After analyzing and evaluating news summaries found in the New York Times "Week in Review" section, middle schoolers study the steps for summarizing a news article briefly and accurately. They write two news summaries: one on a newspaper...

As your class finishes the novel Dragonwings, use these culminating projects. A vocabulary list is given for chapters eleven and twelve and either an epitaph or letter activity concludes the book. The final project consists of creating a...

Improve writing skills using methods from Robert Gay's Writing Through Reading; Gay espouses reproducing the work of successful writers to build the ability to convey original ideas effectively. Young writers transcribe, paraphrase,...

It is key to the learning process to make everything a child with visual impairments does as tactile as possible. After reading Anne of Green Gables, the class discusses her life events in order to make a tactile time line. They...

Create baseball cards for literary characters with this lesson plan. It introduces students to baseball cards, their components (stats, picture, etc.), and prompts them to draft and publish their own cards based on figures from...

Students identify, summarize and present facts about cultural, educational and political inequalities of Reconstruction, explain hidden codes of slave spirituals and their importance in slaves' communication, and create poetry based on...

How would you describe a great leader? Explore the theme of leadership with a unit that focuses on emotional intelligence, and how great leaders have a strong sense of emotional intelligence.

Young scholars research the importance and meaning of honoring historic documents and policy statements on coins. They consult available texts and bookmarked Internet sites and share their findings with the class. They create a poster...

Students effectively gather and use information for research purposes. They comprehend the visual arts in relation to history and culture. Students practice note taking skills, and summarizing skills. They know and compare the...

Students summarize information from their research on to note-cards. In this technical writing lesson students examine examples of note-cards that contain main ideas from research previously conducted.  They will then compose their...

You set the rate! Step into the shoes of a taxi driver in New York City, and also pretend to be a person who uses taxis to get around town. The class will conduct collaborative research to learn about the history of taxis. Then, they...

Get your class to use the scientific process to solve a scientific problem. They utilize the Natural Inquirer magazine to identify a research question which they write an introduction to and collect data to answer. They use graphs,...

Pupils investigate the military by examining their uniforms.  In this design lesson, students analyze the military uniforms from different locations and time periods.  Pupils create new ideas for current military uniforms.

Who is Emmet Till? An important historical figure, your kids will be shocked by his story! Discover the details of his life and collaborate to write a crown of sonnets in the style of Marilyn Nelson.

Seventh graders examine the setting in pieces of fiction.  In this story analysis activity, 7th graders investigate the setting in fictional stories and the importance it has.  Students discover new vocabulary terms applying to...

Students research various events during the War of 1812 and then create magazine articles with supporting illustrations, students are in control of their learning.

Students explore space science by viewing videos on YouTube. For this moon landing lesson, students view clips of Neil Armstrong taking his first step on the moon and discuss the space race between the U.S. and Russia. Students utilize...

Students describe the relationship between animals and humans. In this biology activity, students research about the history of horses in America. They present a mock news broadcast about their research.

Students examine a science journal to develop an understanding of graphs in science.  In this data analysis lesson, students read an article from the Natural Inquirer and discuss the meaning of the included graph.  Students...

Seventh graders read the novel, "The House of Dies Drear", and create a story map to analyze the plot and recall events.

Students perform a readers theater about Anne Hutchinson and her religious dissent. In this religious dissent lesson plan, students re-enact her trial through the reader's theater.

Young scholars examine the various forms of Islamic Art. Using the art, they identify the basic elements and research its history and style of calligraphy. They create a piece of art based on information they collected and demonstrate...

Students discuss the foods they eat and why they eat them. In this nutrition lesson, students determine what foods people might eat in Cyprus and create a traditional meal tasting five traditional recipes of Cyprus set up like...

Students plan, design, and create a school/community garden.  In this planning, designing, and creating a school/community garden lesson, students research materials needed to start a garden.  Students determine the cost of...