The cover of The New Yorker magazine sparks a conversation about September 11th and the invaluable sacrifices the first responders made to rescue those in danger. Scholars discuss their observations, thoughts, and feelings then take...

Your land is my land! Young historians investigate the concept of Manifest Destiny used by the United States government to justify western expansion. Jigsaw groups read primary source documents to gain an understanding of the movement...

Talking about weather isn't just for making conversation. Young scientists gather evidence from an interactive activity to make connections between daily and seasonal weather. They analyze data from different areas and compare the...

Beginning English learners practice describing the weather with help from eight picture clues. Questions are phrased like "How's the weather?" and "What's the weather like?" Tinker with the formatting to make it all fit on one page...

Why do people argue?  Use the article "A Holiday Medley, Off Key" to discuss the struggles that interfaith couples face when choosing to celebrate certain holidays. Then, in small groups, encourage learners to write dialogues that...

Explore the world of fairy tales using this lesson focusing on higher- order thinking skills. Learners compare and contrast an Asian Cinderella story to other versions. It is a great way to review the characteristics of the genre and...

You'll need scissors, glue sticks, and mini whiteboards for this activity on rational and irrational numbers. Learners work in groups to classify a variety of expressions as rational or irrational. They are also given a mock discussion...

Students examine the attributes of productive conversations. In this fishbowl discussion lesson, students observe a modeled discussion of a literature circle. Students watch a discussion of "The Bear That Wasn't" and note how individuals...

Students participate in Valentine's Day writing and literacy center activities. In this writing and literacy lesson, students develop Valentine's Day journals using recycled cards and small blank sheets of paper. They write sentences...

Seventh graders interview parents about certain historical events. In this historical interview lesson, 7th graders create a web of events about historical events. Students interview their parents or grandparents about the event and...

Fifth graders determine how to convert fractions, decimals, and percents. In this conversion lesson, 5th graders use an on-line applet to practice making these conversions. They review how to make the conversions in a whole class lesson...

In many places in the world, people go to great lengths to get books to read. This beginning-of-the-year activity uses pictures of people reading in extraordinary situations to stimulate effective listening and speaking using the...

Future energy engineers visit several stations, each one dedicated to a different alternative source of energy. They describe how solar energy is converted into other forms of energy, the patterns of distribution of energy resources in...

NASA presents a mini-unit on distances in our solar system. It incorporates scientific concepts of gravity, mass, density, and payload while your aspiring astronauts also employ mathematics skills. They calculate speed, they determine...

Show your class how to read a map and decipher all of the markings and features. Start out by connecting maps to their homework from the night before and their current reading, in this case That Book Woman, and a related informational...

What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...

Does Bud use his rules to survive or thrive? That is the driving question of a lesson plan following the reading of Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. In an argument essay prewriting activity, pupils use textual evidence to...

Unplugging from technology for one day per week will decrease your carbon footprint—are you up to the challenge? Part two in a series of three allows individuals to explore their personal carbon footprints. By first taking a quiz at home...

“There are no short cuts to any place worth going."—Beverly Sills. Black Tiger Academy’s martial arts lesson 18 of 20 focuses on goal setting. Discuss the difference between short-term goals and long-term goals. Then practice setting a...

Put on your best smile, or a least a better one, for this activity on superlatives and comparatives. English language learners first fill out a graphic organizer by finding other people in the class who are taller than they are, shorter...

If it were possible to step back in time, what would learners want to know about the Civil War? With the aid of discussion prompts, they now have that chance. Invite a Civil War re-enactor to your classroom and have all their questions...

What does is take to be a role model? Through grand conversation, and the use of books and a graphic organizer, scholars find out and apply the requirements to identify a role model within their family. They then journey through the...

Young scientists investigate chemical and physical changes to the states of matter—gas, liquid, and solid—as well as solutions and suspensions with a variety of demonstrations, grand conversation, and an interactive quiz to check for...

Students assess the role of communication within various jobs. In this investigation lesson, students discuss the needs and types of communication in the workforce, then make their own communication device. This device is used to role...