Step into the great outdoors and develop young scientists' skills of observation with a nature journaling activity. Given a specific focus or goal, children practice making and recording observations of nature through written...

Young scholars create a digital journal every week using adapted technology that depicts the chosen focus for the week. In this digital journaling lesson, students search for items that depict the focus of the week and take photos. Young...

"I don't want change; I want swiss!" As Willy Loman bemoans in Arthur Miller's Death of A Salesman, accepting change can be a real challenge. The aim of this session is to encourage class members to see the naturalness and...

High schoolers complete two activities to study Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection. They read Darwin's journal from the voyage of the Beagle and look at the scientific ideas that influenced the development of his theory.

Home in on the quote on this page to explore setting, the author's and character's voices, and plot in Willa Cather's My Antonia. Pupils draw a picture of what is described in the quote, discuss the content, and make connections to their...

How does a computer recognize voice commands? Scholars learn about digital assistants and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms in the ninth lesson of the series. They begin building a simple digital assistant and work on this...

The words of Henry David Thoreau on Civil Disobedience seem particularly relevant today, as are his writings and those of other transcendental thinkers who ask what it mean to live deliberately and what are the responsibilities of...

In an engaging simulation, class members imagine immigrating to the United States in the late nineteenth century and arriving at Ellis Island. They then write creative journal entries about their experience and chart their journeys.

Fledgling felinologists are taught how to recognize when a mountain lion is preparing to attack. They identify proper actions to provide the greatest chance of survival if they are attacked. Learners play a matching card game in which...

"People never notice anything." As part of their study of The Catcher in the Rye, class members adopt Holden Caulfield's approach and spend time as quiet observers of their surrounding, recording their observations/reflections in a...

Everyone is an immigrant in their own way. Young scholars read historic documents to understand one woman's journey from Germany to the United States. The activity uses a mixture of text, discussion, and written prompts to help...

Although the lesson is specifically about the San Francisco Bay area, it's good enough to be adapted to any local region. Children research what the landscape in San Francisco was like prior to settlement, they consider the types of...

Eighth graders conduct a scientific experiment that help them explain the concept of nature versus nurture.

Students examine the meaning of generosity and how sharing can be a cultural trait. In this cultural trait lesson, students read a text about the culture of generosity in Africa. Students complete a discussion activity and journal activity.

After three eye-opening lessons about our environment, scholars revisit a 10-question survey, reflect on their new-found knowledge, and take action by writing to a representative or creating a public service announcement about...

Students are able to identify natural resources from a shared reading by highlighting, scoring at least a 3 on a 4 point rubic. They describe in journal entries, after reading the book Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping or Curious Geogre Goes...

Students read and discuss the article, 'Chinese Dissidents Issue a Sharp Challenge to the Government' on pro-democratic manifestos that were recently written in China, write a journal entry on what human rights means to them.

Students explore natural decomposers. In this decomposing lesson, students participate in a WebQuest to discover how nature handles decomposition. Students compare natural methods for decomposition with recycling efforts.

Bloom's Taxonomy and Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences feature largely in a session that asks class members to identify their dominate learning style and intelligence. Furthermore, individuals consider how using...

The greenhouse effect is important, for without it, life on Earth would not exist. An activity that includes modeling the greenhouse effect and acting out the Earth's energy balance makes up the first part in a series of seven...

Students compare and contrast travel in the 18th century with current methods of travel by participating in a simulated trip to Mount Vernon. In this US history lesson, students write a letter to George Washington for permission to visit...

Students study the labor force used during Colonial America. In this Colonial America lesson, students discuss labor types used in the colonies. Students read about indentured servants and the use of African slaves. Students...

Fifth graders practice technology skills while searching online for information about inventor, Rube Goldberg. They discuss Rube Goldberg's use of simple machines, and write journal entries about their findings.

Sixth graders write journal entries o school site at least once during each season, including sketched and written observations of present environment. They can use sample topographical maps and student's own maps. Students can use...