Pose the question to your historians: who really freed the slaves? They critically assess various arguments, using primary sources as evidence. In small groups, scholars jigsaw 5 primary source documents (linked), and fill out an...

Help young readers learn to read and interpret complex text independently. Teach young children to ask interpretive questions and use the text itself to answer them. Use art, word play and drama to provide a deeper understanding of...

Readers of all ages can work together in groups to create original poetry on the theme of "Imagine," inspired by John Lennon's classic song. They also create a mural to illustrate their poetry. A beautiful lesson, inspired by a beautiful...

An outstanding lesson on music awaits your young composers! They learn about patterns found in music, the different sections of an orchestra, and see the differences between musicians and a composer. Excellent streamed videos and good...

Students examine the difference between nonfiction and fictional writing. They identify the characteristics of nonfiction literature and examine how a nonfiction textbook organizes information.

“Who’s This Guy Dylan Who’s Borrowing Lines From Henry Timrod?” The basic question in this lesson from the New York Time’s Learning Network is whether artists and authors who use the words of others are stealing from that artist or...

Synthesizing information from a PBS documentary Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey, its companion website, and several other resources (links to which are provided), high schoolers evaluate whether Bunche did all he could to advance the...

Students examine the basic functions of the online Visual Thesaurus, exploring how simple words may sometimes have multiple meanings. In small groups they select words and explore the Visual Thesaurus, and write a short play using the...

Students discuss racial stereotypes.  In this racial stereotypes lesson, students develop a character from information given to them on an index card.  Students give their character a race different from their own and write a...

Students examine different perspectives of slavery. They write a personal account of slavery as a slave trader, a plantation owner, and fugitives and working slaves. They role-play these roles for the class.

Students read the novel, "The Giver", and test their comprehension through the game Jeopardy. Then students research individual rights of different cultures and write a summary of their findings. Students develop a personal timeline of...

Students write a diary from Jiro's point of view that includes dates and locations. Jiro is the main character of the book The Master Puppeteer. They role-play their favorite scenes from the book using dress-up, and correct accents....

Students discriminate between a need and a want in home buying. They write a detailed description of their dream home. Finally they categorize each of their listed home features as a need or a want.

Students listen to and discuss various protest songs from the 1960's, and write original lyrics for a song addressing global or societal issues. They write a paragraph evaluating the efficacy of the song to convey a message.

Aesop's Fables are the focus of this language arts lesson. Young philosophers study and discuss the morals found in the most famous of Aesop's Fables. They write an original fable that teaches a common moral. A "Fable Listening Library"...

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life it's easy to forget that geometric shapes are everywhere in the world around us. As they complete this shape identification worksheet, young mathematicians realize that many common real-life...

Introduce teens to the teamwork skills and habits of mind they need to be successful in 21st century classrooms and in the workplace with the activities based on Sean Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

Use the Schoolhouse Rock episode, "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla," to introduce a study of pronouns. Learners consider antecedents, cases (nominative, objective and possessive), as well as types of pronouns, and then craft sentences using...

Learners research and write a paper on any agriscience related topic. In this series of agriscience instructional activity, students create a presentation to teach their peers about the animal industry. They explain the uses and...

In this composing task instructional activity, students read 2 pages of information regarding basic composition, backing rhythms, composing the melodies by ear and from the chord, and composing the chorus. Steps and tips for composing...

Students discover the basic economic problem: scarcity; examine how "there is no such thing as a free lunch" (opportunity costs); and define economics. They act out a play demonstrating basic economic principles.

Students examine the basic elements and vocabulary of debating. They research an issue and write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, and role-play a Parliamentary debate on a particular bill.

Students work in groups to write a skit in the target language (in this case, English) in which they are on a shopping trip. The teacher plays the part of the clerk. Students practice the vocabulary required, and perform their skits for...

Students investigate World War II through the computer game Axis and Allies. They discuss the basics of World War II before playing the game, spend eight weeks playing the game that is a simulation of World War II, and write a report...