Students view a graphic of the Athens of 2004 Olympic medal. They discuss the symbols on the medal. Students view the "Greek Alphabet animation" and name the letters in the two Greek words on the medal, They transcribe Greek text by...

Students make a list of human accomplishments and how those accomplishments are honored. Next, they determine people in their families, school and community who display qualities that deserve to be recognized such as bravery and...

The Gold Medal Attitudes Running Club was created to promote healthy living for your elementary school pupils. Use a pedometer and a computer program to keep track of progress. A few other suggestions are available, but it's really up to...

Second graders identify Caldecott Medal winners. For this library media lesson, 2nd graders view an overhead transparency of Caldecott Medal winners from 1987-2004 and answer questions based on the data that is displayed.

Students explore types of awards for children's books. They design a new award. Students review books and select one to receive the newly designed award. Students create a "medal" for the book jacket. They write an explanation of the award.

Students examine the accomplishments of Nobel Prize winners and create a replica of the Nobel Prize medallion. They conduct research on people who have received the Nobel Prize and an individual they think might qualify for one in the...

Activist, feminist, and labor organizer Dolores Huerta are perhaps best known for her work with Cesar Chavez to create the United Farm Workers. Class members explore primary source documents to learn more about this Medal of Freedom winner.

Learners discover the American Medal of Freedom, also known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Using the internet, groups of pupils research the history of the award, its recipients, and its origin. Each group prepares a PowerPoint...

First graders examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark. They listen to a story, analyze a map, compare/contrast the Jefferson Peace Medal and the Peace Medal nickel, and design a peace and...

Eighth graders explore the actions needed to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.  In this US History lesson, 8th graders analyze documents pertinent to the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Students examine the process of...

Revisit the 2012 Summer Olympics by having seventh graders calculate the unit rate sprinting speed of the 100-meter gold medal winner. 

Students study the criteria used to select notable book awards, including the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal. Then they develop their own Class Book Awards to bestow upon favorite books in the classroom library. They decide on...

Help readers understand the roles of authors and illustrators and why they have been recognized by medals of excellence. Your class will discuss and then create illustrations for a book. When they have finished, you can hold your own...

Imagine using a six-sided cube to encourage readers to analyze a topic in greater depth. Create a cube, label each of the six sides with one of Bloom's comprehension levels, and you're ready to launch a discussion of a text....

To conclude their study of Out of the Dust, the 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, individuals craft a narrative essay based on one of the themes in Karen Hesse's novel.

The difference between an average and an unforgettable writing can lie in the author's word choice. The figurative language in Chapter 2 of Christopher Paul Curtis's Newbery Medal Winner, Bud, Not Buddy, is the focus of a series of...

During an Olympics year, the world joins together to celebrate athleticism, patriotism, and history. Learn about the Olympiads of the 20th century with a research project in which groups research one year's Olympic Games. They note the...

Students discuss various features of a book, aspects of the story, and then engage in a retelling of the story. In this early childhood lesson plan, students identify the author, illustrator, and title of a book, Joseph Had a Little...

Sixth graders explore and analyze Newbery Medal books. They view a Powerpoint presentation on the Newbery Medal book of that current year, select a book, read and analyze the book, and prepare a multimedia book report presentation.

Students investigate positive female role models. In this Women's History Month lesson, students read the book Mama Went to Jail for the Vote and think about how the character was a role model for other women. Students brainstorm a woman...

Students discuss the Presidential Medal of Freedom and create pamphlets about recvipients, including artwork depicting reasons for receiving the medals. They write essays about someone they think should be awarded the medal.

Students create a class peace medal to present to another grade/class as a symbol of friendship between the two groups of students. Then they write an explanation of what the purpose of the peace medal is and how it relates to Lewis and...

Here’s a reading strategy that can be used with any text. Class members examine portions of a novel, and make predictions about the theme or subject matter of the book. Although designed for Christopher Paul Curtis’s Newbery Medal...

To prepare for a reading of Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse’s 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, class members complete an anticipation guide that focuses attention on themes readers will encounter in the novel.