Connect art to social issues with a extended inquiry project. Individuals or small groups select a social issue and a type of art to explore. They complete a KWL chart for both the social issue and the art strand and take time to create...

While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...

Even the most thrilling sports career can end in an asterisk if the player uses performance-enhancing drugs. Focused on the topic of doping in sports, a seventh grade unit breaks down the arguments for and against steroids in five...

Students investigate the importance of community service by creating their own project ideas.  In this volunteering lesson, students research stories of Peace Corps Volunteers and how they were able to have a positive effect in...

Students view a video clip about ideas displayed through images. They work together to analyze paintings and complete activities. They discuss how media representation of an issue can affect one's viewpoint.

Students solve design problems. In this art and design lesson, students create a picture by analyzing two others, and make a prototype of a building. The small group activities call for creativity and ingenuity as well as the ability to...

Students examine the arts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. After viewing films, they discuss the views of the various characters and identify the differences in the cultures presented. They also use the internet to evaluate various...

Students create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition, students...

Fourth graders are read a story in which they identify the positive and negative thinking. In groups, they are given a scenerio in which they change the negatives into a positive. They perform the scenerio to tthe class and discuss how...

Students study the growth of the Phoenix area using geographic images, maps, tables, and graphs. They study the idea of community.

Students brainstorm a list of characteristics that friends should and should not have. In groups, they are given a set of hand puppets in which they role-play different scenerios in front of the class. To end the lesson, they are shown...

Second graders choose a "positive work habit name" and explain why they choose the selected name. They share self-assessment information about their work habits and progress from week to week. Students respond with, "I did it" anytime...

Third graders spend time identifying the characteristics they have and ones they would like to develop for their own personal growth. As a class, they brainstorm ways they can tell they are growing up or being mature. Individually, they...

Fifth graders brainstorm what a relationship looks like in which both people respect each other. After completing a worksheet, they discuss the importance of respecting other beliefs. To end the lesson, they identify things they can do...

Third graders brainstorm a list of how they can tell if someone feels bad about themselves. As a class, they describe three different apples shown to them. Individually, they cut out shapes of apples and color them to place them on a...

Fifth graders brainstorm a list of life-changing events. As a class, they practice making I-statements and identify what to avoid when putting them together. To end the lesson, they determine which of their statements can be used in...

Sixth graders brainstorm the ways a person's actions can affect a community. As a class, one classmate is given a ball of yarn and pass it along to another student creating a web. Next, some classmates are asked to drop their part and...

Learners develop their speaking skills. In this oral communication lesson, students read "One Hen" by Katie Smith Milway and work in groups to discover how making a small loan to the main character in the story had positive effects....

First graders discuss different milestones in their life such as bathing, dressing, eating, walking, etc. They brainstorm ideas of how the changes affected their life from the moment they occurred to the present. Students brainstorm and...

Young scholars use the Internet to research non-native plants that exist in their local community. Using this information, they analyze the invasive species effect on their environment. In groups, they plan and execute their own project...