Following the book, Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal, readers complete an activity for each chapter, take part in discussions, and respond to several questions. To show what they know, scholars create an alphabet book using primary...

Brighten your third grade classroom with this series of colorful Common Core displays. Including all of the English Language Arts standards and substandards, each with supporting illustrations and examples, this resource provides clear...

Discover the family histories that make the classroom with a family tree activity. Scholars locate information about their family, construct a family tree, and work together to tally where family members are born.  

Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the...

How do you create a classroom environment where hot button topics may be discussed in a respectful manner? As part of a series of lessons that focus on immigration issues, class members examine the rules for civil discussion before...

Can art play tricks on your eyes, and can a still painting really appear to vibrate? The second lesson in a four-part series discusses the way our beautiful brains translate visual images. It highlights the style of optical art and...

Reading and comprehending a poem is a lot different than doing the same for a piece of fiction or an informational text. As part of a sample English language arts examination, readers put their skills to the test by reading passages in...

Excerpts from classic novels make great material for standardized tests. A sample English language arts examination, part of a larger set of assessments, mixes excerpts from classic novels and more modern texts. The test includes three...

Plants prefer classical music to rock and roll. That's one of the claims in an informational passage that makes up part of a set of standardized assessment questions. The set is part of a larger collection of English language arts tests...

Is graffiti art? Writers explore that question as part of a source-based argument within a set of questions from the NY Regents examination. The assessment from June 2018, part of a larger set of standardized tests, consists of three...

Tired of searching for complex passages suitable for high school level assessments? A challenging examination includes numerous complex text excerpts as well as question items to match them. Learners analyze literary elements, author's...

Students explore the various societal and cultural "lenses" which color their perspectives and life experiences by reading the short story "What Means Switch" by Gish Jen. They discuss how the cultural ideas and beliefs affect the...

Students connect the diversity of American culture to the music of Dave Matthews Band and then create lyrics that emphasize how diversity pertains to their own life.

Students read several fictional pieces which examine issues of urbanization and rural cultures. They discuss how the place a person lives affects the kind of person they become.

Students explore characteristics, roles and cultural expressions of Indian community in New Zealand. They describe traditional practices of Diwali Festival, collect and record information, design open-ended questionnaire, create Diwali...

Learners examine the cultures of different countries other than their own. They select a country they are interested in and research their lifestyles. Using clay, they create a model of one aspect of the new culture of their focus. ...

Students, in groups, research various Native American tribes. They wirte a report about the tribe which includes information about their food and ceremonies, among other things. They create a diorama and a poster that shows how they...

Students conduct research into the continent and culture of Asia. The tapping of prior knowledge is done with a pre-unit assessment. The appreciation of Asian culture is the intended outcome of the unit plan.

Third graders examine various stories and poems and identify characteristics that make each individual unique. After analyzing the readings, they create their own personality poems to accompany self-portrait drawings. The poems and...

High schoolers recognize traits of heroes as depicted in music, art and literature. In this cross curricular activity, students evaluate and analyze various works fo art from different cultures that depict heroes.

Students read and discuss books about aboriginal family life. Working individually and in groups, they complete a series of activities in various subject areas, including art, language, math, and social studies. Among the activities ...

Students discuss and examine the work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang.  For this art lesson, students analyze how cultural and historical factors impact the visual arts. 

Students explore Tibet. In this Tibet geography and culture lesson plan, students work in groups to read and summarize a data set pertaining to a particular cultural aspect of Tibet. Students present information from their data retrieval...

Students explore the societal stigma that accompanies people who are overweight. In addition, students research current medical thinking on "ideal weight" and identify how the perception of body image can lead to eating disorders.