The stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White illustrate the power of children to make a difference. The three lesson in this must-have resource are designed to inspire young people to make a difference in their world....

Learners rewrite and perform various scenes from the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. In groups, they include the main quotes and ideas from their scene, perform it for the class, and identify which scene each group is performing.

Build your class's knowledge with a vowel game. With a list of code words for each vowel, kids begin to construct fences with the words that share long vowel sounds.

"Things are not what they seem" in this poetry activity, which discusses Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life." Your students will see the world through the eyes of the transcendentalists after analyzing the meaning, context,...

Family and friendship are two very important themes of the historical fiction novel The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. From video clips and writing prompts to reader's theater and family interviews, this resource...

Explore the life and writing of John Steinbeck. A 48-slide presentation introduces the famous American author, his California heritage, and his impressive collection of published work. Viewers are then introduced to Of Mice and Men, one...

Everyone comes from somewhere. An interdisciplinary lesson on Elvira Woodruff's The Orphan of Ellis Island includes discussion starter and writing prompts for the novel, as well as a graphic organizer to help learners begin their...

Investigate the parts of a healthy stream to build content-specific vocabulary and ecological awareness. The class builds vocabulary and determines why clean water is important for trout. They design a shoe box to show what a clean...

Zoom into the distance with a reading game based on Disney's Cars. Kids use the rules associated with Uno® to match either the character or the word on each card during their turn, or they can skip players, reverse the...

Learners write a descriptive essay about a historical landmark in their area, such as the Curtis Center in Philadelphia, PA. In this historical landmarks lesson, students use their senses to detail information about the chosen landmark,...

In this online interactive reading comprehension activity, learners respond to 15 multiple choice questions about Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Students read and analyze the poem, "Psalm of Life," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They create a Footsteps Quilt, developing quilt squares to represent each goal and gift they would leave as a gift to humanity.

Students comprehend the various aspects of the Lewis and Clark expediton. They complete an idea web. Students work in small groups. They recall some important aspects of the Lewis and Clark expedition by performing the Corps of...

Third graders explore the importance of art in Haitian culture by analyzing the cause and effect within the story, "Allie's Basketball Dream." They examine all the aspects of the story and characters including their goals, dreams,...

Students read Gandhi and Dr. King's messages about nonviolence and discuss their visions about loving one's enemies. In this nonviolence instructional activity, students read Gandhi's "Ahimsa, or the Way of Nonviolence" and Dr. Martin...

Pupils make a simple graph of labor supply and labor demand in the North and South in the early twentieth century. They conduct research to identify top contemporary African-American entrepreneurs.

Learners explore career paths by creating a job scrapbook.  In this employment lesson, students discuss what types of skills employers look for in the job market.  Learners decide on a career they would like to explore by...

Most likely intended for a secondary remedial class. This lesson plan engages students in literary analysis through a creative project. They choose one project focused on taking the protagonist through a hero's journey. This link...

A great source of high-interest reading for the language arts classroom! Meant to be used with an article also available on the New York Times website, this worksheet provides 10 comprehension questions about the reading as well as one...

Students examine Asian American culture through the analysis of the poem, 'Aerogrammes.' They watch a video, read and discuss the poem, take a field trip to Chinatown, and write a poem about their Chinatown experience.

Students read about teenagers who forgo college for work. They plan their own progression toward their careers of choice by creating 'fantasy résumés' that list both their present accomplishments and things they hope to do in the future.

Students explore poetry through jazz, rap, and hip hop music. They discover the common threads that run through the poetry and music. Students design their own lyrics to a jazz, rap, or hip hop selection and share their songs with the...

Students read various novels and articles about the contributions of the Wright Brothers. Individually, they are tested on their comprehension of the material and discuss. In groups, they research the role of the people in their life...

Students read Diary of a Worm by Foreen Cronin. In this journal writing lesson plan, students research an animal and write a diary by their animal. Students apply the research they've completed in their writings. Students share their...