Fifth graders discover new and interesting technologies of the Civil War. In this Civil War portfolio of lessons, 5th graders analyze primary resources, develop new vocabulary, investigate websites, and create a time line of new...

Eleventh graders compare and contrast the visions of abolitionists and proponents of slavery. In this slavery lesson, 11th graders read primary documents representing both sides of the slavery issue and use graphic organizers to analyze...

Third graders use a variety of resources to do research on an animal. Their final project is a graphic organizer for display and an informative multimedia slide show.

Fourth graders participate in a play to work on seeing events from a different perspective. Some of them are reporters, some cameramen and women, and others are interviewed. They put themselves in the shoes of the people in the book...

Students preview the novel, "Dragonwings," by Laurence Yep, make connections between the novel previewed and their prior knowledge, other texts, and the world. They utilize graphic representations including charts, graphs, pictures, and...

Sixth graders explore different climates. In this compare and contrast lesson, 6th graders look at the differences in climates of America and Europe. Students use KWL charts and graphic organizers to record information about different...

Middle schoolers examine the Push Pull Theory of immigration. In this lesson on immigration, students explore primary sources to discover several reasons why people migrate. They will then present skits to share this information. Finally...

Fourth graders read a nonfiction story that is presented to them with graphic features, and presented to them with only the text.  In this text features activity, 4th graders decide what the benefits of text organizers are and...

Learners explore world geography by completing graphic organizers and researching the Internet. In this Kalahari desert lesson, students identify the geographic location, weather and creation of the Kalahari desert. Learners define a...

Students strengthen their research techniques in locating, selecting, and synthesizing information from a variety of texts, media, references and internet resources to study regional food way traditions in Louisiana. They assess the...

Students investigate the differences in Lake Tahoe from the past to the present. In this geography instructional activity, students read the book Washoe Seasons of Life and identify the descriptions of the land and lake. Students create...

Second graders examine primary documents to discover similarities and differences in life today and life before.  In this toys then and now lesson, 2nd graders complete a graphic organizer to show how things have changed or stayed...

Young scholars retrieve information about Patricia Polacco from selected sources. They classify information into prescribed categories on a concept map.

Students read independently the novel, "Dragonwings," by Laurence Yep and make connections between a text and the world. They summarize, paraphrase, analyze and evaluate skimming and scanning techniques when reading a novel. Each student...

Students study biographies as a nonfiction genre while examining a variety of examples. Next, they access and complete an online tutorial about biographies. They choose one person that interests them to conduct further research using a...

Learners read and research American Indian creation stories as a way to understand the origins of American Literature. They conduct Internet research utilizing Internet search engines. They create an online report page as well as write...

Students read Mr. Popper's Penguins.  In this Mr. Popper's Penguins lesson, students record descriptive clues from the book.  Students research Adelie penguins and compare and contrast to their local community. Students prepare...

Students record the weather using an outdoor thermometer. In this weather lesson, students compare their recordings to that on the weather map online. Students explain the differences of each weather reading. Students continues taking...

Students explore the many adaptations desert animals have made to survive in their challenging habitat. They use this information to invent new creatures well-suited for desert life.

Middle schoolers discuss vocabulary words and compare definitions. They read chapters 6-9 of the novel, Dragonwings, and discuss point of view, and complete a plot diagram. Then they review the four types of conflict and identify the...

Second graders research their family history and how it connects them to the past. They identify their ancestors, graphically organize relatives in a family tree, and chart significant events in their lives on a timeline.

Students examine the African American experience after they received their freedom after the Civil War. They complete a Mind Map, read and analyze a poem, and write a paragraph using key vocabulary words. They analyze the impact of the...

Students practice language. In this vocabulary expansion lesson, students match words on a sentence strip. They work independently to recognize and correlate words in a sentence to individual words out of sequence. This lesson includes...

Fifth graders refer to text and timeline to fill in a graphic organizer and timeline from 1492-1607. They participate in a class discussion that allows for speedy accumulation of events and fill in their own timelines. They work in small...