The Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva is a piece that represents characteristics, meanings, and ideals common to those who practice Buddhism in Japan. Learners fully analyze this piece, then take a virtual trip to examine the Buddhist...

Poems by O. Henry, Marion Dane Bauer, Monty Roberts, and Langston Hughes provide the text for a study of symbolism, hyperbole, and imagery. Employing the “think-pair-share” strategy learners generate definitions of these terms and locate...

"What a beautiful noise comin' up from the street; got a beautiful sound, it's got a beautiful beat..." Use Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" to guide your class through a Six Trait writing activity, in which they write an original poem...

Access your young poets' senses and emotions with this activity, which guides them through the process of writing a "sense poem." After working on a sense poem as a class and modeling the procedure, individuals work on their own poems...

Help your class find their writing voices with this lesson which uses the work of Ralph Fletcher to guide a "Prompt in Reverse" activity. Using the chapter "First Pen" from Fletcher's Marshfield Dreams, learners decipher what they...

Students explore how to use field guides to identify wildlife.  In this nature activity students construct their own plant field guide. 

Seventh graders create an alternative self-portrait. In this art lesson students study the artwork of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Students use her work as inspiration for a self-portrait in a jar form.

Students use text and photos to visualize the delivery of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have A Dream" speech. They analyze Dr. King's speech for examples of imagery and allusion and create original poetry and illustrations...

Learners, through the leading questions, guided imagery, and dance, gain a greater comprehension of snow, weather, and the five senses.

Students pen poetry regarding global issues. In this information literacy activity, students research global issues and use their findings to compose poems regarding the topics. Students create videos that include images and the the text...

Dr. Seuss and Walter Dean Myers team up to cover the topic of prejudice. Using The Sneeches (about the culture clash between star-bellied and bare-bellied Sneetches) and The Glory Fields (about a boy coming to America on a slave ship),...

When Europeans first came back with tales of China, they provided vivid written accounts and minimal visual imput. This resulted in art rendered mostly from descriptive language. Learners explore this phenomena by listening to...

Learners explore Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In this analysis instructional activity, students recognize the use of poetic conventions as a principle of dramatic structure after analyzing the sonnetShakespeare created for the first...

High schoolers explore the basis of Iago's persuasive power by analyzing his astonishing command of rhetoric and figurative language. The diverse set of activities below include short group performances, writing exercises and the guided...

Students investigate soliloquies. In this performing arts lesson, students discuss figurative language within soliloquies and then perform a soliloquy to the rest of the class.

Students create an artistic response to the book, The Polar Express. In this creative writing lesson, students read the book and visualize an imaginary journey they would like to go on. Students create a train car from construction paper...

Seventh graders explore nutrition and the effect it has by participating in class discussions.  In this diet and exercise lesson, 7th graders analyze print advertisements and discuss how unrealistic their expectations are and how...

Students explore emotions and memories in preparation for poetry writing. In this poetry instructional activity students use a graphic organizer and prompts to begin to describe a specific memory which they will turned into a...

Students explore the artwork of the Indo-Hispanic holiday of Day of the Dead. They view images, define key vocabulary terms, and plan and create a two- and three-dimensional sculptural figure.

Second graders examine various types of butterflies and insects around their school. They identify differences between beetles and butterflies. Students examine books about butterflies, complete symmetry drawings, and make ladybug key...

Third graders study the life cycle of the butterfly through this series of activities. They create projects, play games, and observe butterfly characteristic that contribute to their survival.

Primary learners are introduced to Lewis Carroll's whimsical poetry. They read "The Nursery Alice" Carroll's adaptation for younger readers, view story illustrations, listen to poetry and write whimsical verses of their own about food.

Sixth graders explore figurative and literal language. They study literary devices through short pieces of Shakespeare's work. Then investigate Shakespeare's works and life.

Ninth graders create multimedia presentations about their backgrounds and family heritage. They discover how to use the necessary computer skills and practice them in pairs. Students present their projects to the class and have a general...