Breaking down words into syllables has two benefits: it improves vocabulary and it improves understanding of a text. The third and final resource in a series of materials designed to be used with Nature: Friend or Foe offers extra...

What will your class learn in a curious tale of a fungus, a virus, and a chestnut tree? Biology scholars discover the world of viral biocontrols through a DNA restriction lab. Groups research the decline of the American chestnut tree at...

Students take a closer look at money. In this federal reserve lesson, students complete the provided handouts that require them to examine Federal reserve notes and discover details about the role of the Federal Reserve in the United...

Would you live in a tree for three years to protect a redwood forest? Viewers of Rainhouse Cinema's Among Giants documentary consider the actions of Earth First! environmental activists who moved into the treetops of a grove of giant...

Discuss with your oceanographers what forces cause nearshore upwelling and downwelling. Display a line of wind vectors alongside a graph of the temperatures so that they can discover whether or not they are related. Discussion questions...

Learners study the role of the U.S. Congress in American government as described in the Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch an overhead about 'public criticisms' in the legislative process and complete a quiz....

Learners discuss the characteristics of the Goldilocks Principle. They discover the pressure and chemical composition of Venus and Mars. They discuss how the Earth's temperature is affected by the atmosphere.

Just how long did it take the framers to write the Constitution? What role did the drafting process play? Scholars examine various drafts from the Constitutional Convention to gain a better understanding of its formation. Interactive...

Discover a world too small to see. In the lesson plan, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects are made...

A lot of secrecy shrouded the creation of the atomic bomb. Readers uncover some of that secrecy using an educator's guide for the novel The Green Glass Sea. Three weeks of lesson plans feature discussion questions and reading...

Are there secret worlds? The four children in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe answer the imaginative question when they discover a magical land in a wardrobe. Scholars read the first chapter to match vocabulary words and...

Benjamin Franklin was many things: a scientist, businessman, diplomat, politician. Learners explore facets of the legendary figure with a matching activity. By matching primary source documents to their descriptions, they analyze the...

Can you really knock the sense into someone? It seems that the bump on Billy's head changed his perspective on things in The Year of Billy Miller. Readers discover that after his injury, Billy appreciates his parents more and is nicer to...

Falling into the hands of a credit scam is much too common these days, and the young adults in the classroom need to be prepared. Through the activity, learners discover how to be a safe spender and use common sense when...

Students discover the meaning and symbolism behind the American flag. In this lesson plan on National symbols, students design a flag for their school, explain the symbolism they used, and distinguish the elements that constitute the US...

Students discover the responsibilities of the Civilian Conservation Corps. In this New Deal instructional activity, students analyze the impact that the inclusion of African Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps made on race...

Students discover the metric system through video clips and Internet activities. In this measurements lesson, students practice using the units of measure for the metric system and compare them to the less popular English system....

Seventh graders examine the Great Depression and federal relief programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps. Focusing on Texas, they assess the effects on poor farmers and discuss what they would do for a living had they lived in...

Students plan a route across Donner Summit using topographical maps in order to understand the challenges involved in constructing the railroad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this history lesson, students first discover how to read...

Students conduct research to discover about Mrs. Rosa Parks' historic role in the U.S. civil rights movement. They create an original artwork to depict the setting in which Mrs. Parks acted for fairness and then create a puppet show to...

Young scholars examine newspapers to research public opinion about the Holocaust. In this critical thinking lesson, students research the information Americans received in U.S. newspapers about events like Kristallnacht, the Berlin...

Pupils, through historic photographs and stories, discover the world of the one-room schoolhouse and compare it to their school experience.

Youngsters discover who the leaders in their community are and what it means to build a community in this four-lesson unit. 

Class members explore possible career paths and consider their own passions and interests by researching job openings, career descriptions, and skills, as well as reading the success stories of experienced entrepreneurs.