Fifth graders compare and identify variables that affect the rate of a chemical change using Alka-Seltzer, water, ice, and hot water. They time how long each variable takes to pop the canister into the air, and record the results on a...

Middle Schoolers produce a class newspaper about the American cowboy and the times in which he lived with illustrations, feature stories and advertisements typical of the times. This is an ambitious, yet worthwhile project for youngsters...

Delve into the responsibilities of the president by looking at President Hamilton's opinion of the presidential office in his own words. The second in a three-part series, the resource also offers an interesting compare-and-contrast...

There are eight stages of an atrocity known as genocide, and it's important to understand how they are represented so we can fight against it in the future. As young historians watch video clips of ten Jewish Holocaust survivors'...

Critically analyze advertising techniques, such as circular reasoning, bandwagon, testimonial, and repetition, with worksheets that effectively discuss and illustrate how the media aims to influence.

Election years provide the opportunity to evaluate news media as well as the next prospective president. High schoolers read about the same event in several different news sources, varying in type, origin, and political leaning,...

Writers compose an original found poem by searching for words that inspire them. Words are taken from everyday conversation, books, cut from magazines, the mail, or an already written poem. 

Who is Herman Melville? Read and discuss "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Then, discuss the film adaptations of Melville's work and translate a passage of the text into modern-day English. Discussion questions are...

Students explore how the same news story can be presented differently through various journalistic styles. They discuss the unique characteristics of each style and find articles on the same event in each of the different styles.

Working in small teams, learners analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of...

Students examine the roles of mothers and grandmothers by looking at black-and-white photographs of one American family and comparing that family's multi-generational story with their own. In this mothers and grandmothers lesson plan,...

Students explore the hardships being faced by the people in Zimbabwe.  In this World History lesson, students research the challenges of Zimbabwe, such as hunger, poverty, low life expectancy and political controversy.  Upon...

Hot off the press: a mini-unit for class members to create their own newspaper. Complete with graphic organizers, extension activities, and helpful learning targets that teach parts of a newspaper, the resource contains everything needed...

Money isn't the only type of currency that fills a piggy bank. Learners practice filling their banks with the the things that make them grateful. Pupils write about their talents, relationships, challenges, and life skills, making...

High schoolers examine the New York Times review of the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and explore the elements of scriptwriting. They read the article about the film adaptation screenplay and examine a...

Renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. As part of their study of the forest ecosystem, class members read "Nature's Treasure Chest" about the many products made from trees and then craft their own recycled paper.

Fourth graders explore angles in everyday life. In this angles lesson, 4th graders view examples of angles, then search magazines, newspapers and catalogues for more examples. Students work in pairs and check each other's work.

Students 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 Olympics,...

Students write news stories to accompany tabloid headlines. In this tabloid lesson plan, students learn the power of persuasion and exaggeration by writing stories based on actual tabloid headlines.

Students review advertisements. In this advertising lesson, students define advertising and determine the main reason ads are created. Students define what it means to be a consumer and advertiser. Students are divided into groups and...

Fifth graders study the American Revolution. In this writing lesson plan, each group of students write a story that will go into the created newspaper depicting a day in the 1770's.

Learners create a newspaper layout. In this journalism lesson plan, students view different types of newspaper layouts on various websites. Learners use oaktag to construct a new layout for their school newspaper. Each student presents...

Students examine examples of budgets and explore the difficulties of living on a budget. The hands-on activity offers an opportunity to experience a real life application.

Middle schoolers practice the correct use of quotation marks. For this grammar lesson, students watch and then discuss a video on the use of quotation marks. Middle schoolers find examples of quotation marks in books and periodicals and...