Shadow puppetry has an ancient past, it is also a great way to build oral expression and reading fluency. Young thespians research folk tales, compare and contrast reality and fantasy, then create and perform a shadow puppet play based...

Students sing and read the old favorite song Wheels on the Bus, and write new song text for a poster and a class book.

Students explore schools during the Colonial period. In this American history lesson, students participate in a simulation of school days in Colonial America. Students visit a museum and use the schoolhouse as a setting for their...

Students participate in several activities using a reading partner. They plan and organize reading meetings with their partner, and then review story elements by retelling the stories orally. The partners question each other and make...

Students read books and discuss different emotions that they have. In this emotions lesson plan, students make different facial expressions to that express specific emotions and role play emotions.

After reading Acts III and IV of Othello, give your class a fun, interactive, music-related activity. Begin by asking learners about songs they have heard in movies or plays. Let them look up the lyrics online and ruminate about the...

Learners review their knowledge on the First Amendment. After reading an article, they identify specific church and state issues. Using the Internet, they research President Bush's proposal from a specific point of view. They summarize...

First graders listen to the book, Sheep in a Shop, that leads them to think about making financial decisions, trading, and the barter system. After the book is read aloud, a discussion ensues about some of the things that the sheep...

Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...

Students describe how they feel in different situations. In this feelings lesson plan, students respond to questions asked by the teacher while reading the book The Way I Feel. They also use mirrors to show look at their own faces while...

Especially critical following a series of shootings in schools, theaters, and religious buildings, it's safe to say that we need to evaluate the current laws on gun control. Eighth graders read a New York Times article in order to better...

Read and examine primary source material in order to analyze, synthesize, and debate information about the Great Depression. Critical analysts research various source materials related to the Great Depression. They work in teams to...

Students examine the economic benefits, environmental losses and dangers of the shrimp farming industry on the coast of Ecuador. They read a script, role-play people involved in the shrimp business, and write an essay of the pros and cons.

Students explore language arts by creating Venn Diagrams. In this reading materials instructional activity, students examine a horn-book and create a hypothesis about how to use it and where they derived from. Students compare their...

Fifth graders connect reasons for coming to the New World with identity. The create identities and place them in one of three settled regions. They refer to prior study notes in their Colonial Notebooks to establish their identities.

Young scholars use shape puppets to review geometry content. They take turns singing songs, reading students poems, reciting class bulletin board notes and choral poems. They prepare for their summative assessments through play and...

Students read slave narratives and retell the stories to the class, identifying sensory details. In this slavery lesson, students discuss the importance of sensory details, then read the slave narratives looking for specific examples. ...

Get your class up and moving as they explore how to express movement and dance through words. Designed around two poems by Lillian Morrison about break dancing, the activity truly captures the creative and multi-sensory aspects of...

High schoolers learn about China's One Child Policy. They read an article about a specific family's experience under the policy (not included) and research and explain the key points of the policy. They assess the pros and cons in a...

Students explore math functions by completing worksheets in class. In this word problem lesson, students read the story A Remainder of One and practice solving division problems from the story. Students complete a worksheet which...

Students read and discuss The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart. In this poetry activity, students construct a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two pieces of literature.

Health wizards read and discuss an article about lead contamination then come up with a plan to help solve the problem. They get into groups to develop a community solution within the parameters of a budget, feasibility, and the source...

Students discover the horrible situation of water shortages that many people face by completing Peace Corps activities.  In this global health lesson, students analyze and discuss photographs of people in Africa struggling to find...

One of the most confusing aspects of any presidential election year is the role of the Electoral College. Learners read a bit about how the Electoral College works and then they hold a mock election in their classroom. They'll redraw a...