Use O. Henry's ubiquitous tale of love and poverty to explore irony. After reading the story, middle schoolers identify examples of all three kinds of irony in the story. With partners, they brainstorm original examples of irony. Then...

Learners study the water cycle and create a booklet entitled: "Discover the Wonder of Water" They observe and record data regarding evaporation, condensation, and precipitation and how water moves from a solid to a liquid to a gas. They...

Students study the Mexican holiday known as The Day of the Dead. In this holiday lesson, students study bones, listen to Tony Johnston's, Day of the Dead and learn on about the holiday. They listen to two more books before making puppets...

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.

Students research information about the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a major celebration in Mexican culture, and compare it to similar holidays in other cultures. They discover various folk arts and festive traditions associated...

Students research customs and activities associated with the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Students then analyze their favorite aspects of the holiday and represent them in drawings with bilingual displays.

Students create skeletons to celebrate the Day of the Dead. In this visual arts lesson plan, students explore the importance of the Day of the Dead celebrations in the Mexican culture. They create skeletons and decorate them with paint,...

Students complete a variety of activities in a unit about the art, culture, and traditions of Mexico. They read books about the Day of the Dead, create a skeleton puppet, and create a traditional Mexican tissue paper cutting. Students...

Learners identify characteristics in a Latin American film. In this filmography lesson plan, students describe their favorite movies and the reasons why they like them. Learners are shown a short clip of a Latin American movie and...

Young scholars explore the celebrations of different cultures, comparing and contrasting what is unique to them. Students explore different ways to celebrate those holidays. They construct a personalized alter to demonstrate one aspect...

Young scholars read about the history of cattle trails and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about barbed wire. In this barbed wire lesson plan, students read poetry, research changes over time, draw...

Students research Spanish speaking individuals and the holiday, The Day of the Dead, using Internet and print resources. They orally present their research. Students engage in Mexican traditions by making either a lapida (headstone) or...

Students study about the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead to explore another culture's attitude towards death. They create collages reflecting the interests of and memories about someone who has passed away.

Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...

Students explore the Mexican ritual of Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. They make sugar skulls using math measurement and artistic expression and become more aware of this Mexican holiday.

Students explore global culture by researching a Mexican holiday. In this Day of the Dead instructional activity, students read assigned text which discusses the view of death in several different cultures including the U.S. and Mexico....

Eighth graders explore democratic values. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, 8th graders read the Bill of Rights and consider the significance of the amendments. Students design a governmental time capsule that includes their own plan...

Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. For this compare and contrast lesson, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...

Ben Franklin was a man with a plan. Learners investigate his plan for self-improvement using excerpts from Franklin's autobiography. Then, pupils develop their own plans and discuss how to sell them to others using the two-session lesson...

Students explore the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. In this deep-sea habitat lesson, students construct edible models of deep-sea habitats as they bake cakes that include representations of the habitats and the organisms that live there....

Young scholars explore the principles of buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle and design their own flotation device. They compare the dimensions of a model to the real object to determine scale and analyze the models to suggest improvements.

High schoolers read and analyze the poem, "Psalm of Life," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They create a Footsteps Quilt, developing quilt squares to represent each goal and gift they would leave as a gift to humanity.

High schoolers recognize the characteristics of an extended definition.  In this Renaissance person lesson, students read a collection of short stories.  High schoolers research the definitions of Renaissance and Renaissance...

Fourth graders study about food chains. With the assistance of a local biologist, Students hike the school trail system. They explore ecosystem and collect data by charting the organisms found and identifying the energy source. They...