Prior to reading The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, spark engagement, and step into the shoes of Charlotte Doyle through this guided imagery activity focusing on adventure and the emotions that may be felt along...

Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...

It's hard to beat the beauty of John Steinbeck's prose, so borrow a little of it to form your own found poetry. After kids finish Chapter One of The Pearl, they select the most evocative and vivid words to create found poems.

What's the difference between being a phony and being a conformist? At what point does conforming to alleviate loneliness lead to insincerity? These are the questions at the heart of this unit plan that uses The Catcher in the Rye...

The interpretation of a poem often lies in the mind of its reader, especially when reading the tone. Focus on author's word choice, middle schoolers read four different poems and briefly state a perceived tone for each, along with the...

The Grapes of Wrath may be the most famous novel set during the Dust Bowl, but what other stories cover the same time? The unit focuses on the Karen Hesse novel Out of the Dust. Learners keep a timeline of the Dust Bowl, maintain a...

Teach English language learners about the week-long holiday of Kwanzaa that is celebrated around the world during December. It includes holiday-themed reading comprehension passages, phrase matching, fill-in-the-blanks, and journaling...

First graders examine how certain types of music can evoke emotions and mental images. They fold a piece of paper into four equal sections, and create a picture of what they are visualizing in each section while listening to four...

Students practice recognition of different music notes and their values and work on throwing cues, scoring, and addition.

Are you teaching Modernism to your class? Connect different areas of artistic expression in the Modernist Era. Learners read T.S. Eliot, view art by Pablo Picasso, and listen to a Modernist musical composition. This final assignment is...

What type of music is best to listen to while learning? In a short writing prompt, learners must determine if a scenario involving listening to music while memorizing material is an experiment or an observational study. The prompt also...

Do your kids confuse role and roll? Discuss the difference with them, show them the example sentences provided, and have them take the short quiz that follows. 

Here is a language arts instructional activity that can be used with virtually any grade level. The only thing that changes is the reading level of the books. Learners compare and contrast different heroes and the characteristics they...

Young musicians discuss musical form found in the song, The Star Spangled Banner. They review their parts for the song then practice playing it as a group. Cross-curricular activity suggestions are included.

Students view a piece of impressionist art, listen to a piece of jazz music and then write a piece about the picture in the style of beat poets. They compare their writing and look for differences in their perceptions.

Two line dances that are similar yet different. These two dances are performed to disco music, fast and upbeat. Do grapevines, heel-toe moves, and even tuck your arms up and flap them like chicken wings. These two dances are sure to get...

Get ready for a musical story time! First your young musicians review musical dynamics as they listen to and discuss the pitch and sound of each instrument you play for them. Then they talk about special words (mostly verbs) in the book,...

Do the "Space Jam" dance! A dance that is made up of basketball skills movements, such as: dribbling, defending with hands up, pivoting, shooting, and slam dunks. The dance step descriptions are very well written out with cues for...

Student observe the effect soap (or detergent) has on the movement of food color in milk. Pupils observe the properties of solids and liquids while making butter. They read a poem, Shaking, and listen for ryhming words. Studdents...

Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...

Students explore Spanish music. In this cultural traditions lesson, students listen to a brief lecture on Spanish music and then research the regions of Spain to study the cultural diversity there. Students share their findings with...

Students examine the interconnectedness of different art forms. They listen to music and watch a video while determining the similarities of the themes. They make connections between books, movies, opera, dance, and music.

Eighth graders analyze lyrics from songs from a variety of genres. In this musical analysis instructional activity, 8th graders write an essay about their life plans in which they discuss the lyrics of U2's song, "One." They tell how the...

Learners are introduced to the music technology programs for the next school year. They practice reading notes and playing piano. They use the internet to research careers in music.