A video leads off this activity on fables, introducing the class to this important form of traditional storytelling. The group defines fable and hears an explanation of the origin of this type of folk tale. They summarize the story they...

This scripted lesson plan suggests using the journalist’s five W’s (who, what, when, where, why) to teach readers how to summarize a story and to how to distinguish between significant and supporting details. A template and rubric are...

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...

Elementary learners identify the main elements of story structure and form questions to summarize their reading. They listen as the teacher reads a story and then write questions to determine (1) main characters, (2) setting, (3)...

Literature circles let kids interact with each other and hear different perspectives. explore literature circles. Group your class into small reading groups, and then assign each class member a specific role to keep them focused. After...

Students listen for specific information during summary presentations. They practice giving feedback on given topic according to a set of standards. The speaker reports to the rest of class from a report and listeners determine if...

Students research psychology by participating in a role-play activity. In this human relationship instructional activity, students define the term "family" and read assigned text which discusses how family relationships work. Students...

Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.

High schoolers read Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Thousand Pieces of Gold and as a class, discuss the Chinese practice of foot binding. They work in groups to read further about how women of different cultures attempt to conform. They write...

Eleventh graders participate in a variety of listening, speaking and reading activities. Here, they research the lives and achievements of different famous people. They prepare a creative presentation on a chosen topic. 

Fifth graders discover the difference between myths, legends, and folk tales. They summarize legends. They work together to dramatize legends and then create their own legend using the writing process. Handouts and worksheets are included.

Students examine how tone and inflection shape the character of Hamlet. In this Shakespeare activity, students summarize what they know of Hamlet and complete a read around. Students discuss the inflection patterns and tone in the...

Learners discover how to work cooperatively within a group and communicate their ideas clearly in order to reach an agreement. They summarize their experience in writing and hand down a verdict of guilt or innocence based on the...

Students are given an article from a local newspaper. They summarize the article and participate in a broadcast over the articles.

Learners discover human health by identifying contraceptive methods. In this sexual health lesson, students discuss the different methods used to prevent births and STD contraction. Learners read assigned text which describes each method...

Seventh graders complete political analysis activities. In this political analysis lesson, 7th graders discuss party platforms and research party issues for their party's candidate's positions. Students complete an issues organizer and...

Fourth graders combine art and history to assess the importance of the "Old 300." They explore a group of colonists that Stephen F. Austin brought to Texas as the first settlers and then create a time line of major events leading to the...

Get your class to use the scientific process to solve a scientific problem. They utilize the Natural Inquirer magazine to identify a research question which they write an introduction to and collect data to answer. They use graphs,...

Bring history to life for your young scholars with a Fourth of July lesson series. After a class reading of the Declaration of Independence, students translate this pivotal document into layman's terms before working in small...

Students participate in a game-like format to identify characteristics of genres. They categorize stories into genres bases on story summaries after a class discussion of the characteristics.

Third graders complete book reports. They are given the following jobs; chef, who organizes them into genres; maître d', who calls students to share the menu; and waiters/waitresses, who take orders for books from customers, pass out...

Learners conduct team interviews outside the classroom, either within the school or beyond, as part of a fieldwork project. They use reasoning skills as they formulate questions, plan, predict, hypothesize, and speculate about the...

Fourth graders tackle stress. In this personal health lesson plan, 4th graders predict physical and emotional reactions to stressful situations.

Fifth graders explore the concept of waste management. In this recycling lesson, 5th graders discover the history of waste management and discuss how the U.S. should respond to the issue of ever-increasing waste.