Prior to reading Tolkien's The Hobbit, class members respond to a series of statements in an anticipation guide that introduces many of the central concepts of the novel.

The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...

Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...

Grab your feathers and your hat! And perhaps some macaroni! It's time to investigate the evolution of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Groups do a close reading of sheet music covers, lyrics, and even YouTube videos to see how this political song...

Who knew quilting would be so mathematical? Introduce linear equations and graphing while working with the lines of pre-designed quilts. Use the parts of the design to calculate the slope of the linear segments. The project...

Several subjects are addressed within the context of a science lesson about the sun's ultraviolet rays. Elementary earth scientists consider protection of the skin with sunscreens (health), estimating and measuring surface area or an...

Small groups place sand and ice in a covered box, place the box in the sunlight, then observe as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur. These models serve as miniature water cycles and demonstrations of the three phases of...

Clever! In order to compare indoor and outdoor dispersal rates for the movement of gases and particles through air, collaborators will participate in a classroom experiment. Set up a circular grid and set students on lines that are...

Using paper chromatography, water watchers discover that several substances might be dissolved even though they aren't visible. In this case, you will prepare a mixture of three different food colorings for them to experiment with. A...

Students explore school integration issues. In this Civil Rights Movement lesson plan, students read Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and school integration and then write reflections about difficult experiences.

First graders identify Monet as an Impressionist artist. They create impressions of trees and bushes, paint with sponges, and mix tints and shades. They create impressions of flowers with q-tip dabbing and mixing tints and shades.

Students examine the art of Anime and note its characteristics. Using scenes, they identify the plots, characters and themes trying to be portrayed. In groups, they compare and contrast the animation in America to that of Anime and...

Fourth graders participate in role plays in order to consider how they use body language and facial expressions to convey their feelings. In this nonverbal communication lesson, 4th graders discuss the importance of paying attention to...

Fourth graders hypothesize about the difficulties they may encounter if they did not have their sense of sight, in order to establish a sense of empathy for the disabled. In this lesson on senses, 4th graders record all of the things...

Eighth graders study in depth the history of Puerto Rico. They gather information to write a summary that will contain the following information: Population - In Puerto Rico there are several groups who have integrated. Location - In...

Fourth graders study the Civil War and Indiana's participation in the war. In groups, they choose a person from the Civil War and create a "bio bottle" of that person. They use fine motor skills to create and dress a model of that...

First graders in groups develop a sense of story by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. While one student makes the sandwich, the partner takes digital pictures of the five steps involved in the process. They switch roles. The...

Third graders relate dance movements to chants. They tap out the rhythm of poetry on different body parts.

Students explore the art of storytelling and stories from various cultures. Students experience Japanese and Chinese culture as well as Greek mythology. Students create and present their own Greek mythology topic to the class.

Students examine storytelling in a cross curricular unit. Language arts, social studies, science and math are all incorporated in this project as well as technology through the use of Hyperstudio.

Students discover the grammatical rules regarding articles. In this grammar lesson, students study the rule regarding the use of "a" and "an" in writing. Students are encouraged to discover the rule on their own and apply the rule while...

First graders hear Great Grandma and I. They locate objects representing then (seed) and now (tomato). They make then and now charts for members of their families.

Students read and view information sent from seven high school students who travel to China. The daily reports that they send back to the weblog section of the site should be of high interest to students in Minnesota.

Young scholars review and reproduce an article of Elizabethan styled clothing as a part of an analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth.  In this Elizabethan art instructional activity, students discuss the fashion of the Elizabethan era...