Students listen to President Obama's speech, and discuss its meaning. In this President Obama lesson students learn about the president, about how to deliver a speech, and the ways they can make a difference. They create posters, write...

Third graders discover themselves by creating a poster to present the class.  In this personal habits instructional activity, 3rd graders identify characteristics that make them unique and explore goals they wish to...

Introduce your class to drama! You cast each pupil as a different character from a story you have read. They are given a general outline of the scene, act out the scene multiple times, then discuss the weak and strong aspects of each...

Use drama techniques to recreate the story, Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni. They engage in problem-solving as they identify the roles they will fufill in their groups for the performance. This is a motivating way to...

Young scholars discuss the American dream and explain what the American Dream consists of. In this American Dream lesson, students listen to music about America for the reasons people love America.  Young scholars create a list of...

Comparing the more modern film Ten Things I Hate About You to The Taming of the Shrew leads to an understanding of how Shakespearean plots can be applied to modern-day situations and characters. As a culminating activity, groups select a...

Students explore storytelling by participating in an image analysis activity. In this story structure lesson, students read the book Cookie's Week by Tomie dePaola and retell the story to their teacher in sequential order. Students...

Young readers explore reading comprehension by creating a class presentation. In this storytelling lesson, puils read an assigned text in class and analyze the characters, settings and story. They create an illustrated presentation in...

Young scholars listen to and retell the story of Don Pasquale. They evaluate the emotions of the main characters. Students create a graph of the emotions of Don Pasquale.

Second graders create symmetrical butterfly wings. For this symmetry lesson, 2nd graders observe butterfly wings and create their own. They make both sides symmetrical and mix primary colors to make secondary colors. 

Students demonstrate an understanding of basic elements and principles of art making such as unity, variety, movement, and meaning found in daily experiences. They also describe the meaning of students¿ own artwork in a written statement.

Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. For this westward expansion lesson, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....

Students explore genealogy by reading a family history book in class. In this family tree activity, students read the story Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney and discuss their own family history. Students identify what the term...

First graders, after listening to fictional and non-fictional literature about caterpillars, and observing caterpillars from egg to butterfly, write a "biography" of a caterpillar using appropriate vocabulary and time lines.

Students discover movement and expression to music/sound through a series of teacher-led exercises and role plays. This instructional activity is ideal for the middle school drama class with possibilities for adaptation to any level of...

Seventh graders create mixed media representations of landscape designs in Africa and Asia. The lesson is great for cross-curricular projects with the Social Sciences and/or Literature, or can be used as a self-contained project. ...

Students examine Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works of art, use watercolors to create effects of light, color, and shadow, consider what ideas are important and what ideas they want to visually communicate, and paint their own...

Students explore architectural design.  In this critical thinking and architecture lesson, students view a number of websites providing proposals for design plans of a new World Trade Center.  Students choose and evaluate three...

Young scholars explore Earth science by identifying types of rocks in their schoolyard. In this geology lesson, students collect a group of rocks from their playground and categorize them based on color, shape and size. Young scholars...

Students explore critical thinking by conducting a reaction time experiment. In this human brain lesson, students utilize a timed Internet worksheet activity to research how fast their brain works when answering questions. Students share...

Students create blind contour drawings. They compare methods of drawing including blind contour and contour approaches. Students follow a blind contour method to produce a drawing of a flower and then complete the piece with a watercolor...

Students engage in a lesson which gives them a better understanding of how the water system of a plant works. They make leaves that demonstrate how the water moves through them. Students use coffee filters, water and food coloring to...

Students experience the aesthetics of music and learn about freedom songs that motivated the Civil Rights activists. In this music history instructional activity, students learn how music can motivate and move listeners. Students then...