It's tough for high schoolers to assess what is a credible resource and what is not. A helpful resource prompts class members to research a particular topic and record two facts—and create one lie—while documenting the sources. They...

Take advantage of Banned Book Week to pique young scholars' interest and get them reading! Create a classroom display of previously banned books and allow each member of your class to choose one to read. After they have read their book,...

It's time to party like it's 1899! Incorporate a research-based celebration of the Victorian Era into your unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After learners read the novella or view a production of the play, they craft a...

What role did Buffalo, New York play in the Underground Railroad? Young historians investigate the Underground Railroad ties to Buffalo and western New York. They create a web site or multimedia presentation based on the research. If...

Conduct a written literary discussion and diminish stress about public writing. Class members, already arranged into literature circles, compose and post responses to novels, signing with initials or class number. The process continues...

Investigate life along the Old Spanish Trail! They visit websites and identify the history and environment. They create journals, dramatic enactments, and maps to discover the role individuals played in society. They also explore the...

Do your young authors suffer from writer's block when they try to write short stories? Access their natural creativity with C-Gor, the writing monster! The instructional activity takes aspiring authors through a new writing process...

Students study about the most widely reported stock market indicator by the news media, the Dow or DJIA, short for Dow Jones Industrial Average. They complete a table that divides these 30 companies into different industry groups.

Young scholars choose a sport and promote a real or imaginary team by creating press releases, business cards, and ads or commercials.

Plan a Parts of a Book scavenger hunt. Begin by giving your young adventurers a book, and asking them to find the title, author, illustrator, and table of contents. After a discussion of the purpose of each of these items, class members...

If your class loves movies, this activity is sure to interest them. After discussing the purpose and structure of movie reviews, young writers compose a movie review and discuss why people may read a review before they go see a film. The...

Add your final touches! Seventh graders finish the final draft of the brochure they began in the previous lesson plan. They then reflect by talking with other learners to discuss their work. Peers talk about the choices they made in...

For the final step of the performance task for this unit, class members will create an illustration to go with the paragraph on their bookmark. After looking at models, guide pupils toward recognizing the criteria for an effective...

An engaging lesson that teaches the /op/ word family is here for you. In it, learners utilize a PowerPoint and a worksheet embedded in the plan to help them better-understnad this word family. This fun lesson should be a hit with your...

Speaking of the Internet. The culminating lesson for the unit on the Internet challenges pupils to prepare short, two-minute speeches on an issue facing society. The pupils chose from three topics that connect the Internet and...

Use simple machines to escape from a tree house. Pupils learn about simple machines and how they are useful in everyday life in a STEM lesson. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.

Introduce cradle-to-cradle design thinking. Scholars first discuss the importance of natural laws and rights. They then use a variety of online and print resources to research eco-efficiency and cradle-to-cradle design.

Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!

Design protection from high-speed particles. The STEM lesson plan highlights why astronauts need protection from space debris. Pupils use the design process to design, build, and test a spacesuit that will protect a balloon from a...

Fifth graders complete a demonstration on how to set up, use, and close down a camera. In this technology lesson plan, 5th graders complete the correct sequence and answer questions about camera usage.

Students discuss cause and effect relationships and the chain reaction involved before listening to the story "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears". Students create flow charts to show the chain reactions of causes and effects in the...

Pupils read a story with the short a sound. The story is about a rat. They access Starfall and select the story called Zac the Rat. They read the story out loud as a group then the students answer comprehension and skill questions...

Students write Haiku poetry and illustrate their poems with a form of digital or video technology. In this poetry and technology lesson, students study examples of haiku poetry and then write their own poem. Students use digital cameras...

Sixth graders explore the language of moving pictures. By creating and understanding the basic building blocks used to form a video sequence (wide shot, medium shot and close-up),they discover how communication is enhanced. A great,...