Students discover the artistic works of Henri Matisse, and examine what his work means. In this art lesson, students observe the different paintings/collages of Henri Matisse, eventually creating works of their own based on his style.

Fourth graders study authority and power as its used in government. For this government lesson, 4th graders define power and authority. Students then read different scenarios of authority and power examples in people as well as...

Fourth graders study President Truman and the Whistlestop Campaign. For this US history lesson, 4th graders complete a KWL about President Truman and write letters to stops on Truman's Whistlestop Campaign. Students create a presentation...

Students work in teams to choose a design and use this to learn about the problem solving spiral. For this problem solving lesson plan, students state the steps of the spiral and discuss how it relates to their experiences.

First graders explore digital communication by creating a slide-show presentation. In this PowerPoint presentation lesson, 1st graders research a famous hero using search engines and other Internet tools. Students create a PowerPoint...

Discuss strategies for defining word your young readers don't know. They read sentences with key words covered by sticky notes and guess from the context what the word might be. They peek at the first letter and guess again.

Learners share and communicate with each other. In these two lessons about sharing and using words to communicate students will begin to socialize with each other. Learners practice sharing by learning how to "take turns" and by...

Students practice sorting books. In this sorting lesson, students play the Flood Game on the PBS web site. With knowledge of the sorting system used by libraries, students sort small numbers of books using categories devised by their...

Students write an autobiography. In this autobiographical writing lesson plan, students discuss the important events in their life and write about them on a worksheet. Students illustrate each event in their autobiography.

Students analyze graphical forms of Eudora Welty and interpret the shorts stories in the representations. In this graphical representations lesson, students analyze the short story genre in comic strips. Students then create their own...

Young scholars analyze fables and trickster tales from various cultural traditions. In this fable analysis lesson, students identify the elements of fables and trickster stories. Young scholars read Aesop's fables and Ananse spider...

Pupils write a dramatic scene based on The Odyssey and perform it for the class. In this living literature lesson, students work in small groups to discuss the way the characters look, act, and sound. They then choose scenery and props,...

Students research the concept of courtship and marriage as it pertains to early New England and explore the values and culture that shaped our history. In this courtship and marriage instructional activity, students examine primary...

Students complete a series of interactive activities to explore their beliefs about heroes and heroism. In this hero analysis lesson, students define the meaning of the words hero and heroic. Students research U.S. heroes and everyday...

Discover the Virtual Thesaurus with your class. They use the Virtual Thesaurus to assist them in an inquiry-based approach to discovering the meanings of some common Latin and Greek roots. Each child then teaches a particular root and...

Why didn't Rapunzel's hair stop growing?  Why did it take the fairy godmother so long to intervene in Cinderella's affairs? Young writers consider unanswered questions like these and compose news articles investigating the true...

Third graders first begin the activity by reading Vera B. Williams Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea. This book is a collection of postcards that Stringbean Coe and his brother Fred write to their family while they were on a summer...

Many and many a year ago Edgar Allan Poe crafted the chilling tale of "Annabel Lee." The poem is the perfect vehicle to introduce Poe's concept of unity of effect, the idea that every element in a poem or story should help to develop a...

Young scholars hone their skills at identifying the principle story in a work of art and text. Through discussion, students assess the central and supporting stories of a work of art that is characterized by multiple layers of action and...

Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...

Upper elementary schoolers examine the concept of synonyms and how using a variety of vocabulary through synonyms can expand their writing skills. They revise a paragraph using synonyms located on the Visual Thesaurus and participate in...

What's the best resource to use when looking up words? Use Visual Thesaurus to see a word's meaning. The class accesses the interactive website and then compares and contrasts the difference between using a traditional dictionary and the...

The transition of power between former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump may be the first political process that your students have followed. Fill out the details between these two leaders with a set of vocabulary...

Middle and high schoolers look at historical photos and written materials, and they develop questions which they use to interview an elder in their community. Learners are divided into groups and given sets of historical family photos...