Students investigate the quality of writing while focusing on the use of sensory words to convey meaning and ideas. The power of similes and metaphors is emphasized while they create and edit works of writing. The skill of descriptive...

Students explore poetry by completing a webquest in which they hear poets reading their own work. Later, they examine the dramatic impact of reading poetry out loud. Finally, they practice reading poetry aloud and performing.

Students practice using visualization to aid in their reading comprehension. After a read aloud of a selected story, students write a brief summary of the plot accompanied by an illustration of the characters they have visualized.

Students are introduced to the characteristics of documentaries and making films. Individually, they write their own proposal for an idea of a documentary making sure to identify the point of view of which it is going to be filmed. ...

Learners explore propaganda. In this lesson about personal opinion, students discuss a topic of interest. Learners will determine their opinion about the topic and vote. Students understand propaganda and how it affects society.

Students create historically accurate travel journals. In this Iowa history lesson, students research the German immigration experience as they write travel journals that feature a German family's move into an Iowa county.

Seventh graders examine various stories that have a Cinderella theme.  In this Language Arts lesson, 7th graders compare and contrast stories.  Students write various journal assignments in regards to the stories. 

Sixth graders investigate non-violent ways of dealing with conflicts by performing short plays.  In this philosophy lesson, 6th graders discuss how men can gain power in a non-violent manner similar to Gandhi's actions....

Students use digital cameras and software to create a digital story which consists of a series of digital images paired with a narrarated soundtrack. They focus on relevant images and a presecribed sequence of steps to provide a vignette...

Students investigate local history. In this research skills activity, students examine historic landmarks, tax records, fire maps, town plans, historic photographs, newspapers, and other primary sources to learn about local communities...

Learners investigate Women's Suffrage by analyzing images from the past.  In this equal rights lesson, students read biographical work about Emma Smith DeVoe, an activist who fought for women's rights.  Learners view a comic...

Students demonstrate their understanding of a book read in class. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students participate in a process drama led by their teacher in order to demonstrate their understanding of the...

Students explore the role of the U.S. President and the media coverage in presidential elections. They discuss what it means to be informed, the issues they consider most important, and reflect on what they learned from their interviews....

Explore communication in this interview skills lesson. English learners identify the techniques native English speakers use when speaking directly to a potential employer. They read handouts detailing seven steps to improve an interview...

Dive into animation creation using Dreamworks® animated films. Compare and contrast characters, wonder and ponder why the plot is so important, and think of background and themes as your creativity unrolls onto paper.

Encourage scholars to retell their favorite short story or folktale, adding personal details to make it their own. After reading their book of choice several times, story tellers retell a tale verbally to their classmates. 

Given the two-sentence skeleton of a news story about a car theft/joy ride, budding writers create their own version of the story varying diction and sentence structure to heighten interest and complexity in their writing. Resource...

You have found a solid resource for covering the present perfect tense. Starting with explanation and examples, this resource moves quickly into a series of exercises that target specific elements of the present perfect...

Eighth graders read the Diary of Anne Frank. For this novel reading lesson, 8th graders read and analyze the story. Students do online activities and create a newspaper giving a summary of three major events in the story. Students answer...

Pupils discover how to write letters using Appleworks. Following a demonstration by the teacher, they compose rough drafts of their letters. Working independently, students correct their drafts and type the final versions.

Eleventh graders write a persuasive letter to the editor using the writing process.

Help your middle and high schoolers reflect on the responsibility of newspapers to act as a vehicle for 'everyday citizens' to voice their opinions. Then, using an article about the first day of the Senate impeachment trial of President...

Elementary schoolers read many tall tales. They create their own tall tale about a specific event of their choosing. They must act the part of the author. This well-designed instructional activity takes three class sessions to complete,...

Students demonstrate knowledge of musical instruments and the families of the orchestra. They acknowledge different voice types found in opera. Students interpret emotional expressions through listening. They compose sounds to express...