A search can be strengthened by unique terms. With the activities and presentation included here, show your class how to target their searches with unique terms and context terms. They can then practice their search skills with...

Although the lesson is specifically about the San Francisco Bay area, it's good enough to be adapted to any local region. Children research what the landscape in San Francisco was like prior to settlement, they consider the types of...

Create pamphlets with your class to warn others about the dangers of logging too much screen time. A relevant and applicable writing task, this activity is a great way to begin wrapping up the larger unit surrounding Take the Challenge...

Finding information on the Internet requires good keywords and strategic thinking. Learners in grades three through five utilize embedded handouts to devise their own search strategies to find information needed to answer several...

Introduce your young learners to the basic research project. They explore plants using a three-page note-taking guide. On the first page, they write down things they would like to know about the topic and where they might look to find...

Get scholars thinking about the scientific process with this fun experiment they can do at home. Learners practice reading directions as they underline each instruction in a procedural paragraph. They create a flow chart and record what...

Note-taking is an essential study skill, and it needs to be taught! In the context of a research project on energy sources, learners find multiple sources, evaluating, paraphrasing, and citing them correctly. Two lists with note-taking...

Have your class participate in an interview activity using an informational text about the Amazon. After reading a Cultural Connections story about a person from the Amazon, middle schoolers write interview questions based on the text....

Extend a class reading of the novel The Sign of the Beaver across all subject areas with this literature unit guide. From basic discussion questions and writing prompts, to a research project about tracking animals, this resource offers...

For thousands of years, people have been creating stories to explain their observations of the natural world. Explore this interesting literary form with this series of activities complementing the book Taming the Sun: Four Maori...

Take a trip through history with a lesson on historical fiction. With instructions for games, reading activities, and literary analysis assignments, this resource would be a great addition to any reading unit with a historical fiction...

Launch a discussion about plagiarism, the consequences of plagiarism, and how giving credit is a sign of respect for the work of others. Start out by defining plagiarism and sharing your school's official policy. Class members can then...

Although this legislative process lesson is designed to accompany a specific text, it is valuable independently. Young learners participate in a picture walk (worksheet included) through My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington,...

What fabrics are our clothes made of? Where do those fabrics from? Lead your pupils to discover the answers to these questions and more. Class members have a chance to play with various fabrics, invesitgating the materials and labels...

Who was Alexander The Great? How did Abraham Lincoln’s early life influence his political life? Learners select a historical figure to use for video biography. After developing research questions and collecting information, pupils search...

Send your class on an expedition through the rainforest! Along the way, they will write informational postcards to demonstrate what they've learned. Each team will be responsible for one of five rainforest regions. When they return from...

Young scholars compare foods available for the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving with contemporary Thanksgiving foods. After reading information about the first Thanksgiving, pupils create a menu and compute the cost of a turkey dinner, using...

Ensure that your class has a well-rounded understanding of new inventions, in this case barbed wired. Class members, after researching the history and development of barbed wire, assess its impact on cattle and the development of the...

Wind is a natural resource available around the world. Help your pupils appreciate the power and importance of wind by researching wind farms, making pinwheels, and designing windmills. 

Students research Truman Library website and gather ten trivia facts. They prepare a short oral presentation on one of their questions, scoring each other on speaking and listening skills. Then they create a Truman campaign button.

Shopping carts are a modern convenience that many people take for granted. Make sure your pupils do not fall into that category by completing the activities in this plan. There are ideas included for language arts, social studies, math,...

Celebrate pancakes in a variety of different ways. Start off by reading about their history and move on to scientific analysis of how leaveners work. Class members will have the chance to make and eat pancakes, research pancakes, and...

Students perform an experiment. In this combinations lesson, students complete an experiment where they find out how many ice cream cone combinations they can make with 5 different flavors of ice cream and 4 types of cones. They design a...

Inform you class about space, the final frontier, with a word search and some simple research. Learners circle space age vocabulary terms provided in a word bank. For bonus credit, students research the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions, and...