Caring, trustworthiness, and responsibility—these are only a few character traits in focus of a lesson based on stories from the Civil War era. Class members explore several influential lives while reading biographies that highlight...

Why are acids and bases important in our daily lives? Lead the class in answering this question, among others, as they experiment with pH paper and classify where various substances belong on the pH scale. They also taste common acids...

Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!

In a time of fake news, media manipulation, and Internet trolls, a resource equips learners with the tools they need to recognize and combat resources that are designed to appeal to our cognitive biases. Introduce learners to five...

Some say there is no place like home. Jane, a character in Jane Eyre, is thankful no other place is like the terrible home of her aunt. Jane is thankful that her mean aunt is convinced to send Jane off to school. Readers learn of the ups...

People don't all get the same amount of sun at the same time of the year. Collaborative groups explore how the motion of Earth contributes to the idea in an inquiry-based STEM lesson. Learners first investigate how the rotation of Earth...

Using gloves, shortening, tape, and a lot of ice, participants experience the feeling of having blubber. The experiment's eight steps follow an informative page about blubber and animals that have it.

How random is random? Demonstrate the different random sampling methods using a hands-on activity. Pupils use various sampling techniques to choose a random sample of elements from the periodic table. They use the different samples to...

If you need a lesson for your poetry unit, use two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ("Rain in Summer" and "The Slave in the Dismal Swamp") and a resource on Elements of Poetry. The lesson plan guides you through activities...

Accuracy, phrasing, flow, and pace, the four traits of of oral reading fluency, are the focus of a series of exercises that are designed to help readers develop these comprehension and literacy skills.

Let your classes show you what they know! Use this pre-test to assess the current knowledge of your learners. The assessment includes all pre-algebra concepts related to functions: writing and graphing linear relationships, comparing...

"Bullying and Prejudice" and "Do You Cyber Bully," two lessons from a complete Bully Free program, serve as samples of the approach used in a unit designed to bring awareness to and to combat bullying. Each instructional...

Two lessons, "What Does Cyber Bullying Look Like?" and "Factors Influencing My Reporting the Bullying of Others," serve as examples of the 12 included in a Bully Free curriculum. Each plan includes discussion questions, an activity,...

Who has the final say in matters dealing with the rules under the United States Constitution? The case Marbury v. Madison brings to light the issue of judicial review. Learners investigate the Supreme Court's opinion in the case with a...

Students define from a word list for a literary selection. Using the literary selection, they read the vocabulary in context. They determine the definition of the word as used in context and create a crossword puzzle using the...

Students study geometric shapes and practice naming them properly. In this geometry instructional activity, students work in groups to give definitions of the vocabulary to each other in their own words. Students also visit a lower grade...

Sixth graders identify and measure right, acute, obtuse, and straight angles. In this geometry lesson plan, 6th graders review the definition of each angle and are shown examples of each specific angle. Students use toothpicks, gumdrops,...

Students learn the basic definitions of a quadrilateral, parallelogram, rectangle and square and explain the relationship/classification process between them.

Students use print and nonprint sources of different heroic myths to generate a definition of the word "hero." They conduct a character study on three mythological heroes and formulate a definition of the word "hero" based on...

Students are able to recognize that scientists use different definitions of species. They are able to assess the strengths and limitations of species definitions depending on their context. Students are able to use definitions of...

Students demonstrate comprehension of the energy sources of various cycles by completing mini stories. They demonstrate analysis of words by defining individual word parts and combining them to form definitions. Students demonstrate...

Students explore how certain foods come to be certified "organic." They write the words "organic" and "synthetic" and given the definitions of each. Students are given dictionaries. They are asked: "What is organic food?" Students grow...

Students interpret figurative language.  In this language lesson, students are read the poem "I Love the Look of Words" by Maya Angelou and are to find examples of hyperbole and personification in the poem.  Students then...

Students identify and describe characteristics of civic virtue. Following a class discussion, they create their own definitions of civic virtue. They write essays based on their own definitions and formulate conclusions on the state of...