Learning how to compare and contrast is a core skill. Learners compare two music selections that showcase a specific heritage. They draw and discuss how each song and the composers of each song used their personal heritage as...

The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether...

Students discuss five senses, compare and contrast human and insect senses, use adjectives to describe things they touch, smell, and see, and write stories in first person describing what it would be like to be size of insect.

Review myths and the characters therein, connecting them to vocabulary words in the English language today. Begin by searching online for myths and character names. With at least ten names that are familiar English words, students use...

Do your young readers have difficulty visualizing what they read? Although the activity described here is for The Call of the Wild, the strategy could be used with any narrative. At the conclusion of each chapter of Jack London’s novel,...

Explore a variety of fables to learn life's lessons through engaging stories. Add rigor to the learning process with activities that include matching a a fable to the story's moral, short answer exit slips, and a three-column graphic...

An activity based on the young adult novel Flipped, groups work to make the same difficult decision a character in the novel faces. Each group is given the same scenario about caring for a mentally disabled brother personally...

With Mount Everest as the motivator, your earth science class learns about topographic maps. Begin by showing a film clip from The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, featuring fearsome virtual imagery of a path up world's tallest...

Teams of six to eight players imagine that they are driving in a vehicle and collect balls that represent carbon dioxide emissions based on their different activities. "Greenhouse Gas Guzzler" cards tell teams how many balls to collect...

A whale of a lesson is sure to intrigue your elementary oceanographers! Learn about the mammals of the sea with a series of activities about whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Kids complete worksheets about the anatomy of a whale, create a...

Designed to be used in conjunction with a reading of Ben Mikaelsen's Touching Spirit Bear, the worksheets and activities in this 32-page packet focus readers' attention on how to break the cycle of violence and develop more productive...

Class members conclude their reading of The House on Mango Street with an assignment that asks them to compose letters to characters using their own voices or that of another character in Cisneros' story.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a famous suffragette that paved the way for equal rights for women. Readers respond to before, during, and after reading questions based on her story. The resource is a great addition to a lesson during...

The final activity in a unit study of immigration and human rights asks class members to design a project for their school that builds support for immigrant classmates. To prepare for this project, individuals use what they have learned...

Often our decisions are impacted by a fear of how others see us. That's the big idea in a two-day activity that asks how false assumptions, how our fear of how others may see us, impact how we act. After watching a video about such a...

Empowered by the previous lesson where they interviewed a family or community member, young historians examine Angel Island immigrants' oral histories. They use a matrix to record their interpretation of the feelings of the immigrant....

Learners read "Be A Perfect Person in Just three days," and participate in a host of activities. Connected to technology, they use online sources to create word searches and puzzles from vocabulary words. In addition, students create...

Sixth graders analyze character traits and create a life size character outline. In this character analysis lesson plan, 6th graders analyze character traits of a character using character webs and poems. Students then create a life size...

Students create the perfect dog. They read and discuss Clifford's Sports Day and identify Clifford's personality traits. After listening to the story, they discuss their concept of a perfect dog with their families and draw pictures of...

Second graders connect reading to writing by making predictions, completing text to world connections, solving problems, and more. In this reading and writing lesson plan, 2nd graders draw conclusions after reading and write them down.

Students work in groups to write stories that have homonyms in them. In this homonyms lesson plan, students use their own experiences to write these stories.

Middle schoolers investigate Sikhism. For this Sikhism lesson, students research the different aspects of this religion. They work in small groups to research details about Sikh practices, language, and culture. They design a...

Students use interviewing skills to explore and express the culture of their community. In this literacy/writing lesson plan, students interview a community member as a basis for a biographical writing project. Each class member...

Learners investigate the Atlantic slave trade. In this slavery lesson, students watch "Slavery, Society, and Apartheid," as well as "Slave Ship." Learners discuss the information presented in the videos, especially St. John's Revolt....