Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ghost Boys, wanted to bring the historical legacy of Emmett Till and the current topic of racial prejudice into today's young readers' mindsets. Use a reading guide and set of discussion questions to...

Every piece matters. A creative lesson provides an opportunity for scholars to create murals or posters that represent their views on social justice. Academics work on smaller posters or pieces of a mural that will ultimately be...

From play pumps that provide clean water to shoes made from trash, innovators change the world one invention at a time. After researching various inventions, young entrepreneurs develop their own. Extension opportunities include prompts...

Students calculate distance on a map by using a mileage scale to calculate the distance from their hometown to Niagara Falls. They, in groups, determine the best route, then compose stories about their journey to Niagra Falls.

Students discover how to punctuate a sentence properly. In this punctuation lesson, students participate in an interactive whiteboard lesson to demonstrate how to punctuate a sentence. Students demonstrate how to use periods, questions...

Eleventh graders explore the economic growth from 1878 to 1893. In this social studies lesson, 11th graders discuss how the improvements lead to an inequality in wealth and the problems that it caused.

Can your learners stump you with questions? Find out with this question-centered activity! After reading a portion of My Antonia by Willa Cather, pupils question the teacher. Once the first round is complete, the class reads more and...

Learners read London's "To Build a Fire" and Crane's "The Open Boat" and compare and contrast the authors' style as they explore the genre known as American literary naturalism.

Islam is often discussed socio-politically rather than spiritually. Here, students read about this religion from primary and secondary sources including the Quran and a world religions book. They learn key terms in the context of the...

Creative thinkers develope advertisements. They work in groups to create an advertisement featuring the importance of contributing to UNICEF. They research, learn about point of view, and present final projects to the class.

Students employ their technology skills to produce campaign commercials. For this political campaign lesson, students discover the appropriate uses of video cameras and create fictitious campaign commercials.

Add to the narrative writing experience. Elementary or middle school writers listen to the teacher read a descriptive passage, then reread the same passage silently. They highlight sensory details and figurative language, then orally...

Students create a movie or slide show depicting a typical day at school through the eyes of a student. Students will use knowledge and experience to tell about events. Students will use multimedia to tell about events.

Students are introduced to Chinua Achebe's first novel and to his views on the role of the writer in his or her society. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson plan Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

High schoolers, in groups, each take a different role and are to either ask or answer questions. They explore how to effectively evaluate themselves and others.

Young scholars, after reading Chapter One in the book, "The American Colonies' Sense of Who They Were," analyze the actions of the colonists as well as compare the similarities between the protests of the colonists and protests of today....

Tenth graders examine the role of women in the early 1900s. In groups, they use the internet to research groups who favored or opposed giving women the right to vote. To end the instructional activity, they note the methods used by women...

Reward kids for excellent work, a specific honor, or great participation by using this certificate maker to design awards. Use your own images or pull from a library of fonts, borders, clipart, and symbols.

If you need an introduction to skill W.9-10.1 for writing, then you’re off to a good start here. Included is a funny script that introduces what the students need to know to conquer the skill. It also provides an introduction activity...

Students examine how place in poetry helps give clues about character. In this poetry lesson, students read a poem while focusing on the descriptions of the room that is being described and predict what type of person would live there....

Students examine the expressive and descriptive language used in the books "Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets" and "Planet of the Robots." In pairs they take notes about each other's physical appearance and conduct interviews, identify the...

Students view butterflies and participate in a butterfly activity to learn needed vocabulary. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students access prior knowledge of butterflies.  Students listen to a butterfly life cycle book....

Students "visit" South Korea through the use of technology, in a fun, and stimulating, detailed project. They arrange travel, make choices, work through a budget, learn history, have exposure to language, and get a sense of what a...

Students investigate the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by analyzing a patriotic...