Family and friendship are two very important themes of the historical fiction novel The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. From video clips and writing prompts to reader's theater and family interviews, this resource...

List and identify words for each part of the "Nym" family: synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Middle schoolers place words in the correct category, then find the corresponding mate in a dictionary or thesaurus.

Family fun days are great for connecting home and school life, building strong parent/teacher relationships, and engaging students in a fun and social way. Here are several activity ideas to help you and your class run your own Family...

Students create a family tree. In this ancestry lesson, students research a country that one of their ancestors is from. Students interview a grandparent and map out a family tree.

Ensure that your learners can describe their families using Portuguese by following the steps provided here and using the included worksheets and assessments for reinforcement. After a brief introductory activity, learners complete...

Students trace their family history back to their great-grandparents and examine where their family is from and what types of jobs their ancestors had. They also define different terms used to describe family relations such as...

Students discuss what makes a "good" family, and think about relationships they have read about. They make connections with the ways their own family relates with each other.

Students explore art and stories that depict families in different cultures. They examine how family members help each other, create traditions, have fun and change or grow. They describe their own families and create a class family...

A lesson introduces the Peace Corner—a safe place to communicate feelings and problem solve. To gain practice, scholars role-play scenarios that require conflict resolution. Peers speak, listen, brainstorm solutions, shake hands, then...

A lesson puts a spotlight on becoming a good friend. After pointing out TV friendships, scholars listen to several scenarios and discuss whether the characters exhibit good or bad friendly behaviors. Learners reflect on the...

Students discuss family relationships after reading Patricia Polacco's book, My Rotten Red-Headed Brother.

Students read books and view movies about older people. They write a questionnaire to interview older people at a retirement center, interview the people, record their information on graphs, and write follow-up letters.

Would you rather be right, or would you rather be kind? A novel unit based on R.J. Palacio's Wonder focuses on the need to be kind to others and to accept their differences. As learners read the book, they discuss the themes of...

Help your kids explore gender bias. Learners design and conduct a survey examining role responsibilities within families. They determine the percentage of responsibilities for males vs. females and graph the results. Then they analyze...

Discover activities to help learners increase self-awareness, build peer and family relations, and develop positive self-esteem. Here you'll find six suggestions for instilling a sense of confidence and self awareness in youngsters. Each...

Your little learners listen to the story Chicken Little in order to explain how behavior affects interpersonal communication. They engage in a class discussion to determine the differences between truth and gossip.

What are some things you think are special enough to keep? Discussing special things launches young learners into reading Keepers. They investigate related vocabulary and practice before, during, and after reading comprehension...

In preparation for a game in which they guess the type of communication used in a scenario, scholars examine and discuss the four types of communication: passive, aggressive, assertive, and passive-aggressive. Learners identify "I"...

Two lessons boost social awareness and spread gratitude. In the first lesson, scholars write a newspaper article that describes a conflict and ways to solve it. In the second lesson, pupils offer kindness coupons to family and friends to...

Students investigate family organization and create a family unit. They decide the relationships, make ID's, and makes a family tree. They introduce their family units to the others in the class while the teacher takes family pictures....

Students read the book, 'The Relatives Came' by Cynthia Rylant to revive memories about their own summer vacations and family customs. They write a friendly letter about a fantasy summer vacation--"What I Wish I Did on My Summer...

Students write a script, planning and recording improvisations based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature and history.

Students participate in a series of activities in order to explore the diversity of insects. They explore how insects are grouped and categorized.

Empower pupils to stop bullying when they see or experience it with a lesson that showcases the book, Say Something by Margaret Paula Moss. After reading the tale and thoughtfully discussing its characters, they share their own...