Scholars listen to several pieces of music in preparation for a discussion about how instruments and lyrics convey emotions. With Harriet Tubman as the focus, small groups create an original song or dance. A reflection piece concludes...

What makes heroes and villains? A six-part unit plan asks young scholars to explore the concept of heroism and the characteristics they consider heroic and unheroic. Groups create character maps that focus on how characters are shaped by...

Two activities focus on healthy snacking. In the first activity, scholars create a poster displaying two messages—pack a healthy snack and make good food choices. The second activity challenges pupils to draft a snack list and tag along...

A list of activity ideas, lessons, and resource links all focus on kindness, empathy, and mindfulness. Five steps offer experience in role-play, crafts, writing, thoughtful discussions, and more! 

Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is the focus of an 11-page packet that includes three lesson plans, three worksheets, and a homework assignment. The first lesson introduces readers to the historical context of the novel. At the same time,...

A reading adventure pack, featuring a fiction and nonfiction book focuses on the weather. Scholars read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Seymour Simon and then complete three creative activities. Participants craft...

A read-aloud anthology focuses on colonial towns and townspeople. Over three weeks, young scholars listen to stories, participate in discussions about town life, practice word work, and complete an extension activity with each...

The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...

Where to begin? This lesson plan, part of a series designed to help seniors compose a narrative response to a prompt found on the college Common Application, focuses on the techniques writers employ to craft an engaging introduction to...

How can you read a character's tone? What about a narrator's tone? Analyze Karen Russell's "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" with a lesson that focuses on how word choice can change tone and how tone can affect the development...

Gun, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond is a seminal work of historical nonfiction from the late 20th century. Use the author's claims and supporting evidence to guide your high school seniors through their research project, culminating...

Can three works of literature work together to establish and develop a common central idea? Put your thoughts into writing with a final assessment focused on a unit-long analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepard to His...

Prophecy and blindness often go hand in hand, as in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Explore Oedipus' thoughts about prophecy, fate, and responsibility with an activity focused on the discussion between Creon and Oedipus regarding the murder...

Ninth graders study the study of animals in an informational text lesson plan that focuses on analyzing text structure. As learners continue reading the first chapter of Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation, they form inquiries and...

Writing becomes dynamic in a presentation. Presenters transform a piece of writing they have already composed about the Little Rock Nine into a presentation. The focus is transferring ideas from their writing into short prompts on cards...

Come again? Scholars repeat actions taken in the last two lessons using section 3 of Investigating the Scientific Method with Max Axiom Super Scientist. They first read the section to determine the gist and then carry out a second read...

Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...

Students look at a flower garden from a butterfly's perspective. They study how artists portray flowers and gardens and exaggerate their scale and boldly colored floral shapes. Each student creates a watercolor pencil rendering of a...

In this focus on the topic when writing worksheet, students read how to select and narrow a topic, check resources and write a thesis sentence.

Students focus on the types of clothing that the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags wore for the First Thanksgiving. They study how the clothing was made before making samples to wear at a classroom Thanksgiving feast. They study the natural...

Students explore scientific observations by examining the parts of a microscope. In this optics lesson, students discuss the importance of a focal point and focal distance when utilizing an optical device such as a microscope. Students...

Fifth graders read Swiss Family Robinson and respond to a survival scenario. In this focusing event lesson, 5th graders reflect on what they would do during a situation that required them to make a choice. Students share...

Young musicians discuss musical form found in the song, The Star Spangled Banner. They review their parts for the song then practice playing it as a group. Cross-curricular activity suggestions are included.

Use hydr as a base to form new words. The chart provided includes different prefixes and suffixes one could add to the base to create new words like hydrant or hydropathy. Two exercises follow the information provided to give your class...