Students will explore the life cycle of the Painted Lady butterfly by raising their own. They will incorporate math, science, and language arts as they graph, pattern, journal, observe, and artistically create.

Students observe and demonstrate how to read silently. They discuss the "Cross-Checking" strategy, select a book for independent reading, and demonstrate silent reading. Students write a summary of what they have read in their reading...

Students investigate the virtue of kindness and giving by conducting a children's literature study of "The Giving Tree". They make a list of words to describe emotions in the story and write a journal daily while looking at the virtues...

Students investigate the Trail of Tears. For this United States history lesson, students identify the reason for removing the Cherokee Nation and role play a modern day situation similar to the Indian Removal Act. Students reflect their...

Students investigate pollution at the beach. In this environmental instructional activity, students participate in a beach clean-up and calculate the weight of the debris collected. Students write a reflection in their journal about...

Young scholars watch a movie. In this cultures lesson, students read A World Without Black People and then discuss segregation. Young scholars watch the video Partners of the Heart or Something the Lord Made and then reflect on the...

Students explore Edgar Allan Poe's most famous short stories. In this Edgar Allan Poe lesson, students complete a 25 page packet of activities where they recognize the features of genres and literary devices Poe uses. Students read "The...

Students learn about the Chinese culture via literature. They read the poetry of Cathy Song, considering national pride as Americans and Chinese.

Students, as a group, read "Sees Behind Trees" about a Native American boy. They discuss how the Native American culture is different from theirs. They also draw Native American scenes and read poetry.

Twelfth graders analyze "Dedication" and "Child of the Americas" using a double-journal format. They compare responses and infer meaning from the connotations of select images in the poems write a paragraph describing the importance of...

Students complete a variety of activities based on examining corn and popcorn as one of the major crops of Kansas. They journal the results of the multidisciplinary activities in this unit.

Students examine how visual artists tell stories with their work. For this visual art lesson, students study two of Dorothea Lange's photographs to find elements of art and narrative content, use descriptive language when discussing...

Students analyze quotes and poetry related to relationships in society. In this civics lesson, students participate in small group debate game and focus on communication skills that reinforce civil discussion. Students reflect and...

Tenth graders  analyze the role of mentors, point of view, and prejudice using the texts of To Kill a Mockingbird and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this literature analysis lesson, 10th graders review Scout's...

Students create a food product and an advertisement promoting it.  In this description and advertising lesson, students read children's book for inspiration and discover advertising techniques.  Students complete their ads and...

Characters often change over the course of a story or novel. Use the sample graphic organizer provided here to track how the narrator has responded to the sequence of events in chapter four through six of The Cay. In addition to this...

A set of 14 primary sources provides background for a study of Lorraine Hansberry's drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Featured are images from stage productions of the play, white supremacy protests, a clip from a television interview, and...

Social classes may be explicitly defined as in a caste system or based more informally on such ideas as wealth or education. After reading and discussing an article about one woman's experience with trying to fit into a system different...

Once conceived, a guided set of literary analysis lessons will assist you day and night. Ninth graders look closely at "The Tell-Tale Heart" and analyze how Poe uses point of view to create questions about the narrator's sanity and...

Eighth graders read Eloise Greenfield's novella, 'Sister'. They write their personal responses quickly, foregoing concern about usage, spelling, and punctuation at this point. They write about their day, or may write about any...

Learners discuss the meaning and tone of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130.  In this sonnets lesson, students compare Spenser's sonnets to Shakespeare's.  Learners discuss specific words that add to the humor in Shakespeare's sonnet,...

Students examine different portrayals of African American women in poems and plays. Individually, they identify the character they want to play and reject the others. After acting out the scene, they hopefully realize that their...

Students investigate the role of women during the Vietnam War. They conduct Internet research, and create a Chronicle of Women in Vietnam project that could take the form of a journal, PowerPoint presentation, or scrapbook that includes...

Learners explore gingerbread stories. In this poetry lesson, students read the folk tale "The Gingerbread Man" as well as Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett and identify rhyming words. Learners also make art projects, dramatize the stories,...