Here's an awesome unit that uses The Cay as the anchor text. The 16-page packet is loaded with teaching ideas, activities, and suggested adjustments.

From play pumps that provide clean water to shoes made from trash, innovators change the world one invention at a time. After researching various inventions, young entrepreneurs develop their own. Extension opportunities include prompts...

Third graders locate the states of Main and Kansas on a map. In this state location lesson plan, 3rd graders read the book Sarah, Plain and Tall and discuss what states she traveled through.

Students work with a school in another country to produce a Global Story Book. They write stories and design pictures that describe both cultures.

Students interview a hero. In this heroes activity, students read Number the Stars to begin a discussion about heroes and then create mind maps on each character. Students pick a local hero and interview them and then write a personal...

Second graders use cardinal and intermediate directions to locate places on maps and places in the classroom, school, and community. They draw a setting map of "Little Red Riding Hood." Students give five steps of cardinal or...

Students investigate scale as it is related to maps. In this map lesson, students read Jack and the Beanstalk by Carol North. Students then compare the setting in the story to a landscape picture map to help them study scale.

Students watch the film "The Perilous Fight: America's World War II in Color". Using the film, they work together to develop proper interview questions to use while talking to World War II veterns. After the interview, they research...

Students examine the work of Carla Bachechi as a Peace Corp volunteer in Macedonia. Individually, they read various folktales from the country and break into groups to discuss how it is different than a novel. To end the lesson, they...

Students explore the basic concept of micro-financing. In this economics/literacy lesson, students listen to One Hen by Katie Smith, in which a small loan changes the life of the main character. Students employ comprehension strategies...

Students review map and globe skills. They gather background to the story of Christopher Columbus' voyage.

Following the book, Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal, readers complete an activity for each chapter, take part in discussions, and respond to several questions. To show what they know, scholars create an alphabet book using primary...

First graders listen to a variety of Noah's Ark, based on the story in the Old Testament. They hear another "flood story" for comparison.

Sixth graders examine the research that archaeologists have done on a Late Bronze Age shipwreck in order to work out the extent of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean during this period, with emphasis on the involvement of the Mycenaeans...

Students will explore the animals and people living in the Arctic. In this science lesson, students locate Alaska on a globe, discuss its climate and geographical features, and identify common arctic animals. Students complete the first...

Eleventh graders work in groups to choose a project/presentation from a list of approved activities to develop. They select and use appropriate software for organizing and refining their product. Groups produce a short...

Students consider the effects of Indian Removal on the Cherokee Nation. In this American history lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Students write short stories that detail the...

Students view a PowerPoint presentation called, Archaeological Terms then discuss the job of an archaeologist and new vocabulary. They view the teacher made "artifact grid" and photograph the grid from different angles. They work in...

Learners participate in a jigsaw reading activity about the contributions of Sacagawea to the Corps of Discovery. They also write a poem to reflect upon what they studied.

Young scholars use maps to locate information on Egypt, then create their own maps to display knowledge gained from the lesson and Web sites. They recognize, create, and describe the pyramid's geometric shape in three-dimensional forms.

Students play a game of tug-of-war, participate in a discussion about the story, discuss the phrase "bigger doesn't mean better." , and illustrate a scene from the story.

Third graders listen to lectures and research the motivations and history of the Spanish, French and English explorers searching for the Northwest Passage to India. They trace routes on maps and consider how these explorers helped shaped...

High schoolers view a film, "Dawn's Early Light: Ralph McGill and the Segregated South." As groups of students observe the movie, they list key dates, significant persons interviewed, and cultural characteristics. Upon completion of the...

Students read stories and listen to a brief lecture about the Wampanoag Indians, aspects of their culture and their role in the first Thanksgiving. They make a Wampanoag carrying pouch out of a paper bag and cook a corn cake as a class.