Agnes Varda’s autobiographical “The Beaches of Agnes,” models for young filmmakers the cinematic self-portrait. Far from “old and plump,” Varda is a giant of filmmaking and will inspire your pupils. After watching a clip of this famous...

Looking for a way to introduce class members to the concept of symbolism and multiple levels of meaning? Readers examine two different passages about the beach and consider how the writers use concrete objects, and places to...

A New Order in Europe calls for a new lesson plan! This third plan in a series of four sequential lessons encourages high schoolers to read primary sources about the development of the New Order and follow up their knowledge with a...

What do an early 20th century poet and a 1980's rock star have in common with a novel from the 1960's? Using Wilfred Owen's poem "Disabled" and George Michael's song "Mother's Pride," learners answer questions about the lyrics and themes...

World War II and the Battle of the Bulge are the focus of a history resource. Exercises include analyzing images, writing letters in the mindset of a soldier, and even immersing oneself in a cold experience to better empathize with the...

Little ones will absolutely love this lesson. It's all about the beach and what they can find while sifting through the sand. A large bucket of sand filled with hidden items is brought into the classroom. Learners will discuss what kinds...

Can sports and popular culture change public opinion? That's the essential question asked by a lesson plan that looks at the role Jackie Robinson's appearance at City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida played in the desegregation...

Understanding the soldier's experiences during World War I sometimes takes a newscast. Learners see the importance of understanding multiple points of view with a newscast project surrounding the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Compare and...

Anyplace can become a beach! Budding readers explore Faith Ringgold's world of imagination in her book Tar Beach, which can be found on YouTube if you don't have it. What words will budding readers learn? They focus on the following...

Class members compare the ways the subject of immigration is treated in The Tempest, Act I, scene ii, Act II, scene i and Act III, scene ii with patterns in American history. After tracing their own family’s journey, a series of...

Explore Japanese society and national identity. Class members share ideas about the Japanese economy and then investigate a series of resources, including an article, a film, a lecture, and a poem, to learn about Japan's Bubble Economy...

Help learners determine the rate of change for the temperature of sand. They will collect data on the temperature of wet and dry sand over time with a heat lamp overhead. Then make a scatter plot of the data and find a linear model to...

Young scholars explore the history of flight, the Write brothers at Kitty Hawk, and identify the challenges the Wright brothers faced. They locate pictures of the Write brothers' Flyer and other historical events. Using craft sticks,...

And then what happened? Class members engage in a series of activities that model for them how to read the story in a painting. Participants respond to questions that ask them to closely examine the elements in William Glackens'...

Students write a persuasive essay based on cleaning up the coast and other philanthropic values. In this writing instructional activity, students determine what is needed in order to keep the planet clean, and offer solutions to the...

Students explore the beach. In this marine habitat lesson, students inspect sand grains, design beach profiles, classify marine life, and examine natural beach habitats. Students use spreadsheets to record data from their activities at a...

Middle schoolers investigate pollution at the beach. In this environmental lesson, students participate in a beach clean-up and calculate the weight of the debris collected. Middle schoolers write a reflection in their journal about...

Students comb the beach and gather remnants of unfamiliar life forms to make speculations about the origins of their discoveries. In this environments awareness lesson plan, students work in groups to search for evidence of life on the...

How much plastic do people use? Class members identify how plastic is involved in their daily lives by looking at food packaging either at a grocery store or at home. Learners view statistics for the amount of plastics found on a beach...

What kind of troubles affect turtles? Learners create paper plate wheels to show four different hazards to sea turtles. Pupils color four segments of a picture to represent the overharvesting, changing beaches, pollution, and fishing...

Provide access to new vocabulary words (envy and mysteriously) in context as emerging readers listen to Leo Lionni's Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Explain these terms before reading the story aloud and help kids utilize...

English language learners celebrate the seasons with games, songs, and readings. 

After a concise introduction to the water cycle, junior meteorologists access NOAA's average snowfall data. They choose a city to examine in terms of precipitation. Then they look at historical snowfall data and use it to predict snow...

What causes sound? Groups of sound detectives use a variety of tools including ping pong balls, pasta noodles, raisins, rubber mallets, and a tuning fork to investigate what causes sound. The young Sherlocks conduct a series of...