Meet with the school library specialist and work together to plan a visit and presentation on figurative language. After defining and examining examples of targeted terms, the class travels to the library where the SL has collected...

A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...

With What Do You See at the Pond?, young readers explore pond life and practice reading strategies. Learners first make predictions and then read the simple story independently. After a second read-through with a partner, kids come...

Investigate the significance of adjectives with a newspaper activity that addresses effective language. Readers probe teacher-provided articles in search of the mighty modifiers, and practice by replacing them with a different word, and...

Everyone has a different opinion about the characters they read about in books. Have your class explore forming an opinion and finding evidence to support it as they read and discuss what they think about a particular character. They...

Students write in their journals where they believe food comes from. After reading an article, they examine the proceses of cultivation and sale of genetically modified foods. Using the internet, they research specific countries and...

A great resource for your unit on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Small groups conduct research about related topics (list included), write papers, present PowerPoint slide shows, and take a student-created test. Fill in a few...

Upper graders read the book Holes as a class or by themselves. In groups, they identify symbols and discuss how they are connected  among the many plots in the story. They create a timeline in which they sequence the main...

Direct your class’s attention to the elements that make their community unique. After examining sample travel brochures, groups select something from their community to use as the subject, and then research, create, and publish a...

"Plot the plot" of "The Adventures of the Speckled Band" with your young readers. Take a few days to read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story as a class or in pairs, having learners write down what they consider to be the most important...

Choosing an issue from a play or novel, researchers find two primary sources from different time periods to compare how people's views have changed. Many questions are listed to guide young writers. In the end, learners produce a...

Before reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" in your class, walk learners through this scavenger hunt that teaches them about Poe's life and works. Though the lesson is designed for 15:1 special education class, it could work in any...

Students explore current events by reading and analyzing an article in class. In this human diet lesson, students read an article about cows which are being genetically modified in order to produce human breast milk for consumption....

Students make travelog journals to send to acquaintances in other states in order to receive mail in return. They make scrapbooks with the return mail they receive.

Upper graders explore equality by writing an essay. They read the story Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco, and discuss the meaning of the story and its relevance to Civil War events. Learners investigate the five writing process steps and...

Students explore parts of speech by collaborating in groups. For this verbs lesson, students examine several boring sentences with their class and define verbs which can spice the sentence up. Students collaborate in pairs to enhance...

Fourth graders research the Hatfield-McCoy feud. In this research activity, 4th graders study the families, photographs, and  timelines. Students create their own trivia game about the feud.

Students research psychology by examining real life situations. In this human relationships lesson, students discuss the importance of respect among two people in a romantic relationship. Students examine images of people in...

Students make happy and sad masks to examine their personal emotions, allowing them to verbally express their feelings and learn abstract concepts. They use their masks also to help them categorize their emotions and later chart them.

Ninth graders explore civil rights by reading several biographies. In this Nelson Mandela lesson, 9th graders discuss the trials and tribulations Nelson Mandela had to face in South Africa and how they were similar to the problems Martin...

Students reflect on the information given to them during the examination of the Holocaust. In groups, they answer hard questions about what they have learned and how they could make a difference in the world today. They also analyze...

Third graders explore the concept of self esteem. In this health lesson, 3rd graders participate in several classroom activities that address developing a positive self concept.

Students investigate the childhood of one of the greatest philosophers of our time, Gandhi.  In this biography lesson, students analyze the upbringing and events that finally shaped Mahatma Gandhi's life.  Students locate...

Fourth graders use a sketch map to interpret map symbols in order to participate in a game. Using the game cards, they identify reasons why people modify their environment to meet their needs. They compare and contrast how people lived...