What makes a speech effective? Middle schoolers critique a speech for content and presentation. They view a video of a middle school student presenting an informational speech, They outline the content of the speech and critique the...

Students practice with business letters. They identify main ideas and supporting details.

The teacher models a Picture Walk by using a "think aloud" method while reading a picture book to the class. On the second day, 3rd graders use a worksheet as a guide for a second picture walk. This time, students complete the "think...

Fourth graders investigate the concept and take the opportunity to both identify and to construct point of view in narratives. Additionally, 4th graders practice identifying and sequencing main events.

Students classify information regarding American involvement in wars. In this classification lesson, students examine the causes of the war in which the United States has been involved, and classify them as mainly political, social,...

Pupils explore the various functions of bees within the hive and explain the process of making honey. They use numerous resources to find their information including the internet, library books and their science texts.

Fifth graders use the internet to research the Silver Star given to those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Using the information, they write a short report on one of the recipients of the Silver Star. In groups, they visit a...

Pupils use the comprehension strategy question-answer to improve reading comprehension. They read a passage out of their textbook, and the teacher models the question/answer strategy by asking about key points mentioned in the reading.

Tenth graders explore the impact of trade on culture. In this trade lesson, 10th graders compare the travels of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Students research the explorers and create materials for a gallery walk that feature the impact...

Third graders create a multimedia slide presentation containing facts, graphics, and sounds relating to a biographical figure based on their reading of a biography or an autobiography. They present their slide presentations before the...

Students explain what a madrasah represents in Islam. Using the Muslim world as an example, they identify and describe two or more centers of learning. They explain the contributions that Muslims have made to science and math and...

Students complete a personal vision, a four year plan essay, meant to stimulate their thinking process. They set a foundation for what they hope to strive for in the next four years to come.

Students read novels, completing a weekly assignment as they read. They meet weekly with another student to discuss the readings and assignments.

Learners write and illustrate a sentence which names a letter of the alphabet. The sentence should have subject, verb, describing words, and incorporate alliterative techniques.

Third graders are introduced to character, plot development, point of view, and tone through the use of comic strips. They, in pairs, identify these four attributes in the comic strip and present their findings to the class.

Seventh graders explain Spanish motives for establishing Mission San Sab?? and the reasons for the mission's failure. This instructional activity should be used when students already have an understanding of the Spanish mission-presidio...

Seventh graders review their prior knowledge on the Spanish mission system in Texas. Using the internet, they examine the motives of the Spanish to establish missions in Texas, specifically the Mission San Saba. They research the reasons...

Seventh graders are introduced to the processes of cotton farming in the early 20th century. In groups, they examine the role of Mexican Americans on the farms and the impact of a boom and bust economy on cotton. They identify the...

Students understand that people can appear different on the outside but still be similar on the inside after comparing a white egg to a brown egg. They then have a class discussion of how even though the eggs were different on the...

Fifth graders begin the lesson by identifying the different types of natural resources. As a class, they discuss how environments are destructed and how the loss of one natural resource can affect the economy. Using a map, they label the...

Third graders listen to several broadcasts from the WWII era. They research, write and perform simulated radio broadcasts concerning topics related to American society in World War II.

Students are introduced to informational text. Students explore nonfiction as a genre. They identify the components and text structure of text nonfiction. Students read a nonfiction passage and write a summary of the passage.

Young scholars participate in a lesson that reinforces reading skills. Specifically, this lesson focuses on the skill of summarization. This strategy teaches students how to better comprehend written text.

Students use vocabulary related to Kwanzaa. They identify main ideas and details related to the celebration of Kwanzaa and summarize information about Kwanzaa. They make picture books appropriate for first and second graders.