What is this thing called the Internet? A KWL activity elicits what the class knows about how the Internet works. Then pupils read a copy of a memo about the need to keep the Internet open and accessible by everyone. 

Discover the exciting world of readers theater! Scholars learn all about the reading strategy, reading a script about American heroes and completing an I Notice/I Wonder chart. Next, pupils participate in readers theater using the...

Whales are all big, but some are larger than others! Kids will love sorting the 10 whale species by size at their desk (whale cut-outs provided). Next, use a whale rope to visualize how long each of these whales actually is. A large...

Students implement a volunteer plan. In this philanthropy lesson, students discuss the needs of their community and list possible ways to improve their community. Students develop a plan to volunteer their time in their community.

Stop, Think, Act, Review! Scholars use the STAR method to role play two conflict resolution scenarios about childhood problems such as jealousy or cheating. Then, the larger group judges each case to determine if the compromise is a...

Pupils read a letter by Steve Williams to determine why self-discipline and integrity are important attributes for peace corps volunteers. They apply these concepts to their own lives.

Learners describe and draw what an engineer looks like and does. They descrie what they think an engineer does. Students volunteer to read their description to the class. They use their knowledge as well as their classmate;s...

Students investigate where people work. For this social studies lesson, students use a Landscape Picture to locate places of work. Students discuss how each job is similar and different.

Students investigate the motivation of volunteers. In this philanthropy lesson plan, students interview school volunteers on why they volunteer and write thank-you letters to them

Understanding different cultural experiences is a challenging and worthwhile objective throughout grade and content levels. This lesson plan facilitates an appreciation of rural Mongolian life through a simulation of being a nomadic...

What is the best way to determine the theme of a text? Pupils analyze how central ideas emerge in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. They work in small groups and engage in a whole-class discussion to discuss the play's plot. Finally,...

Students analyze the best uses of time in other cultures. In this time use instructional activity, students read the poem 'Soccer Into Dusk' and 'The Meaning of Time' as analysis of time usage in other culttures. Students complete a...

Students recognize the process of communication. In this communication lesson plan, students work in pairs and interview each other. Students report on their two minute interview. Students participate in an activity where students must...

Learners will look at repeating addition examples and view how they can be written as multiplication. They use manipulatives to complete a repeating addition lesson plan and show it on graph paper. They also chart what they have found...

Students create a menu following food pyramid guidelines. In this nutrition instructional activity, students plan a menu by finding magazine pictures from each food pyramid group. Next, students create a menu for an entire day.

Students evaluate how volunteering helps others. In this philanthropy instructional activity, students define what a volunteer is and brainstorm a group volunteer project to implement in the school. Students write an essay describing how...

Students chart volunteers they are familiar with in school, church or in the community. In this nonprofit jobs, activity students understand that all members of a community need to take responsibility in that community. Students vote on...

Students understand that some jobs require workers to wear special clothes or a special suit. In this art appreciation lesson, students observe the Suit of Armor and discuss how a samurai is requires to wear armor to work. Students pick...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" serves as an exemplar for a mini-lesson on semicolons. Working alone or in small groups, class members first circle all the semicolons in the letter, and then consider how this...

Students discuss the concept of the common good. Using primary source documents, they read accounts from volunteers in the Dominican Republic and discuss how they work for the common good. They reflect on the topic in their journals to...

Active Citizenship Today (ACT) is a "unique social studies service learning program" that requires young scholars to learn about the public policy associated with community issues they identify in their local community. This web...

Story chains connect literary concepts, reinforce context clues, and even help learners predict what's coming next! Using words from the next chapter of Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, middle schoolers craft story chains to...

Using video clips of young adults from around the world describing their cultures and how they can be misunderstood, learners compare their own cultural point of view to that of others through discussion and writing.

At what point does the right of privacy end and the government begin? Scholars research rights under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. Using the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case as a starting point, along with small group work...