While the French Revolution could be considered inspired by the American Revolution, it created thorny problems for the new United States. Should the United States get involved and be drawn into a European drama? Was the US strong...

Students explore tableaux.  In this social studies and fine arts cross curriculum instructional activity, students work in groups of four to create "frozen" stage pictures (tableaux) representing vocabulary and concepts from a "From...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson plan, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...

Students explore Hispanic countries.  In this Hispanic culture and language lesson, students choose an Hispanic country to research.  Students explore given websites and prepare a dramatization incorporating the facts they...

How does reading a drama differ from reading a novel? Middle schoolers become playwrights and explore these differences. After viewing the A&E movie,"The Crossing," groups create stage directions, write dialogue, and design sets and...

Action! Delve into character development in the play Fences by August Wilson, setting the stage for learners to analyze character nuances. Thespians choose a scene from the script, responding with a written account of the...

Eighth graders read act 1 scenes 1 & 2 of the play Diary of Anne Frank. In this Diary of Anne Frank lesson plan, 8th graders discuss how the setting of the play affects the mood of the story and answer short answer questions.

Eighth graders consider cross-curricular connections between social studies, singing, and current events. They listen to the song, "I Can't Cry Hard Enough." view scenes from September 11, then create presentations using images, a...

Fourth graders explore electricity by examining the life of Benjamin Franklin.  In this biographical lesson, 4th graders listen to the teacher read facts of Benjamin Franklin's life and analyze his contributions to our current...

Have your class explore the history of Texas using this comprehensive instructional activity! They read about Texas' march toward statehood, the Alamo, and more. There is a series of worksheets, graphic organizers, and a rubric which...

Students participate in a reader's theater using farm animals in the novella Animal Farm. In this Animal Farm lesson plan, students evaluate interpretations using the text, personal experience, and historical events.

Students create a rainforest poster and move to music learning about the rainforest. In this rainforest lesson plan, students express themselves in a variety of ways using their knowledge of the rainforest. Activities include creating a...

High schoolers create and perform science fiction drams based upon their knowledge of the solar system. For this solar system lesson students work in cooperative groups to create a short play and will also score the play.

Students analyze Antigone and its universal issues as well as explore ancient Greece. In this Antigone and Ancient Greece lesson, students read and complete activities for Sophocles' Antigone. Students reconstruct the experience of a...

Students discover the famous Greek Philosophers. In this Greek lesson, students find the contributions of Ancient Greece and their philosophers. This lesson includes brief bios on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Students put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. In this Civil War lesson plan, students examine letters from the time period written by soldiers, edit the letters for grammatical errors, and then present the letters...

Students assess the importance of acceptance of self and others via the development of self-worth and the looking for the good in others not the bad. They explore the task of looking at the world through the eyes of others. In addition,...

Students discover how to deal with grief by accepting their feelings. During a musical/meditative session they recall a time when they lost someone or something they loved and progress to a feeling of happiness for having had known...

Students gain an appreciation for Greek drama through study of a play by Sophocles. They explore the cultural and historical context of Greek drama and its role in Greek society. Students write a report after seeing the play performed live.

Third graders reflect on and discuss the story, Jane and the Dragon, and portray their understanding of stereotyping through the actions of their character. Through the use of legends, drama can be used to educate understanding for other...

Students explore the process of play and movie making from books. They study the basic elements of drama and write and produce a play based on a chosen theme. Students explain the basic elements of a play by looking at "The Wonderful...

To conclude a study of A Raisin in the Sun and to prepare for a visit to the Lewis Museum, class members analyze Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem." Learners then draw connections to characters in the play and to their own experiences...

Students explore the concepts of intuition, insight, imagination and the reasons not to ignore it, but to enhance it in one's lifestyle. In doing this, one increases the ability to draw deeper meaning from art, poetry and symbolism. In...

Students listen to stories about and research the life of an Uighur child from China. They investigate their own cultural heritage and design a mural.