Students examine the characteristics of the Prairie Creek Habitat in Illinois. In groups, they travel between various stations writing haikus and reading brochures. They identify what occurs in each habitat and identify the animals...

Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. For this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...

In this reading worksheet, students answer 10 multiple-choice questions about the book. For example, "What is the Order of the Phoenix?"

Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...

Young scholars examine primary source documents from miners who went to California in the search of gold. They compare and contrast the letters they read and discuss what types of discrimination still exists today.

Students research, design, rehearse, record, and present a 60 second Public Service Announcement, based on Columbus' arrival in the America. The students, working in groups, utilize the design process in creating their PSA. This lesson...

Second in a three-part lesson on rivers, this lesson focuses on the flooding that occurs in riparian locations. First, learners take a look at facts about the Amazon River. They read online materials and fill in a worksheet as they...

This is a quick learning game that can be played on a daily basis during transitions or as a part of the morning meeting. Using number cards or numbers placed on sticks, pick a number at random. Read the number to the class and then ask...

Inspired by the humanitarian work of President Jimmy Carter after he left office, high schoolers explore the history of civic action in the United States and generate ideas about problems at the local, national, and international levels....

Students read about the life and work of John and Mary Jones. Using primary source documents, they draw conclusions about their role in the abolistionist movement. They also examine artifacts from their lives and analyze their portrait...

Stump speeches are the focus of this exercise that combines politics and language arts. After learning about this type of speech, the class listens to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign stump speech and answers a series of questions that...

Students, in small groups, simulate an ancient civilization and the art they created, another group represents vandals, and the final group represents archaeologists who try to figure out what life was like for the "ancient peoples". ...

Students create a storyboard of the three American Indian language groups showing the geography of where they lived and how they adapted to the environment. They compare European and American Indian views of nature and explain how these...

Students study the selfless contributions of women nurses during the Civil War through poetry. They read Clara Barton's poetic tribute to the brave women nurses of the Civil War, answer questions, and practice a chorale reading.

Students become both mystery readers and writers. They utilize the Internet to understand the elements of this classic genre; employ critical thinking skills when reading various stories in both print and electronic formats; form groups...

Learners make a connection between science and literature. After reading the first five chapters of the novel The Cay, they describe the physical characteristics of a coral reef, as well as describe and distinguish between the many...

Students interpret and create different types of graphs. They analyze data from charts, develop a survey and design appropriate graphic illustrations and make a presentation.

Students study some of the background, motivation, and philosophy that shapes political strategies proposed by world leaders to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They determine that there is a complexity of issues and viewpoints...

High schoolers study the poetry of Poe. In this integrated arts lesson, students draw comparisons between the daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe by an unknown photographer with Poe's poetry.

Anchors aweigh, it's time to write! After viewing an anchor chart detailing the parts of a position paper, pupils share their plans for their essays with a partner. Next, they write the rough draft of their body paragraphs. 

Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...

If friendship were a soup, what ingredients would be in it? As part of a study of Marcus Pfister's Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale, kids engage in a series of friendship-themed activities using materials contained in this richly...

Encourage your class to identify the correct usage of collective nouns in sentences with this activity. Given three choices, with the collective nouns circled in each possible choice, class members choose the sentence in which the...

A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...