Does your class know about the meaning of Memorial Day? Discuss the history of the holiday in this instructional activity, which prompts elementary and middle schoolers to create word webs of ideas about the holiday. Additionally, they...

Over the course of three days, middle schoolers explore the concept of connotation. They differentiate between the connotative and denotative meanings of sports team names, develop their own team names, logos, and text, and revise a news...

Students create a video box about a Central American country. In this world history instructional activity, student research Central America and pick a country they want to investigate. They work in groups to create a video box that...

Coming to America as an immigrant can be an emotional and difficult process. This instructional activity has learners explore what it means to be an immigrant, listen to real life accounts, and visit an online museum. This is a wonderful...

You may want to recommend that your class check out this online quiz on Call of the Wild as a means of self-assessing basic reading comprehension; however, it lacks the rigor necessary for a worthy assignment.

Group members select a word from The Catcher in the Rye they would like the class to know more about. After identifying the context and determining the meaning of the word from the context, they present the word to the entire class,...

Namely through discussion, get your opinionated scholars examining the roles of government- is it even necessary? They analyze the quote: "To be free, one must be chained," writing what it represents and then sharing. Consider...

Learners get in groups, take a list of words, put them into story form, and punctuate them. They present their story to the class and consider how punctuation changes meaning. Great excercise. 

Young scholars discover how visual images communicate meaning. They create costumes that tell personal stories and perform dances wearing the costumes.

Students discuss what free press means and what it would be like without this right. They read the summary from the Near v. Minnesota case. In groups, they analyze a problem and report to the class.

An interesting historical fact about how handcarts benefitted to the Mormon pioneers is the context behind this math lesson. Using given facts and figures regarding the handcart, pupil pairs create math word problems, share them with the...

Students consider the effects of a wildfire on prairie life. They explore the ways that plants regenerate after a fire and create fictional plants that have adapted specifically to the prairie environment. They share models of their plants.

Fourth graders explore how to hold conversations and respect the privacy of others. They discuss why it is important to ask those in authority for help and to respect others' belongings. They review signs they have observed in public and...

Students create a caring classroom environment, where they respect and care about each other, and the people and pets in their lives. They explore the importance of respect and kindness. Students are asked "What does it mean to respect...

Help readers recognize elements in a story. They will use pictures and text to gain meaning from written material. Have learners listen to the story A Plump and Perky Turkey and participate in a discussion. They recognize the...

Students explore the meaning of character and why positive character is important. They explain the difference between character and personality. Students determine the difference between right and wrong character. They explore the...

Take a creative approach to teaching about community in a religious context. Learners read Acts 2:42-47 and choose the verse they feel exemplify the importance of community. They then pair share, write journal responses, and then...

Delve into the mysterious lines of T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Focusing on simple recall of the poem, this quiz can then spark discussion about the odd comparisons and allusions within the lines. A simple quiz that...

National treasures of cultural significance are always wonderful to share with learners. Expose them to the world's largest collection of woodblock text, the Tripitaka. It's a collection of 80,000 woodblocks containing the entire...

Learners explain dance as a way to create and communicate meaning and demonstrate the difference between pantomiming and abstracting a gesture.

For this exercise, learners examine the difference between a theme, topic, and moral. After a class discussion on the definition of literary themes, the instructor reads The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler. Next, individuals analyze the...

How does community involvement make good citizens? Use all or a few of the included ideas to foster a better understanding of what it means to be a good citizen. Learners will brainstorm community issues, discuss how to get involved, and...

Middle schoolers read one of the most important documents in our nation's history: The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. After everyone reads the proclamation, they set out to write a "You Were There" type of report on it. They pretend...

Students are introduced to using computers as a means of developing communication skills within an authentic context. Students communicate with each other and share ideas via e-mail or other types of computer appllications.