Seventh graders explore the goals of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.  In this US History instructional activity, 7th graders read a newspaper article that reported a significant event during this era. ...

Students acquire and discover what it was like to be the ancient Greeks and Romans at a feast. They identify the informal and formal Greek and Roman clothing styles,and basic information about ancient make-up and hairstyles and the...

After reading an excerpt from Amelia Earhart's autobiography, The Fun of It, learners explore various nonfiction resources about her life and write a short newspaper article on a specific event. They then develop a longer piece of...

Students write and perform poetry. In this poetry presentation lesson plan, students learn about the concept of a poetry slam. Students plan and hold their own poetry slam.

Students discuss how and why locations become historic sights as they designate a place to actually become a historic site.

Students celebrate music for a month with a creative project.

Students participate in a reader's theater about the Civil War. In this performing arts lesson, students review the Civil War through a reader's theater. They practice reading their parts to work on expression and fluidity before...

Students gain an idea of how a photographer prepares and shoots a photo story. They explore how to use Pagemaker and lay out a story for the newspaper. They see the powerful effect that photography can have on news stories.

Sixth graders create a daily newscast which they broadcast to the whole school. They write the scripts for the broadcast, after reviewing interviews, feature writing, and proposals. They organize the newscast for presentation and edit...

Students read the novel Night by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and complete related activities. In this novel analysis lesson, students prompt write and discuss the answers. Students take notes on stereotypes and scapegoats and...

Second graders create a movie or slide show depicting a typical day in school. From their perspective, they take photos of events and activities throughout the school day. Students use their collection for a Powerpoint presentation or...

Students write and illustrate their own graphic novels. In this George Washington lesson, students collaborate to research Washington's life as surveyor, his involvement in the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution,...

Mixing math and art is done in this lesson by applying graphing knowledge to create a unique piece of art. This lesson varies acording to the graphing knowledge of the artist. First, learners identify and review various types of graphing...

Learners examine the Great Depression through the analysis of the novel, 'Bud, Not Buddy.' They analyze photos from the National Archives website, complete a character analysis, and conduct research and summarize a topic from the Great...

Young scholars analyze the use of language, including non-standard written and oral English. They write persuasive, descriptive, narrative and/or evaluative pieces in response to the story read and keep reflection journals. Finally,...

Students perform an "autopsy" on a dill pickle to determine its' cause of death. After finding "clues" inside the "body," students organize facts and use their imagination to write an epitaph. As an alternative, students may view a...

Make fitness fun at your school! A list of outdoor activities for a "Fun Through Fitness Day" could be helpful in planning your own version of this activity. The resource describes what one school district has done in general, but does...

In 1856 Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts over the head with a cane. This event, which highlighted the acrimonious debate over the expansion of slavery, is the focus of a paper...

Plan a wellness day! Invite speakers from community resources to come and present and participate in a wellness day. Reinforce how important it is to take care of the whole body and how the choices they make now can make a difference...

Students discuss the affect the Iraq War has had on citizens taking advantage of their right to express themselves through non-violent protests and pledges of resistance. They research and discuss local community and school events and...

Students brainstorm lists of places, events and relationships that define them. They search for clip art and pictures in magazines to illustrate the items on their list and create a graphic timeline of their lives.

Introduce learners to allegorical art with four bronze sculptures by Francesco Bertos. After modeling how to recognize bias and allegory in Bertos' Africa, class groups examine the other three sculptures in the series before creating...

Students read a story called School Lunches Get More Healthful and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current events school lunch lesson plan, student respond to literature by answering questions, recalling...

Celebrate inventions such as lightning rods, bifocals, and stoves with a Ben Franklin Day. Young historians conduct research and write a paragraph about an accomplishment of Benjamin Franklin including an illustration...