Personality traits and physical appearance traits within families are the focus here. Learners make a poster which lists the shared physical traits they have with their family. Peers look at each poster and write down the traits they see...

A discussion of bioluminescence launches an investigation of animal adaptations. After re-watching the opening minutes of Dark Water, class members listen to a reading of What Do You Do with a Tail Like This, and then create a new...

Middle schoolers identify the characteristics of a hero. For this character development and writing lesson, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Middle schoolers explore individuals and...

After brainstorming the various aspects of cultural identity, class members interview each other, examine video clips, and read stories to discover how these aspects reveal one's cultural identity. Individuals then craft a quilt square...

Penguins are very diverse and well-adapted birds; they live on islands, in warm and cold climates. Little ones examine penguin diversity and discuss the highly functional adaptive traits that have helped them survive in some of the...

Out-lined here is a two-week procedure that has the class creating ceramic animal tiles that are metaphorical representations of their own personalities. They discuss animal images found throughout history, what they mean, metaphor, and...

Young scholars identify personal traits. In this autobiographical art lesson, students read the book Whoever You Are and use art supplies to create a body cut-out of themselves. Young scholars include physical characteristics on their...

What is peace and what does it mean to our society? To understand why peace is celebrated and what character traits or concepts relate to the action of peace, learners engage in a discussion, story time, and a craft project. The lesson...

Students research an assigned person who exemplifies one or more of the following character traits: respect for others, empathy, perseverance, integrity, composure under pressure or responsibility. They assess how a person's choices and...

Students explore musical pitch. In this cross curriculum musical instruments and "sound" physics lesson, students identify and describe common traits of woodwind instruments. Students research "pitch" and what causes pitch fluctuation by...

Students construct an insect model. In this "insects" science and art lesson, students complete a KWL chart about 'insects," then view several interactive websites to become familiar with insect traits. Students construct an insect model...

Students recognize traits of heroes as depicted in music, art and literature. In this cross curricular lesson, students evaluate and analyze various works fo art from different cultures that depict heroes.

Students examine architectural designs and styles found in their state and/or community and create scrapbooks that identify those specific traits. This middle-level art lesson can be adapted to work in a social studies classroom.

Working in groups of four, the students will use the computer to draw an imaginary potion that will cure other children their age from physical traits (they can not control) including all ingredients and one text box.

Twelfth graders read a Shakespearean play focusing on a character. They create "Mind Maps" of their characters and act out a selection of the play.

Third graders analyze the importance of characters in fiction writing and performances.  In this theatre instructional activity, 3rd graders identify the important characteristics of a fictional character and how to portray a...

Students explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. In this dinosaur instructional activity, students distinguish between extinct creatures and those that still exist.

Students design their own emblem. In this introduction lesson, students get to know one another by designing an emblem that combines symbols that represent themselves. They express themselves to their classmates. 

Students construct their own diorama based on the life of a dinosaur. In this dinosaur lesson, students create models of dinosaurs and dinosaurs' eggs to explore the life cycle of this extinct species.

Young scholars develop an understanding of natural selection, specifically, how it unfolds from generation to generation. They work in small groups to perform an experiment using beans. They use a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide...

Students evaluate in class performance of music previously prepared by the ensemble. The rubric and assessment criteria are adaptable to any orchestra setting which allows the teacher to choose music to be assessed. Critical thinking...

Students transform a discarded book into a creative art work of art that encompasses a theme and utilizes a variety of media and techniques.

Students create a dinosaur egg with balloons and newspaper.  In this earth science lesson, students explore the extinction of dinosaurs.  Students view a web clip and relate it to the extinction of animals they have never seen.