High schoolers view a video about Nelson Mandela and apartheid. They discover what it was like for people living in South Africa during apartheid. They work together to discuss strategies that could be used for people to better...

Here is a lesson that uses the painting Liberty Enlightening the World to start a discussion on the importance of national monuments. The class discusses several monuments around the world, and then invites a veteran to share his/her...

Learners play 20 Questions with animal characteristics and then view an animation of how a tadpole changes into a frog. They consider the importance of camouflage to frogs and write out the story of a frog from tadpole to adult.

Students explore story telling. In this story telling instructional activity, students listen to classic campfire horror stories and prepare a storyboard organizer for an original scary story. Students share their story with the class.

Students study the characteristic of self-sufficiency in people that lived during Colonial times. They investigate the contemporary movement of Habitat for Humanity. They listen to the story of Donald Hall's, The Oxcart Man and write a...

Young scholars study the different portrayals of the artwork The David and answer short answer questions about it. In this The David lesson plan, students see different versions of the biblical figure, and read about its background. Then...

Students study shelter and how plants, animals, and people must have shelter to survive. In this shelter instructional activity, students read paragraphs about various shelters and their necessity with plants, animals, and people.

Pupils interview individuals who lived during the Great Depression era to investigate the economic hardship that was experienced. They determine the motivations of philanthropic Americans who shared and gave during this era after reading...

Students evaluate the components of the New Deal and role of nonprofit organizations the relief and rebuilding efforts of the Great Depression. They write letters to the organization that they are researching.

Eleventh graders put a human face on the refugee experience to help them empathize. They are given an "virtual" introduction to Antonio, which gives students insights into the life of refugees in Canada and around the world. Pupils...

Help young readers examine historic artifacts to determine if they were designed to help people survive or to create enjoyment. They identify objects that were designed to help people to survive and to enjoy themselves. Then compare and...

Here’s a clever way to combine language arts and social studies. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is believed to have been inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609. The class views a brief scene from Castaway in which Tom...

Students read an original story "Brothers of the Rainforest" downloaded from the internet site provided. Students investigate the impact of the demise of a particular species on the rest of the environment. Students participate in a...

Kids love reading stories! There are many opportunities to learn new words in context as budding readers listen to Alan Lind's story Black Bear Cub. They focus on seven nature-related vocabulary terms: cub, den, forage, lure,...

Here is a game intended for use at home that could easily be adapted to the school environment. The class reads an informational story about emperor penguins and then they watch a clip from the film, March of the Penguins. They focus on...

Before any of us can learn to enjoy a trip to an art museum, we need to learn how to behave. This list of activities describe the behavior expected on a trip to an art museum. Each behavior comes with an activity intended to demonstrate...

The saguaro cactus has an amazing ability to survive in a harsh environment. Learners identify the many adaptations for desert life that the saguaro employs. They look at each part of the saguaro and determine what role it plays in the...

Students list the salmon life cycle stages in order. They draw a stream with the vegetation, animals, and water quality parameters that are necessary for salmon survival. Students explain the connection between animal morphology and...

Read the story "Sunflower House,"  by Eve Bunting with your 2nd graders to investigate the relationships between plants and animals. They will discover how living things change during their lives by creating their own sprout houses....

Create a spider web between two poles and have your class get from one side of the web to the other without touching the web. There are four different suggested levels of play. The rules of each level guide how the players need to get...

Students analyze "To Build a Fire" by Jack London and "The Open boat" by Stephen Crane. They write an essay in which they compare and contrast the narrators and plots in each story.

Twenty insightful questions follow a read aloud of the story, Amos and Boris by William Steig. Scholars then show what they know through completion of a cause and effect chart, reading fluency assessment, and a written...

Teaching tools designed to support student-centered literature study. Geared toward homeschoolers reading Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird, I would use these in my classroom. The materials are applicable to any text: graphic...

Students study the basics of mapmaking, then make a tally walker, (geographic location device used in secret).