First graders take a look at schools of the past and present, and try to conjure an idea of what schools of the future will look like. After taking a walk around their own school and taking note of the buildings and the things that are...

Third graders demonstrate locomotor movements and define non-locomotor movement. They discuss a story and perform a "name" movement.

Students comprehend how the use of color impacts a work of art. They research how a theme can be rendered in a variety of ways (words, music, visuals). Students analyze how an artist's choices affect the aesthetic quality of artwork.

Fifth graders design a brochure that identifies types of solid waste that are often improperly disposed, explains the effects of this disposal and proposes a solution to the problem. The read humorous books, define vocabulary words and...

Young scholars read "Be A Perfect Person in Just three days," and participate in a host of activities. Connected to technology, they use online sources to create word searches and puzzles from vocabulary words. In addition, students...

Eighth graders examine a new kind of art that is used to respond to political and social issues. Using primary source documents, they read examples of how others have responded to various issues in the past. Individually, they create...

Students expand their understanding and appreciation for poetry. In this poetry unit lesson, students complete 5 unit sections of multiple day activities to learn about poetry and its devices or forms.

Sixth graders write a creative story and turn it into a digital storybook. In this digital storytelling lesson, 6th graders write a creative story, illustrate the story, and then use computer technology to turn their story and...

Learners practice their keyboarding skills. In this typing instructional activity, students use interesting stories to practice their skills. They practice throughout the semester and then monitor their improvement.

Students look into a mirror and draw their own self-portraits. Then they write a descriptive essay, describing the portrait and the features of their face.

Sixth graders discover how to create graphic organizers using the titles and subtitles of informational texts. Following a teacher demonstration, they work in pairs to create their own organizers based on assigned texts. Upon...

Students explore the characters and plot of the story, "Charlotte's Web" through the twenty-two lessons of this unit. Characters, facts, and details of the story are recalled and discussed and form the basis of several activities in this...

Eighth graders research a novel and provide a summary of the story. They relate this information to their lives and evaluate the positives and negatives of the American Revolution. Groups create a PowerPoint presentation on their findings.

Young scholars define humor and consider how people have different senses of humor and therefore different ideas of what is funny. They explore improvisation, cartooning, comics, body language and storytelling as the means to express humor.

Students identify and discuss six traits of writing and complete some beginning drawing and writing utilizing the traits. Six lessons on one page.

Thor, Loki, Iron Man, and Captain America. As part of their study of Greek and Roman gods and heroes, middle schoolers compare the characters in The Avengers to Greek counterparts. Individuals then create their own superhero,...

After a teacher-led demonstration on the lives and music of Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington, learners write a letter to them which shows their understanding of how a person's life experiences can be reflected in a composer's music. They...

Seventh graders study events leading to, during and resulting from the American Revolution. They review elements of a political cartoon. They create and dramatize a scene from a Revolutionary War novel.

Students complete a character study using a database to compile information from a novel. They design a five slide presentation highlighting the character's reaction to different situations in the book. They write an acrostic poem using...

The string section of your school orchestra can get a proper form make-over by incorporating this instructional activity. They reestablish proper playing form, posture, and sound as they compose an essay on how to maintain good playing...

Are anticipation guides effective? The first two pages of this lesson describe what an anticipation guide is and how to use it effectively. On the final page is the anticipation guide; use it to get your class talking about censorship...

During this lesson, which is all about making connections, learners watch a documentary about the teenage brain and connect it to Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science, their own lives, and the world.

Creative projects are great ways to increase interest in topical research. Middle schoolers learning about primitive life styles in the Americas explore the importance of music to hunter gatherers. They research and create musical...