Is Luke Skywalker the archetype of a literary hero? Follow the path of the Hero's Journey with an engaging lesson that details the plot structure, applies it to Star Wars: A New Hope, and invites class members to choose their own...

Take a good look at tree leaves and notice the adaptations for collecting solar energy. Pupils trace the margins of five different leaves onto graph paper and count the number of squares covered. They then relate this infomation to the...

Young scholars explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden.  In this agriculture lesson plan, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their...

Put it to the test. With the cumulative resource, pupils complete the End of Unit 3 Assessment. Using everything they've learned in the unit, they write a draft of an opinion speech about how to prioritize aid after a natural...

Scholars voice their opinions about animal consciousness with an article that challenges common ideas about nature. After reading the article, learners engage in a thoughtful discussion before writing out their arguments...

Let's get a closer look at DNA and other molecular structures. The first lesson in the series of four introduces a variety of imagining techniques that engineers and scientists use to visualize molecular structures. The resource presents...

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of several garbage patches around the world where garbage accumulates naturally. As part of a GIS unit that combines oceanography, environmental science, and life science, class members investigate...

Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...

Learners discuss ecosystems, eliciting their current knowledge of an ecosystem. Students receive an Ecosystems document and look at the picture. Learners brainstorm connection between the cover picture and ecosystems. The indicated...

A wonderful product called Batik is the focus of this instructional activity. High schoolers should love this art instructional activity, because each shirt will come out differently, and each student puts their original "stamp" on it....

Links to two different versions of this mapping activity are available. In "The Small Version," youngsters design a town, keeping the water supply in mind. In "The Large Version," they also design a town, but they consider services and...

Advertising for the purpose of influencing public policy regarding the use of alternative fuels is the focus of an innovative and engaging lesson. Learners are split up into six team in order to create an advertising campaign that...

Beginning with a brief anticipatory set on how water is commonly used, this presentation evolves into a well planned lesson on the water cycle. Students will discuss vocabulary, label the parts of the water cycle, locate where water is...

How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...

Take a trip to the Colombian rainforest through the sense of touch. Here, class members discover what's inside a mystery box: wood, cinnamon, Brazil nuts, a banana, and orange. Then, the class takes a trip outside for a tree rubbing...

Storm into a better understanding of geometry. Using a tornado as a backdrop, scholars practice their skills finding perimeters and areas of rectangles. Learners apply their knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem to find missing sides of...

Learn more about the Grand Alliance with a scaffolded lesson plan that includes four activities. Class members use primary sources to complete a map exercise, understand the goals and objectives of each individual nation, and participate...

Bring this instructional activity on hubris to your short story unit. After reading Jack London's "To Build a Fire," young readers discuss the role of hubris in the protagonist's death. The instructional activity has connections to other...

Young historians explore the meaning of the Preamble to the US Constitution in this upper-elementary social studies lesson. Working with partners or in small groups, children discuss the purpose of government before reading and analyzing...

Don't part with a resource on partitive division. Continuing along the lines of the previous lesson, pupils create stories for division problems, this time for partitive division problems. Trying out different situations and units allows...

Aesop's Fables are the focus of this language arts lesson. Young philosophers study and discuss the morals found in the most famous of Aesop's Fables. They write an original fable that teaches a common moral. A "Fable Listening Library"...

High schoolers examine the third pillar of Islam. They discover the influence of Islamic ideas and practices on other cultures, Explore the various meanings of social group and the ways that each group functions. Then, they research the...

This lesson is preparation-intensive, but well worth the investment. You will construct five or six portable testing stations with which lab groups will gather data on the best position for collecting sunlight with a solar panel. This is...

Engage your class while learning about the US Constitution with this fun primary grade social studies lesson. After viewing a picture of the US Constitution, young learners piece together a US flag using stars and...