size, graph their findings, and answer questions about how these measurements are related....

Students view the movie "Tru Confessions" about the life of teenagers. They participate in activities in which they analyze themselves. They record their thoughts and feelings to be analyzed at a later date.

Students view a video clip of the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II. They read parts of a book in which a child tells her story about living in the internment camps. They participate in a simulation activity as well.

Fourth graders explore family histories. In this social studies lesson plan, 4th graders identify the countries from which their ancestors came and locate them on a map. Students discuss the role that Ellis Island played in immigration...

How do light and eyesight function? Read a brief passage explaining the phenomena of light and sight. Then have learners draw arrows showing how a boy in a room with a lamp would be able to see a chair. A mini-experiment suggestion is...

Looking for supporting materials for a study of So B. It by Sarah Weeks? This resource includes a summary of the book, questions to answer and discuss, a journal starter, a list of related activities, a list of similar books, and links...

Here is a wonderful lesson designed for students with special needs. This well-thought-out lesson uses Big Books, familiar stories, and has a lot of review learning built into it. The book, The Keeping Quilt is used in the main part of...

Mem Fox’s Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge provides the labels for a graphing activity. Class members create an illustration of a memory item brought from home, and place their illustration in the proper column of a graph. When the...

Here is a language arts lesson that can be used with virtually any grade level. The only thing that changes is the reading level of the books. Learners compare and contrast different heroes and the characteristics they hold. They use a...

Students read Dancing With the Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Native American festivals and traditions. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...

Japanese Internment and World war II are the focus of a KWHL strategy used to scaffold for a reading of Journey to Topaz,  Yoshiko Uchida's story of 11-year-old Yuki Sakane and her family. Complete directions for the activity...

Students read books and view movies about older people. They write a questionnaire to interview older people at a retirement center, interview the people, record their information on graphs, and write follow-up letters.

Complete personal pronoun practice activities. Pupils use correct personal pronoun form in sentences the teacher writes on the board. They review the function of a pronoun and the various cases and practice placing personal pronouns by...

Begin this activity by asking third graders to bring from home pieces of cloth that represent something important to them. (Have extras for students who need them.) They reflect on important events in their lives, compose narrative...

  Young learners gain phonemic awareness with this quick activity. First, point out what sound you’re focusing on today: /a/. Then spell basic words that use this sound, like fat, bat, cat, etc. As a culminating activity, the whole...

Observations are a key step in the scientific method. In a fun activity, kids learn more about a mammal that they know, such as their own cat, a class hamster, or a friend's dog, through making detailed observations. In addition, they...

Give the actors in your class a chance to shine as they act out skip-counting. In their roles, they take turns shouting out different number patterns and jumping when reaching the given goals set for each number family. A fun and...

Help young readers align character relationships in an activity for Kyoko Mori's Shizuko's Daughter. After kids discuss the characters and how they relate to each other, they use index cards and a graphic organizer to outline the...