High school freshmen craft their own definition of honesty. They provide an example from their lives and reflect on the outcomes of their honest behavior. They also identify a time when they may have been dishonest in a relationship and...

Students collect data about energy usage and use mathematical calculations to analyze their data. In this energy conservation and statistics math lesson, students survey their homes to complete an energy usage worksheet. Students...

"How can a few good words save a pig's life?" Posed with this question, your ELD students explore E.B. White's Charlotte's Web in a meaningful, valuable way. By analyzing specific word choice from the book, especially the excerpts...

Give this skills-based assessment halfway through your unit on Esperanza Rising. After a brief review, class members take the test, which asks them to show that they know how to analyze the novel independently. They are asked to...

Students respond to works of art. In this art interpretation activity, students examine images of art while using concepts they learned as they read literary pieces. They detail the setting, characters, and the mood and theme of the...

Pupils explore language arts by completing a graphic organizer in class. For this story structure lesson, students read the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein and discuss the different elements in the piece which make it an effective...

Students design a solar still and purify water.  In this earth process and design lesson plan, students observe how the heat of the sun helps to purify water. Students analyze why this could be helpful on a desert island. ...

Come up with a list of requirements for this expository essay on Esperanza's character in Esperanza Rising as a class and use the list to guide class writing. Here, learners will complete the first paragraph, discuss their notes for the...

Close the unit on Esperanza Rising with an in-class analytic essay on how Esperanza changes over the course of the novel. Writers can use any of their notes and work from the unit as well as their drafts of the first two paragraphs of...

Experience how a story can drastically change when the point of view is altered. Young scholars first read a review of Disney's film Tarzan, focusing on how the point of view in the classic story is important. They then select...

Students explore animal lifestyles by researching their characteristics. In this animal habitat lesson plan, students read the story Over in the Jungle and analyze the animal illustrations in the book. Students create clay animal...

Students investigate writing techniques by analyzing 2 stories written by Edgar Allen Poe.  In this language arts lesson, students choose two Edgar Allen Poe short stories to read and take notes on the setting, theme, characters and...

Students examine life in the early 17th century by viewing a film called "Lorna Donne". They identify the politcal scene at the time while noting the major characters. They practice using new vocabulary as well.

Students critically examine the portrayal of minorities in video games and other forms of entertainment and assess the role of racial stereotyping. They keep a log of media minority portrayals and respond to their findings.

Students write an essay to describe the contents of a compost bin.  In this composting activity, students create a compost bin. Students examine soil for its contents and explains in an essay the impact of the soil on the environment.

Students complete an experiment to understand changes to the environment over time.  In this hydrogen instructional activity, students discuss electrolysis and conduct an electrolysis experiment.  Students observe and record...

Explore how illustrations add to a story. Young learners will look at picture books to see how the pictures tell the story. They create illustrations to go with a chosen story, and then flip the activity so they have to write a story to...

Students study how to create a compost heap. In this composting lesson, students create a compost heap. Students write an essay describing the process.

Students explore ocean biology by participating in a plant growing activity. In this seaweed activity, students identify the importance and uses of seaweed in the ocean and examine different seaweed samples. Students utilize an aquarium,...

Learners explore language arts by reading and reflecting on literary examples. In this fiction writing lesson, students read several different cultural versions of the story "Cinderella" and discuss their interaction with the story and...