Fifth graders investigate the qualities of a good reader by participating in a role play with the provided scripts. They focus on the five main strategies of good readers -- predicting, clarifying, questioning, summarizing, and...

First graders discuss the strategy of asking yourself questions while reading. in this Stellaluna instructional activity, 1st graders write questions on a chart about the story. Students turn and talk after reading chunks of text....

Students read several selections of folktales from different historic periods and different cultures. Then they incorporate a folktale theme into a modern day story, using elements that parallel those from the original version.

Fourth graders create their classroom rules.  In this Mayflower Compact lesson, 4th graders listen to the Plymouth story and learn about the Mayflower Compact.  Students analyze the Mayflower Compact and create a class compact...

Learners read orally two versions of Little Red Riding Hood (Classic and Cajun) They compare and contrast the two Little Red Riding Hood versions. Students create a concept map to demonstrate the comparisons/contrasts. They could also...

Students discuss the idea of 6 word memoirs. In this technology lesson, students explore how using a small number of words sometimes is the best. Students practice using 6 word memoirs writing six words for various nursery rhymes and...

Students gain insight into the unusual, solitary world of Beatrix Potter's Victorian childhood and can compare/contrast it with their own world to explain why Potter wrote such simple stories and why she wrote about animals rather than...

Second graders practice asking the 5 W questions by reading a Boxcar Children book.  In this journalism lesson, 2nd graders read a single story from the Boxcar Children series and answer the 5 W's about each specific chapter....

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning activity, students read Seedfolks and discuss the characters in the story and consider their actions that led to a community garden. Students journal about their...

Students discuss and define folklore, locate town of Sleepy Hollow, NY, on map, calculate distance from Sleepy Hollow to their school, if applicable, review vocabulary list from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, read story aloud, and write...

Young scholars explore and identify family treasures and research the history to each one. They also organize a variety of artifacts into various categories and research traditional Louisiana artifacts online. Each student draws...

  Young scholars read and summarize two different articles that are based on anit-Semitism.  In this Holocaust lesson, students discuss if events in the articles could happen in today's society or not.   

Students study the work done by various scientists on Antarctica. In this biology lesson, students play the role of researchers who must justify the importance of their study. They create a multimedia presentation about a specific issue...

Students bring in their own article about immigration and how it is affecting their community. They summarize their article and brainstorm reasons why someone would immigrate to another country. They discuss push and pull factors.

Students identify the cause and symptoms for anthrax. They research information and summarize it into organized ideas. They evaluate the credability of websites as well.

Students form expert engineering teams working for the (fictional) alternative energy consulting firm, Greenewables, Inc. Each team specializes in a form of renewable energy used to generate electrical power: passive solar, solar...

Students create a pictograph showing household size for the class.In this data collection and graphing lesson, the teacher guides students through the creation of a concrete object graph, then students analyze and summarize the results.

Learners explore world geography by completing graphic organizers and researching the Internet. In this Kalahari desert lesson, students identify the geographic location, weather and creation of the Kalahari desert. Learners define a...

Students participate in literary circles to analyze characters, critique writing, discuss events, and  story elements.  In this literary circles lesson, students take responsibility for their learning as a member of the...

Young scholars investigate the horrors of World War II by participating in a role-playing activity.  In this holocaust instructional activity, students read handouts describing the atrocities committed against the Jews in Germany...

Students study about a deadly disease decimating the Tasmanian devil population. They research diseases that affect animals and write a fictional story about the animals they researched.

Sixth graders watch the video "Great Wall of China". They use the template to design their own postage stamp to show something learned about the Great Wall. They determine a presumed price for the stamp in Chinese currency and ...

Students listen to the song "Scarecrow" by Melissa Etheridge and draw what they think the song is about. They discover the song is about a man who was attacked. They again express their feelings about the song through drawing. Finally...

Students extend their understanding of Milton Hershey. In this notable figures lesson, students create a paper quilt about Milton Hershey. Students use the template provided to design their own quilt square, including an illustration and...