Be positive! That's the take-away from a instructional activity about how a positive attitude influences actions and increases one's ability to succeed. To conclude the instructional activity, participants create a plan for how to...

Often the most challenging part of any journey is the first step, the getting started and figuring out where to start. Middle schoolers engage in a series of games and activities to learn the importance of setting short-term goals,...

Making responsible decisions can be hard, especially in difficult situations when the consequences can be difficult as well. Through a series of activities and games, middle schoolers learn that when making decisions, they must consider...

With the end of the year quickly approaching it's time to find out exactly how much your sixth graders have learned. Specifically designed for the Common Core ELA standards, this practice test gives students five reading passages,...

Caring, trustworthiness, and responsibility—these are only a few character traits in focus of a lesson based on stories from the Civil War era. Class members explore several influential lives while reading biographies that highlight...

Show your class why restrictions aren't always a bad thing. In the third segment of a four-part series, the instructor develops the idea of restriction enzymes. Pupils learn how scientists use restriction enzymes in DNA analysis and DNA...

Urban communities are the focus of a series of lessons created to meet specific needs using differentiated instruction. A pre-assessment designates scholars into three groups based on their ability level. Small groups take part in...

A social justice lesson focuses on the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia which struck down laws that prohibited marriages between African Americans and white Americans. The lesson begins with class members examining a photograph of...

Individuals consider why is it important to respect family members as they complete a self-respect survey to assess their respectful behaviors at home. They then choose three items from the survey and write about how they plan to improve...

Five activities covering ELA, social studies, and social and emotional learning offer bystanders tips and the courage to help individuals being bullied. Activities include writing an acrostic poem, creating a pamphlet, reading current...

Key to social-emotional learning is understanding who we are. The first lesson in an Understanding Identity unit asks class members to consider the factors that shape one's concept of themselves, the parts of their identity they choose...

Respond rather than react—that's the big idea behind a lesson on conflict resolution strategies. A richly detailed plan teaches high schoolers strategies for resolving conflicts. Pupils play charades, engage in verbal and non-verbal...

To demonstrate what they have learned in the Health Smart unit, sophomores design a resource for incoming ninth-graders that includes what they consider the most important information they gleaned from one of the eight topics studied. 

As part of the Health Smart social and emotional learning unit, seventh graders are taught the T.R.A.I.N Method (Talk to others, Resilience, Accept it, Inspiration from others, Need to be prepared) of coping with disappointment and...

The more you practice, the better you get. That's the big idea behind a lesson plan for middle schoolers about using mindfulness breathing techniques to reduce stress. Class members practice Star Breathing and Rainbow Breathing exercises...

The big idea in the last instructional activity in the Health Smart series is that individuals must practice emotional first aid, that just as we take care of physical injuries, we must take care of emotional injuries. Scholars watch a...

Young scholars begin the instructional activity by discussing what type of project they are interested in and how much time can be devoted. They also discuss why it is important to focus on the community and are introduced to the...

Class members learn to make the basic 12" x 12" square pillow with overlapping back panels for easy insertion of a pillow form. Whether you choose a lively print or more subdued stripe, it's sure to add interest to your room!

Students plan a budget and pay bills when they visit the "Reality Store," a series of classroom studying stations. The use of paying bills and running a class store is used to help students grasp the concept of business.

Here is a supplemental lesson plan regarding past tense verbs for English language learners that is a great tool for the classroom when you are teaching grammar exercises.

This two-page planning guide walks you through a five-part process for teaching scientific content. To begin, decide how you will evaluate learners' progress, then what tools you will use to engage them in the topic. Plan how they will...

Art classes, like any lab class, require extensive preplanning and set-up time. Use this planning template in the quiet before the storm to identify the equipment and materials that will be needed, the procedures and processes...

Students play a game in which they build and compare large numbers to learn place value. They use place value to read, write and compare large numbers.

Ninth graders take another look at their personal plans of study for the future and reevaluate, revise and refine them as needed. They assess their interests, strengths and limitations as they revise their plans for the future. A panel...