Middle and high schoolers examine the impact of irony in poetry and prose. In this figurative language activity, they read instructor-selected literature and identify uses of irony. Then they discuss how irony enhances literature.

Poetry can be fun! To set your pupils giggling, have them listen to poems from If Kids Ruled the School by Bruce Lansky. Then, they can study the different types of poetry on www.gigglepoetry.com, and choose one form on which to...

Enhance a reading of the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback with this collection of learning activities. Starting with general background information about the book and author,...

Students study the proper temperature and technique to cook ground meat safely. They examine the critical control points when ground beef is being processed.

History comes alive as groups work cooperatively to create short iMovies about a specific historical period of their choice. Ideal for late elementary grades, the instructional activity includes a video demonstration and a short...

Fifth graders demonstrate how to find their pulse and count the beats after a certain amount of time. In cooperative pairs, 5th graders use a stopwatch to keep track of their partner's heart rate in seconds. Pairs make a graph from their...

Pupils make decisions to untangle themselves from a Group Knot. They examine how organization, perseverance, and following directions relate to computer science.

Students hear the story, "The Sand Castle" and answer a given set of questions. They discuss their answers and then perform a skit of the story, "The Sand Castle." Students practice and sing a new song about sharing and caring.

Students discuss what type of information they can gather from bones. In groups, they travel between stations in which they can view photos and listen to actual accounts of finding bones. They focus on the tools available to Native...

Students conduct an experiment using leaf packs.  In this leaf lesson students complete an activity in groups and complete a handout. 

Fourth graders use various pictures to identify the economic activities, food supply or religious beliefs of the Ohlone Indians. Students create a cooperative learning travel brochure.

  Students brainstorm about what different professions roles are and what skills they obtain.  In this critical thinking instructional activity, students discuss reasons of why different people would want and need to climb...

Students investigate the necessity of water for the survival of plants, animals, and people. They explore the affect that water has on human and natural environments through literature, field trips, and discussions.

Students analyze a set of data. They work in cooperative groups and use chain links to identify the mean, median, and mode of the chain.

Eighth graders gain a better understanding of visual distances and estimation. They actively practice using metric measurement and conversion. Students practice cooperative exploring and team building.

Students explore, explain and experience the importance of good character traits in everyday life by assessing the challenging journeys traveled on the Oregon Trail. They study the daily accounts of perseverance and courage along the trail.

Students explore two Native American legends. For this cultural traditions lesson, students read "The Legend of Blue Bonnet," and "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush." Students then study basic Native American dance movements prior to...

Students consider the role of rhythm and meter in poetry. In this integrated arts lesson, students discuss the attributes of poetry and use their music skills to set picture book poetry to music by creating "singable" poems.

Second graders research the Solar System using the Internet to complete questions. They sing The Planet Song and study the names of the planets using an acrostic poem. They write descriptive paragraphs with a partner with whom they check...

Students conduct an experiment. In this water lesson, students watch the lesson "Float and Sink" on an interactive website. Students learn how to test items in water and then work in groups to test their items. Students discuss their...

Students study the art forms of the Gilded Age. In this integrated arts lesson, students research the art, music, dance, and drama of the historical era and then create their own personal projects that exemplify the time period.

Middle schoolers make detailed qualitative and quantitative observations. They are introduced to the process of developing repeatable procedures. Students practice collecting data. They review measurement skills. Middle schoolers...

Students explore importance of marine or aquatic habitats, and investigate habitat characteristics and conditions required by various organisms to ensure survival. They then select an animal to study and design an artificial habitat...

Students participate in a variety of stock market games within their classmates. They study the concepts of stocks and investments as well as the criteria for selecting of stocks. Each student is shown how to keep track of the progress...