Two lessons encourage class members to go screen-free. The first lesson plan challenges two teams to create a list of screen-free games. The team with the most ideas wins. Individuals then draw a picture of themselves doing one of...

Two lessons invite scholars to plan a fun and busy summer. Lesson one begins with a discussion in which pupils list favorite summer activities then draw a picture. Lesson two challenges learners to track their daily activity on a...

A Reading Adventure Pack invites scholars to start gardening. Following a reading of two books—fiction and nonfiction—young green thumbs repurpose food containers to grow an herb garden in their kitchen, plant seeds in starter pots out...

Developing engaging opening and closing class routines is essential in post-COVID, face-to-face classrooms. The 7th routine of 15 in the Building Community series invites participants to begin class by reflecting on a success (rose), a...

Capulets and Montagues. Sharks and Jets. Nortenos and Surenos. Gradwitzes and Znaeyms? Hector Hugh Munro's short story "The Interlopers" invites high schoolers to consider the causes of conflicts and reflect on what it takes to resolve...

Here is a lesson plan that invites learners to engage in a kinesthetic activity that allows them to physically move and manipulate words in order to think about ways to understand vocabulary in context. After that activity is complete,...

Here is a lesson plan in which pupils connect themes and rules to live by from the story Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis to those found in the poem If by Rudyard Kipling. First, scholars discuss their reading and review Bud's...

Learners plan an art show. They do everything from creating the invitations, to selecting the pieces of art, to deciding how they will be displayed. This is a rather ambitious project for 1st graders to take on, so a lot of parental...

How do you determine an author’s purpose? You ask the author, of course. Invite a local journalist into the class to respond to scripted student questions about his/her writing process. A review of basic classroom etiquette is also...

Learners are invited to become detectives in this Web-Integrated Science Environment (WISE) as they explore a local creek, its environment and ongoing status. Students participate in field trips, acquisition of data through water testing...

First and second graders explore the importance of having a beginning, middle, and end when writing stories. In this story writing lesson, students write short stories using the story diamond as a guide. They invite their parents to an...

Over the course of three class periods, middle schoolers design an experiment to provide learner input to administration about which rock band to invite to play at school. They practice several random sampling exercises, all well...

Third graders explore simple machines as a way of helping the principle with a hurt foot manuever his way around the campus.

Seventh graders watch a video and enlarge and shrink scale by applying proportional thinking. They practice measuring, using percentages, computing area, and problem solving.

Here's a great way to encourage your kids to celebrate their families. A Family Day event is planned. After a big class discussion on families, preparations are made for the big event. Invitations are created, decorations are made, and...

Puppets are like magical objects for young learners! Often, a child will feel more comfortable "talking to" a puppet than to an adult. Here, youngsters make puppets and use them to act out stories about having new experiences. As a final...

After your class has completed The Cay by Theodore Taylor, assess understanding of the plot. First, model how to fill out a plot line for your class. Next, have class members fill in the plot of The Cay on the provided story map. Invite...

This lesson plan is more of a series of tips for you, the teacher, to implement when standardized testing comes around. The strongest component of this guide is that it invites the teacher to reflect on what worked the best, and what...

Invite your kindergarteners to explore sound and hearing. Using film canisters, or containers, filled with items from the story "Are You My Mother?" they will predict what the objects were from the story. Tip: you could create a...

Students discuss their food preferences. Using a flannel board and food models students describe what they would like to eat for dinner. Students compare their selections with their classmates. Students identify the nationality of ethnic...

Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...

Plan a wellness day! Invite speakers from community resources to come and present and participate in a wellness day. Reinforce how important it is to take care of the whole body and how the choices they make now can make a difference...

What do your learners know about mining? Invite them to read about all of the materials that come from mining that go into building a house. Additionally, they answer four questions at the bottom of the instructional activity.

A Venn Diagram invites learners to compare the roles of men and women in Native American societies. Learners write down as many ideas as they can, including roles that men and women shared