Fourth graders discover how to communicate effectively by giving oral directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They work with a partner and give oral directions for block building.

Fourth graders open the lines of communication between family members and to gain a historical understanding about family history. They research and interview their grandparents and parents and create a research paper.

Students compose essays outlining the effects of floods on humans and their environments. Included in their essays are methods explaining how people have tried to adapt to floods. Using the Internet or provided written materials,...

Students research facts about dinosaurs and practice effective speaking strategies by creating a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation in this Science and Language Arts lesson for the upper-elementary classroom. It includes one lesson...

Fifth graders examine the role of the Gutenberg press and its effect on society. Using this information, they write a persuasive paper discussing which form of copying is easier to mass produce. They share their opinions with the class...

Students investigate internet safety by discussing harassment on the web.  For this cyber safety lesson, students identify the causes and effects of cyber bullying behavior.  Students discuss actions to take if they or their...

Sixth graders read the novel Grab Hands and Run by Frances Temple. They explore the effects of war on human rights. Students explore the idea that human rights are protected by the United Nations. They identify the human rights that were...

Students create two literacy (reading and/or writing) centers to implement in an elementary classroom. Students review examples of educational software and determine the best potential centers to use in elementary classroom. Two centers...

Students compare and contrast the English version to the Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi.  In this diversity lesson, students discuss similarities and differences in the two versions of the treaty.  Students discuss the...

Young scholars compare the radio to other forms of mass communication. In this Radio Broadcasting Before Television instructional activity, students learn the different types of radio shows in the 1920s and 30s. Young scholars write and...

Introduce your class to literary analysis with a series of activities that has them examine book and movie reviews. Groups then draft their own review of a text, select a digital medium, and craft a presentation.

Investigate ways to persuade by introducing learners to the three rhetorical appeals (Pathos, Logos, Ethos). Pupils receive a worksheet for their definition development of the terms and coinciding vocabulary words. The activity continues...

As part of a study of media literacy, groups examine advertisements from Money, Fortune, The New Yorker, or Good Housekeeping and identify the types of rhetorical appeals used in the ads. After groups present their findings, the whole...

Elementary schoolers read many tall tales. They create their own tall tale about a specific event of their choosing. They must act the part of the author. This well-designed lesson takes three class sessions to complete, and is...

Students discuss work schedule and brainstorm all words associated with a work schedule. They write a class story about job skills then evalutate acceptable and unacceptable activities during employment.

With the focus on 21st century skills it is even more important that all teachers incorporate listening and speaking activities into their curriculum. Here's a packet of practical ideas appropriate for any classroom.

Fifth graders develop and practice the steps involved in imaginative writing. They follow the steps/worksheets included and write imaginative stories of their own.

No one will be saying "Not I" with a lesson that combines The Little Red Hen with the life cycle of a wheat stem! After reading the story in your class, pass out wheat stems to your learners and have them examine the plants closely,...

As this short story unit comes to a close, provide a day for a full examination of theme and allow some time in class for individuals to work on their various assessments. This final lesson before presenting iMovies and portfolios is the...

Children play with barnyard animal cards to practice composing and decomposing numbers. With their "secret number" of animal cards in a cup, they shake and spill them onto a barn story board, counting how many animals fall in the barn...

Students complete a unit of activities for "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe in part to analyze short stories, playwriting, and video production. In this Edgar Allan Poe lesson, students complete a 37 page packet of...

Students copy and figure out the Mystery Codeword each day. They copy Mystery Code into journal. They match the number with the letter to decipher the code word. They draw a picture to match code word. At the end of the week, the...

Students examine descriptions of a mining company's land-reclamation project. They share information to analyze the environmental impact of the project. Independently, they answer questions on environmental and economic issues...

Second graders write sentences in a graphic organizer about communities and what they include.  In this community lesson, 2nd graders will also draw a picture based on their description.