Students read an abridged version of The Odyssey andl write a composition comparing Odysseus or the Iliad with Odysseus of The Odyssey. Students write a speech that King Priam would make in the attempt to persuade his son, Paris, to...

Young scholars use the library to find historical information about each Afro-American. They use magazines, articles from newspapers, and oral histories from video tapes and slide presentations to write biographical sketches about each...

Twelfth graders examine personification and alliteration in various reading selections. They read magazine articles, brochures, and advertisements, identify the examples of personification and alliteration, and create a business name...

High schoolers use materials from their own environment to design a kite. In this kite design activity, students research the history of kites and obtain a formal mathematical definition of a kite. High schoolers sketch kite designs...

Students explore themes of prejudice and acceptance. In this character education instructional activity, students listen and respond to several fiction books, poems, and lyrics with a similar theme. Students locate articles with the main...

Pupils widen their understanding of the different points of view surrounding current news topics. They research a current controversy on which public opinion is divided and write a concise commentary on the topic expressing a strong...

Young scholars discuss recent currents events as a class. Using one of the events, they write a poem about how they feel about the event in question. They choose specific symbols that relate to event and write a poem about it as well. ...

Students research notable figures from their generation and write a research paper illustrating the various figures' impact and influence on their generation in terms of language, leisure and politics.

Middle schoolers read and review informational texts, analyze cause and effect, and distinguish fact from opinion. They assess a "one-minute mystery" you read aloud for cause and effect relationships. Resource includes complete set of...

Learners examine the meaning of philanthropy. They look at specific needs and determine the process of requesting grants from various foundations. They determine a need within the school community and write a grant application or...

This plan centers around the article "How Advertisers Persuade," although it is not included in the instructional activity itself. Get your class thinking about advertising, appeals, and techniques that companies use to get their...

Here is a fascintating lesson which relates how the motto "In God We Trust" came to appear on all US currency. It turns out that a man from Arkansas came up with the idea and petioned his congressman and President Eisenhower himself to...

Engaging in topical discussions can be a great way to teach kids how to build strong arguments and support their opinions with concrete evidence. High schoolers choose a controversial topic, build an argument for or against that topic,...

Young scholars observe and demonstrate the process of summarizing text. As a class, they silently read an article about panda bears from "Ranger Rick" magazine and answer comprehension questions. They answer the five "W" questions, and...

High schoolers assess how people currently employed got their jobs and the process they went through to be interviewed for the positions they acquired. They analyze how their past job experiences have helped them obtain their current jobs.

Eleventh and twelfth graders research and create language-immersion Web-based presentations. They choose a particular theme (family, travel, etc.) to create a webpage on the Internet. They are given a rubric to check their grammar and...

Young scholars explore the methods used by teen magazines to attract a variety of teenagers. They evaluate existing magazines and in small groups, students create their own magazine that is geared toward specific teen demographics.

Students work as magazine reporters to produce a print or multimedia magazine about rain forests.

Students write summaries of non-fiction articles in this instructional activity. They read the article silently and then pick out the main points. Students list the main events as a whole class activity, and then they individually...

Learners read and analyze three different news sources that describe the same event. They compare/contrast the similarities and differences of the news sources, and write an essay describing the main event.

Students investigate the wilderness by reading magazine articles and discussing with their peers.  In this wild life lesson, students read a page from the Natural Inquirer magazine and examine photographs online of wilderness...

Learners create a California Missions magazine that includes a Table of Contents, pictures, and websites. In this culture and history lesson, students research missions and write and create a magazine article about it.

Pupils read and evaluate a piece of expository writing. They participate in a class discussion of the outlining process and individually outline a piece of expository writing. Finally, the students create an outline for the purpose of...

Students examine the factors that can influence a celebrity's media image and marketplace viability. They read an article, answer discussion questions, role-play advisors to a studio head, and write a letter to a studio head.