After viewing clips from a documentary on factory work in China and US outsourcing, learners have a fishbowl discussion. They work in groups to build both personal points of view and strong arguments on the effects of outsourcing in...

Engage critical and social thinking by exploring the value of language and word choice. The class considers the article "The Silence of the Historic Present" and analyzes several presidential speeches. They engage in class...

Middle and high schoolers remember their most memorable experiences, and then connect their own narrative with an exposition about the topic associated with their experience. This New York Times lesson would be a great addition to...

Youngsters listen to the classic Jan Brett book, The Mitten, then gain strength in utilizing listening skills, developing vocabulary, practicing sequencing events, and expressing themselves through movement and art projects. This rich...

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 participate in cross-curricular activities and readings to become familiar with the works of Brian Jacques. In this heroes lesson, students discuss the character traits of legends and how their characters develop through events...

Fabulous! Your 5th graders should love this project. As an ongoing instructional activity throughout the year students use temperature probes to record outside temperature and then document their data using spreadsheets. They use their...

Explore the way local farming and rationing helped the war effort in World War I with a lesson plan on gardening. After learning about trench warfare, reading "In Flanders' Field" by John McCrae, and studying poppies, kids discuss...

The deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice, and the protests that followed the 2014 shootings, are the focus of a current-events activity that asks class members to brainstorm and research possible strategies to address the...

Students are introduced to the meaning of history and its importance. They examine why societal history plays an essential role in our lives as responsible citizens.

How can word choice affect a political speech? Middle and high schoolers examine the text of the 1999 State of the Union Address, and then determine how newspaper articles and television reports describe and analyze the event. Use this...

Here's a must-have resource for educators who use J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and/or The Lord of the Rings. Packed with materials for both tales, the packet includes both a reader's guide and an educator's guide, lesson plans, vocabulary...

Third graders read excepts from the story, Thank You, Mr. Falker in order to gain practice in understanding an unfamiliar story by focusing on the details. They use a worksheet, embedded in the plan, which directs them to certain...

For this ninth lesson plan in a larger beginning-of-the-year unit, close reading skills are used independently to find the gist of the story That Book Woman. Rereading for important details is the targeted skill to unlock a deeper...

In the second lesson plan in a series that revolves around the story, Thank You, Mr. Falker, learners practice the skill of answering direct questions from the text while using complete sentences. After a teacher-led review of how to...

This second lesson in a larger unit is perfect for the beginning of the year because it explicitly teaches 3rd graders how to use close reading skills by identifying unfamiliar words, figuring out the gist, and defining important...

Scholars continue their study of event-driven programming by creating a multi-screen app in the fifth lesson plan of the series. They incorporate previously learned elements and events in the mini-project.

 Students explore the likelihood of events.  In this logical thinking lesson, 3rd graders are given several scenarios and determine whether the possibility of the described event actually happening is likely, unlikely, or...

Students research volcanoes, storms, atmospheric conditions, etc., find information and collect facts, create a simulation of a science news broadcast, watch a video clip of an avalanche, and create an artistic rendering of one naturally...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this world history lesson plan, students research several historical events and their impact. Students compose essays that address the question, "Why...

Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...

To gain an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution, and the 1898 Supreme Court case,...

As part of a study of immigration and the U.S. economy, class members assume the role of newspaper editors to determine which submitted letters to print on their paper's editorial page to present a balanced view of the debate.

Students examine unauthorized immigration in the United States. In this current issues lesson, students examine 4 letters written to the editor regarding unauthorized immigration. Students act as editors and analyze the letters choosing...