Erin go bragh! Enliven your St. Patrick's Day celebration by teaching your class members some of the combinations found in traditional Irish step dancing.

Natasha Wing's story The Night Before Thanksgiving is a great way to incorporate rhyme and literature into the Thanksgiving season. Learners make text-to-self connections, recall main events, and choose post-reading activities...

How close are your eighth graders to mastering the ELA Common Core standards? Keep an eye on progress with these charts, which include every eighth grade identifier and full standard text. As you move through the year and teach,...

Students compare the tone, purpose, point of view, etc. of traditional Native American poems and creation myths to traditional Colonial American literature. they debate which is the right way of thinking/living.

Students develop a greater understanding and appreciation for their families. They increase personal self-esteem and pride as a result of studying about families through literature. They assess the importance of family values and...

Students define and discuss cultural aspects and family origins. By citing examples of traditions and customs from other countries, they develop an understanding of cultural influences on society. Finally, students create collages...

Students read Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Himmelman. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Hanukkah. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library...

Under construction, this instructional activity focuses on Canto Familia, a collection of poetry about Gary Soto's experiences growing up in California's Imperial Valley. Representative of the experiences of many Latinos, the poems also...

Students discuss the illustration's allusion to the myth, Pandora's Box. Students locate instances of folk sayings or expressions that make these tales seem authentic to the reader. Students draw a Venn diagram comparing Catskinella and...

Examine the women who contributed to the Civil Rights movement. In groups, children read excerpts of writings from Eloise Greenfield and research the women she mentions using the internet. To end the lesson, they create a timeline of...

Twelfth graders research wartime conditions African American had to endure during World War II. They explain what role African Americans played in World War II and describe what life was like for African Americans in the United States...

Twelfth graders view pictures and write a description of what is depicted in the picture. They then divide into groups of three to share what they have written and come to a consensus of what the picture represents.

Tenth graders explore the process of telling stories without words.  In this literature lesson, 10th graders watch a music video performance made by Alaska Native students, and then examine art objects that may be used to tell a...

This isn't your traditional Robin Hood tale! Explore a Middle English ballad with your young historians, and examine the underlying structure and purpose of historical texts.

Students create a pattern. In this patterns lesson, students review the meaning of symmetry and explore using pattern blocks. Students look for patterns in real quilts, photographs and pictures. Students work independently to plan a...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. In this Great Depression instructional activity, students read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and use ethnographic...

To examine the “New English” Chinua Achebe uses in Things Fall Apart, readers complete a series of worksheets that ask them to examine similes, proverbs, and African folktales contained in the novel. Individuals explain the meaning...

Students explore the culture and tradition of neighboring countries. In this geography lesson, students use travel brochures, reference materials, and Internet sites to investigate the business, fashion, language, and entertainment of...

Fifth graders analyze origin myths and the diversity of First Nations groups.  In this history lesson, 5th graders review the geography of Canada and read various origin myths.  Students illustrate one of the myths and research...

What are the roles within your family, culture and society as well as the personal and societal consequences of transgressing them? To explore this question, class members look at long-held traditions, examples in literature...

Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. In this dramatic performances lesson, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.