Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...

Fourth graders conduct cultural research, collect oral histories using tape recorders and cameras, and share their ancestral heritage with classmates through family heirlooms and ethnic foods.

Third graders research Native American Cultures surrounding New Mexico. They analyze the history and geography of the state. They play a guessing game that incorporates the indigenous plants and animals of New Mexico. In groups, learners...

Students read the book I Am Tall and complete several reading response activities relating to the poems in the book. In this reading response lesson, students focus on the subject of fathers and make speculations about what the poems in...

Students identify themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz and describe the impact of jazz on African-American literature of the Harlem Renaissance

Students work together to identify and research the country and culture of origin for each member of a group in a new ESL class. They organize the researched information in a poster and present their findings to the class.

Students examine American humor and character through analysis of works by Mark Twain. In this cross curricular lesson, students develop a definition of American humor and determine how and why some consider Twain the 'first truly...

After being read a story, the students attempt to identify one individual difference, and one thing about themselves that is similar to other students in the class and one thing that makes them special. For the art instructional...

Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...

Students explore the idea of 'monsters' in society. In this character lesson, students define what a monster is, what purpose they serve and why they are necessary. They will go on the read Beowulf and Grendel and design their own...

Students watch a PBS video entitled Suleiman to help them identify characteristics associated with Renaissance notables. After watching the video, individually or in small groups, the students will research a notable Renaissance figure...

Students explore the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. They read to explain a new topic and write to inform readers of the historic events they explored.

Students are introduced to the topic of idioms in figurative speech. Using the definition of idioms, they use literature to view examples. They identify idioms in different forms of writing and practice using them in speech. ESL...