Third graders create a rap using basic AB form composition. Evaluation of performances are based on rubric formed during the first instructional activity by all students. This three to four day instructional activity culminates in...

Students explore the human voice through teacher-directed exercises and experiments in the Kindergarten or 1st grade general music classroom. Textbook references are mentioned and an assessment pattern is given.

Sixth graders work independently and with a partner to demonstrate proficiency of steady beat, meter and basic note values while creating written rhythmic patterns for class performance. State and National Standards are addressed.

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

Students listen to an original recording of Louis Armstrong and discuss instrumentation. They identify an AABA song form as they listen. They list similarities between the following: traditional meets modern and small group vs. big band.

Students explore basic dance element of force, compare and contrast the use of force as it distinguishes the expressive qualities of a given dance, and explore the use of force in several of its many expressions.

Students identify musical characteristics of blues music and define the term 'scale.' They identify chromatic, major, pentatonic, and blues scales and label each key on a keyboard using letter names, sharps and flats.

Students master storyboarding by making a storyboard for a commercial that has already been made. They create a video from storyboard examples and finish with their own video from their storyboard creation.

Students create brochures reflecting the state of Colorado. In groups, they write about tourist attractions, important people, major cities, and statistical information. After writing, they create their brochure importing clip art and...

Students learn to sing a song in another language.  In this music activity, students learn a song about rain in English and Spanish.  Students listen to the song Que Llueva in Spanish and It's Raining, It's Pouring in English,...

It's every health and science teacher's favorite subject to cover: the reproductive system. This comprehensive lesson introduces adolescents to the reproductive anatomy of men and women with the help of a series of diagrams,...

Scholars watch two puppet dialogues illustrating negative and positive communication between friends. Then, they discuss how the puppets' communication skills influenced the outcome of each interaction. 

After a class discussion about celebrations and customs, class members draw pictures depicting special events from their family cultures. Next, they draw pictures of an event from a different culture and share their work with classmates.

Class members read a handout to learn about using I-Messages—honest statements that begin with I to get their points of view across. Next, learners practice using I-Messages with partners to better communicate without hurting...

Explore the relationship between sports and physics in a cross-curricular lesson. Middle and high schoolers prepare a multimedia presentation based on a chosen sport. They answer five physics vocabulary questions about how the laws of...

Bring together a study of two major scientific topics with a instructional activity on the relationship between pollution and evolution. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on activity. and class demonstration young...

How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...

High schoolers examine the concept of heroism in this instructional activity, through personal reflection, group activities and a thoughtful analysis of the documentary, HEROES OF GROUND ZERO. They explore their own understanding of what...

Learners design book covers. In this graphic design lesson, students are introduced to designing book covers. Learners develop skills on how to promote their designs to clients. Students then create their own book covers.

Students, in a high school class for autistic children, take a virtual tour of Boston's "Big Dig" and the artifacts discovered there. During weekly lab sessions, they discover the processes involved in artifact preservation. Using...

Students examine issues of gun control, the right to bear arms, and the overwhelming seriousness of gun related violence. They examine what can, and has been done to redress the situation using the Million Mom March as a reference point.

Students celebrate music for a month with a creative project.

Young scholars conceptualized, planned story sequences, shot slides, and recorded narration for a slide/tape presentation on the eight parts of speech. They demonstrate the grammatical element and then include it in a sentence in each...

Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of private communities and the lives led by their residents. They design ideal planned communities for people featured in other Class Matters articles.