Eighth graders read the book The Outsiders for understanding. They develop arguments, with support, for six assigned debate points. They write a position paper based on six debate points. The dress up as a character in the book and...

Fifth graders explore the major components of the water cycle. They pay close attention to evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. A water cycle kit is set up in the classroom, which learners observe for a couple of days before the...

The Vietnam War and World War I were two very important—and different—wars. To understand the differences, and similarities, class members watch videos, examine primary source documents, and then create a newscast that examines the...

Young scientists gain a better understanding of space, the solar system and its vastness by creating a scale model. Students first need to calculate the distance between each of the nine planets according to the size of their scale. This...

How many jackets do you need to stay warm and climb Mount Everest? An informatie resource covers the topic of Mount Everest, the resource helps young scientists discover the difference between climate and weather. Activities include...

Five individuals in the class are "infected" with cholera! The rest of the class serves as investigators to discover the source of the outbreak. They test drinking fountains around campus for contamination. You, of course, will secretly...

Learners debate and explore the rationale and ethics behind Lincoln's 19th century suspension of habeas corpus - the 'writ of liberty' and answer related questions.

Here is a fascinating human geography study of the Zabbaleen. They are a sub-class of people who work as garbage collectors in Cairo, Egypt. I can't say enough good things about this resource in my limited space here. It is fabulous! If...

How have birds evolved from prehistoric animals? With the three-part instructional activity, small groups first research different prehistoric animals and determine whether they are birds. Then, scholars explore different bird...

Study opposing viewpoints with this lesson plan, which examines President Bush's September 2004 address at the United Nations. Middle schoolers study the text of the address, and then stage formal debates arguing for or against the...

Students make models of the planets and use the models to show revolution of the planets around the sun. They explain the rotation of the planets after demonstrating with balloons.

To learn about various topics and improve their social skills, learners with special needs play along with music on drums and other sound objects. Teachers take digital pictures of the learners participation and use them to make bulletin...

Simulate chariots and driver and practice rounding numbers with your class. In teams of three, they race to the finish line where the teachers asks the chariot driver to round a certain number. They take turns being the driver.

Young athletes practice various locomotor movements. They use locomotor skills as directed by the teacher to move between "Olympic rings" (hula hoops). Students participate in a discussion about Olympic events prior to playing the game.

What to wear? Help your special needs class make independent choices about what they should wear during various weather conditions. They'll discuss weather-appropriate clothing, dress dolls for the weather outside, and even put on a...

A unique lesson on the solar system, and some of the mathematics associated with it, is here for your high schoolers. Pupils are put into groups of four, and each group is assigned one of the planets from our solar system. They must...

Class members simulate a watershed with a painters drop cloth, placing objects underneath to create landscape variation, making "rain" with a watering can, and using red drink mix powder to track the path of precipitation. They observe...

Swim with the big fish. Using a similar simulation as Fish and Ladders: Grade 5-8, pupils model the migration of Chinook salmon. A large group of the learners play the role of fish, while others are fishers, predators, and hazards....

From stagecoach to railroad tracks, your class will discover how advancements in travel in the United States during the nineteenth century played an integral role in the industrialization and development of American society. The main...

What's it like to migrate as a pollinator? Teachers provide direct instruction about the roles of pollinators such as butterflies on plants along with the threats they encounter. The class then acts out a story of the migration of bats...

Gain a deeper understanding of migratory pollinators. After studying about pollinators and their effects on flowering plants, learners hear a story about the migration of Monarch butterflies and bats in the Sonoma Desert. Small groups...

Swim with the fishes. Learners simulate the migration of Chinook salmon. Groups pretend to be salmon, while others are predators, fishers, and hazards. The salmon start in the spawning area and swim downstream to the ocean until reaching...

Fourth graders investigate the holidays by performing a song with their class.  In this Christmas lesson, 4th graders recite some of their favorite Christmas songs and read the lyrics to the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas."...

Middle schoolers roll dice in order to simulate the probability of locating an electron in a certain region around the nucleus.