Using a constructivist approach and a graphic organizer, small groups work together to begin a paper, comparing and contrasting the novella Night and the movie Life is Beautiful. Assuming that your learners have studied both of these...

Your little learners listen to the story Chicken Little in order to explain how behavior affects interpersonal communication. They engage in a class discussion to determine the differences between truth and gossip.

Introduce your middle schoolers to a performance and movement activity that uses their favorite stories from fairytales and folklore. They practice basic acting skills, create dialogues with a partner, and then as guided practice,...

If you're delving into Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, this worksheet might be for you! Literature scholars respond to higher-level questions about character actions and motivations and the Zefferelli film version of the play. The...

Positive character traits in literature are explored in this character development and literacy lesson plan. Learners listen to Cinderella by Charles Perrault and Little Gold Star by Robert D. San Souci, followed by a discussion...

Plants provide a variety of delicious foods essential for human survival. In the fourth lesson of this series on food science, young scientists investigate common fruits, vegetables, and grains in order to determine which plant part is...

How highly does your class value family? What about familial advice, individual rights, and cultural identity? Examine the literary themes in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club before opening the book with an anticipation guide. Class...

Learners analyze the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I. They read a speech by President Wilson and an opposition speech, list the reasons each gives for American entry into the war, and complete a Venn diagram.

Students examine the opposition of the US Senate to Woodrow Wilson's idea of a League of Nations. They discuss the central ideas involved in the debate over the League.

A PBS clip focused on collecting sports memorabilia launches this research project lesson. Class members then read Dan Gutman’s Honus and Me in which Wagner’s baseball card is used to time travel. The lesson ends with researchers...

Mark Twain, the famous American author, is often studied in the school system. Use "The Prince and the Pauper" to analyze the differences between the text and its video version.  This lesson includes several culminating project...

Identify common prefixes and suffixes used in the English language and categorize the different kinds of information provided in a dictionary entry. Learners will write at least five pieces of information that they learn about a word...

What is a memorial and what should it look like? Learners will choose what they believe is important to remember about September 11 and how it should be displayed. They work in groups and brainstorm details about the memorial and present...

“There is no story that is not true.” And Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, uses proverbs (“. . .the palm-oil with which words are eaten”), a compelling tragic hero, and historic events, to engage readers in the truth of his story of...

Germination is an amazing process that results in amazing things. The book The Tiny Seed is the inspiration for a set of activities that will help build early literacy, observation, language, and writing skills. The class observes how...

The scientific method keeps you from believing only what you want to believe — it expands your mind. The lesson plan introduces the eight steps in the scientific process and how to design an experiment to biology scholars. Live insects...

Can beautiful words change the world? Literary scholars discover how to paint their visions of change using poetry in a series of three workshops. Each independent topic gives participants a chance to examine their feelings about...

Students examine the various resistance movements during the Holocaust. They conduct research on a selected individual's role in the resistance movement, and in small groups develop and present a report.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 16 short answer and essay questions about Faulkner's Light in August. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Fourth graders read a selection describing 13 virtues from "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." They keep track of their behavior and whether or not they can keep up with 5 chosen virtues. They write a 5 paragraph essay on their...

Students examine the different ways in which children hid trying to escape the concentration camps. Using journal entries, they put themselves into the role of the children and imagine their feelings during the Holocaust. They discuss...

Students read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and practice the days of the week. In groups, they create a puppet show, design cards of the "days of the week," draw their favorite part of the story, create a visual representation of each...