A getting-to-know-you activity that is perfect for the beginning of the year! Kids craft their portrait out of clay, then make a mobile by dangling ceramic representations of things they love. This project builds self-awareness, motor...

This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...

A reading of Peggy Parish's Amelia Bedelia launches a study of idioms. Groups then select several idioms, write the meaning of the expressions, draw or select images, and use GIMP or Photoshop to create an idiom book. 

Dive into animation creation using Dreamworks® animated films. Compare and contrast characters, wonder and ponder why the plot is so important, and think of background and themes as your creativity unrolls onto paper.

Kwanzaa is the focus of a three-part activity that celebrates the history and traditions of the holiday. Before lighting the Kinara, scholars listen to a read-aloud of Seven Candles of Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Learners...

Learn by doing! Young artists try their hand at creating their own self-portraits in the style of Vincent van Gogh. This worksheet contains a brief explanation of the essential qualities of van Gogh's art: complementary colors and...

Young historians investigate how voting patterns have changed by comparing the outcome of the 1960 election to the outcome of the recent election. A creative final assessment has participants making a news show wherein they provide...

Illuminate your playground with chaulk images. Young aratists use the web to research the work of Keith Haring. Groups then design their own piece of visual art and recreate their images on the school sidewalks of blacktop.

A simple question can spark such a range of responses and creative thought. Use this writing prompt to get your youngsters talking about the thrills and adventures of reading, as they detail their favorite books, what they are about, and...

What if your feelings could change in a single instant just by putting on a new pair of glasses? Explore different types of feelings with your youngsters with this activity, and consider a world of possibilities after introducing this...

Conflicts arise when underlying needs are unmet. An engaging video introduces viewers to nine basic human needs. Then, through a series of videos, worksheets, and activities, class members learn that by focusing on interests and needs,...

A lesson spotlights the story, The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi. After a read-aloud, the class retells the story using puppets or dress-up. They participate in a thoughtful discussion about the story, answer questions relating the...

Chant along to this odd rhyming game. Each slide requires students to recite the words Katlina Matalina Upsadina Walkadina Hoca Poca Loca. After each slide progresses another attribute is added to an image which will finally reveal an...

A series of 4 activities foster critical thinking, careful observation, and creative expression with the work of Canadian artist Robert Harris. Learners respond to half a painting and then to the whole picture while listening to a poem;...

Students recognize how music, theater, dance, and the visual arts can be combined to contribute to their own active learning. They work in small groups to research and use critical thinking skills to identify ways in which the arts could...

Think outside the box - and think about education beyond the classroom walls - with a resource that has your critical thinkers watching a video about a nursery in Scotland that lets youngsters roam wild in a forest....

Students discover how rivers inspire creative expression.  In this Mark Twain lesson, students list songs about rivers and discuss common characteristics. They locate the Mississippi River on a map and write a script in which a...

Students produce a creative expression of an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They may also create posters to serve as reminders for creating a human rights environment or community.

Third graders analyze mathematical word problems and interpret the words into mathematical equations. Individuals demonstrate their knowledge of the order of operations both verbally and through written expression.

This comprehensive unit investigates transformations of quadratics, having learners follow "Optima" through the development and growth of her quilting business. Deftly weaving the story into the mathematical mechanics, the unit gives...

Be ready mathematicians of every level. This instructional activity leads to the discovery of the zero product property and provides challenges for early finishers along the way. At conclusion, pupils understand the process of using the...

Do your classes truly understand the distributive property? Use a demonstrative lesson to represent the distributive property in various ways. Learners solidify understanding by creating a geometric pattern for distributive...

Polynomial multiplication and factoring go hand in hand. Why not teach them together. This resource begins with an area model for distributing a monomial and then connects the process to factoring the GCF. Learners then advance to...

If you can multiply binomials, you can factor trinomials! This is the premise for a lesson on factoring. Pupils look for patterns in the binomials they multiply and apply them in reverse. Examples include leading coefficients of one...