Fifth graders identify all parts of an egg, and explore their importance to the life cycle of a chicken. Learners compare all sorts of birds and place them in categories based on what they look like. This five-day instructional activity...

Sixth graders classify their regions' natural disaster(s). Within this instructional activity students enhance their research skills by utilizing different resources, as well as their writing skills by composing short research papers.

Twelfth graders select and analyze a public policy issue. In groups, they create a hot list of web sites that have been explored and investigated as a result of a web search. Using their research, 12th graders individually produce a...

Students investigate why and how certain historical figures became famous in relation to the Texas Revolution. They view and discuss a variety of images, then in small groups record the names of individuals involved in the Texas...

Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues by generating a...

Students examine "Washington Crossing the Delaware." In this American Revolution lesson, students analyze the painting, research its background, and then perform skits based on their findings. 

Weather versus climate: weather relates to short time periods while climate averages the weather of a period of many years. Scholars learn about average temperature and precipitation in various climate zones and then apply statistics...

A lesson allows you to go back in time and see the big bang actually happen. Bazinga! In reality, pupils research the Big Bang Theory and theorize what it would be like to go back in time and see it happen. There are four...

Fourth graders recognize that the Tejanas were Texas women of Spanish-Mexican origin who contributed to the history of Texas. Students read and research the Tejanas women, complete an essay about a day in the life of a Tejanas woman ,and...

Does your language arts class have a hard time with writing transitions? Use this organizational writing activity to create three effective transition sentences that middle schoolers will use in their research of renewable resources.

If you teach AP English language and composition and are looking for a way to address the differences between written and spoken arguments, consider this lesson. Over the course of three days, class members research Charles Darwin or...

Using methods adopted by Public Policy Analysts (PPA) class groups define a social problem, gather evidence to document the existence of the problem, identify causes, evaluate existing policies designed to deal with the problem, develop...

Don't just tell class members about how to measure inflation, have them experience it firsthand by asking them to work with real data and construct graphs!

Students take a "virtual trip" to Switzerland. This lesson gives suggestions about how to arrange and then organize such an online chat trip so that it be as beneficial as possible.

Learners of any age examine the significance of historic sites, how we understand those sites, and what they mean in terms of history and the culture of the past. They look at maps, artifacts, and data taken from archaeological sites to...

Learners explore how to describe the Gulf Stream, how Benjamin Franklin charted it, and correctly plot it on a map.

Options for public and privately funded health care is a valuable debate for students to follow and learn from. They can use their research to take part in a Town Hall Meeting using facts and style. They will contact the representatives...

Students investigate the crash of a bus carrying an Ohio baseball team to a tournament at a site where 82 other accidents had occured previously. They interview local police and insurance agents about sites in their own locales where...

Time for a story! Learners of all ages enjoy listening to stories, so read them some common fables and have them work cooperatively to create a fable.  Differentiate for varying ability levels by providing sentence frames, graphic...

Here is a fantastic poster that you can easily and frequently reference in your class whenever you are asking your young writers to cite their sources. Using the acronym ICE, learners are reminded to introduce, cite, and explain...

Bring the sun to your class! Young scholars analyze actual solar wind data in the second activity of a five-part series. Their analysis includes speed, temperature, and density data.

Students grasp how to read from text and retain it. They use reading comprehension strategies specific to the Internet. They search for answers to questions related to the Civil War.

Students practice strategies that can be applied to current and future reading materials. Using a matrix, students monitor which strategies they have mastered and which strategy needs more practice. Students read health related materials.

Students practice their writing and editing skills by developing a plan for and then writing a grammatically correct description of an item (car or otherwise) that they would like to sell.