Students compare the Chinese practice of footbinding to the Western practice of wearing corsets to discover universal issues involving women's rights. The lesson emphasizes small group discussions.

Students examine the use of bronze and porcelain in Chinese art and commerce through in-class activities, role play events, and small-group discussions in this exciting Social Studies/Arts lesson.

Fourth graders discover how barometers help to predict the weather. Using newspapers, they examine the weather forecast and determine the meaning of high and low as they pertain to pressure. After making cluster diagrams, 4th graders...

“Humanscape No.65” by Melesia Casas and Ester Hernandez’s “Sun Maid Raisins” launch a study of how works of art can advocate for social change. After examining these two works and discussing the human rights issues raised, class members...

Nanofibers can be made through electrospinning or force spinning in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Pupils study the role of fibers and dye on the environment through a series of five hands-on activities. Then,...

Explore the rainforest with your class. Learners study the meaning of the word endangered, choose an animal to study, gather data, and discuss why the animal is in danger of extinction. This is a motivating way to have your class discuss...

Students work in small groups as they are assigned one of the food groups. They decide how to act out one of the foods included in that group. Next, they discuss their favorite foods and where they fit on the food pyramid and examine the...

Learners investigate force and speed. In this physics lesson, students construct model cars in small groups and perform experiments to identify what factors influence speed and force.

Students create an advertisement to convince children to stay away from tobacco products. In this smoking prevention instructional activity, students discuss the health effects of tobacco use and evaluate current tobacco ads. Students...

Students examine ceramic vessels from different time periods. In this ceramic vessel instructional activity, students work in small groups to look at images of ceramic vessels from a number of time periods. They identify the...

Students practice active listening skills.  In this literacy and U.S. history lesson, students predict the hardships pioneers using the Mormon Trail might have faced. Students view the movie "Children of the Wagon Train," then...

Students view and discuss footage of Tsar Nicholas II reviewing troops on the Eastern Front in 1916 and examine how different groups would have reacted to this footage of the Tsar. They watch the video and in small groups answer...

Students examine a review of several of the new television series launching in the Fall 1999 season and interpret how a critic discusses the notion of 'repurposing' old shows. They work in small groups to create basic character sketches...

Students discuss issues facing teenage students at their school.

Students listen to an original recording of Louis Armstrong and discuss instrumentation. They identify an AABA song form as they listen. They list similarities between the following: traditional meets modern and small group vs. big band.

Learners design and make a flying device. They work in small groups to brainstorm ideas for the design of their device. They choose an idea or combination of ideas to use for their design and create a sketch of their design. The students...

Students discuss the importance of having an interesting and fulfilling job. Working in small groups, students discuss different occupations and the skills and tools related to those occupations. Continuing in groups, individual...

Students study a specific type of rock then share that expertise with other students in small groups. They view a rock and write observations about the rock to form small groups. In addition, they present their rocks an obervations to...

Students create a collaborative drawing. In this cooperation skills lesson, students are divided into small groups and are given art supplies. Students decide on a topic for their illustration and create the drawing on large paper....

Students work in small groups, each group examining a different aspect of the immigration process (such as visas, work permits, and citizenship exams) or of illegal immigration (such as deportation), to better explain the immigration...

Students describe the elements that make up particular writers' styles. Small groups then choose an author, write something in his or her style, and invite other groups to play 'literary detective' in identifying whose style they have...

First graders follow directions when sorting objects. They illustrate how objects are categorized by drawing at least two of the categories that they sorted the objects into. Students work in small groups at completing the task of...

Students debate the pros and cons of affirmative action. In a small group role play, students act as university admissions officers, making recommendations on admissions policy.

Learners watch a video clip about the effect of Hurricane Katrina. They examine the challenges that New Orleans still faces a year after the hurricane. They work together in small groups to create a museum exhibit on a topic of interest...