Introduce S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders with a bell work journal that asks class members to define loyalty. Key words (patience, unity, honesty, caring, etc.), drawn from their musings, are posted around the room, and groups search for...

Learners create their own family crest using prior knowledge and Japanese and Native American examples of symbolic art. Lesson extensions include the creation of a school crest or woodblock examples of crests.

How do you make a pet’s transition into your family a smooth one? Preparing for a pet and learning how to keep it safe is the focus of this research lesson. After searching the Internet for tips on animal care, pet owners and potential...

Students examine parent-child tensions regarding obedience and communication, in order to explain the conflicts in the opening scene of King Lear. They discuss ways in which expectations for studenT obedience were different in...

Young scholars consider the role of the British monarchy. In this Royal Family lesson, students access selected Web sites that require them consider what they know about royalty and whether or not they agree with the perks royalty enjoy.

Learners act as historians by, first, reading and analyzing oral histories of professional baseball players to become familiar with baseball figures. Then, they proceed to interview family members, relatives, or neighbors who have...

Students read the book, Libby Bloom. They identify the different themes of the book, such as friendship and family and discuss. They relate the book to Math, Social Studies and English

Learners read the epic, Beowulf and examine the nature of good and evil. They compile a list of questions about loyalty tests and take turns asking and answering them. they create Beowulf comic strips and research other epic tales.

High schoolers read Tagore's novel and discuss questions of personal development, its influence from culture and tradition, and the conflicting allegiances of family, marriage, friendship and politics. Students research swadeshi and...

Students read the novel, Across Five Aprils and investigate the theme of the individual vs, community loyalties. They keep a daily journal, role-play situations, hold a mock debate, and write a research paper on "coming of age."

Middle schoolers read literature based on family heroes. They discuss the concepts of friendship, loyalty and death. They write their own stories of courage and post them to a webpage.

Students read a scenerio about people who lived in Germany during Nazi rule. As a class, they discuss the situations the character finds herself in and identify her responsiblities to her family. They answer discussion questions and...

Examine the differences between totalitarianism and democracy in this writing lesson. Using the same format and theme from Great Expectations, young writers work in pairs to compose their own short stories. They follow guidelines for the...

Find a statistical reason for a fresh start. Using a hypothetical scenario, individuals research statistical data of three different cities. Their goal? Find the best statistical reason for a business to move to a new location. Their...

Students examine the idea of tribal sharing in the Native American community. They read a story about Native Americans and note the ways they are helping others. They draw a picture showing one of these acts.

Learners explore feudalism. In this government lesson, students examine the role of knights and kings. Learners discover the training boys went through for knighthood. Students write a letter home as if they were a squire during the...

Students examine the breaking out of traditional gender roles in this story by Avi Wortis, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Gender limitations are explored in this lesson.

Students investigate the Native Americans of the Muscogee Creek and their use of the land. In this U.S. history lesson, students investigate the importance of the deer for the Muscogee Creek peoples' way of life and the many uses they...

Learners read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...

Learners take the sides of Patriots or Tories. In this colonial American lesson, students read primary sources that feature James Murray and Captain Jones. Learners then write dialogues and limericks based on a fictional meeting of the 2...

Fifth graders explore U.S. history by reading an award winning book about World War II. In this Japanese internment camp lesson, 5th graders read the book Under the Blood-Red Sun and discuss the entrapment of Japanese-Americans on our...

Students view an image of a Chinese chimera and complete a chart describing what they see and understand about the creature. They compare funerary customs today to those of ancient China. They compile a list of items that might be...

Students have tournaments in teams after learning information about The Middle Ages. In this Middle Ages lesson plan, students learn that tournaments are mock battles, but that they will have these battles by answering questions in teams...

Students explore the plight of Jews during the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, students read Daniel's Story by Carol Matas and complete the provided comprehension, characterization, and vocabulary activities.