Big Buddies is a wonderful tradition that has been going on in schools for a long time. Older children get together with much younger children for mentoring purposes. It's a confidence builder for all involved. There are two wonderful...

Students reflect on an adult who plays a significant role in their lives. They conduct peer interviews and write newspaper articles about these important individuals.

Students discuss and analyze examples of surrealist paintings and photographs from the LACMA collection. Students comprehend the basic tenets and history of the surrealism. They research a surrealist artist they want to emulate in their...

Third graders analyze the importance of characters in fiction writing and performances.  In this theatre lesson, 3rd graders identify the important characteristics of a fictional character and how to portray a character through many...

Students design their own playground equipment. In this design lesson, students take pictures of equipment they like and make a class pictograph of their favorite ones. They investigate the design, research equipment around the world,...

Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...

Third graders review concepts of fractions, and one-half. They discuss self portraits and the relationships of eyes, nose and mouth to the whole face. Students create base-line self-portraits. On the second day, 3rd graders observe and...

Young scholars engage in a lesson that is about the meaning of a verb or adverb. They perform sketches with the subject matter of the words. The goal is for the actors to show the meaning of the verb or adverb with an action.

Students identify and portray specific character attributes through uprigth movement, creating a portrayal of an animal. They use vibrant, upright movement to convey the characteristics and temperament of specific animals. Finally,...

Students practice mirroring human moves by performing a dance in class.  In this physical education instructional activity, students utilize different spaces around them to perform a dance expressing their full motion....

Students learn the meaning of prepositions through movement. In this dance lesson, students choreograph a piece showing that they understand the meaning of various prepositions. 

Third graders investigate congruent polygons through dance. In this congruency lesson plan, 3rd graders do the "brain dance" as a warm up. They review polygon names by singing "The Polygon Chant," before mirroring congruent shapes with a...

Students write about main characters. In this dramatic writing lesson, students brainstorm character ideas. Students create actions and give the character a voice. Students act out the scene in groups and create a final draft.

Fifth graders demonstrate different types of lines using movement. In this line and movement instructional activity, 5th graders demonstrate parallel and perpendicular lines, and lines of symmetry using dance movement. They also...

Students discuss the difference betwen two-dimensional vs. three-dimensional art. In this art instructional activity, students discuss what symmetry or balance is in art and construct a symmetrical and an asymmetrical mobile.

Learners use different qualities of movement to express themselves. In this lesson plan on movement, students use different qualities of energy and then use their experience as an inspiration for writing poetry.

Fourth graders act out and write original narratives. In this theater meets writing lesson, 4th graders work in groups to create original narratives; after students act out their story, they write it down as a narrative.

Youngsters use their imaginations and the story of St. Patrick to design original artwork for the holiday, by portraying where they think St. Patrick would have visited in the United States or illustrating what St. Patrick's Day...

Introduce young thespians to all aspects of the theater. A syllabus for a one-semester drama course provides lessons that take learners from the history of drama to the many facets of play production.

Everybody's a critic—even your pupils! Using the included resources as a guide, screen films related to social justice and ask film enthusiasts to critique them. Publish the reviews for your school community or develop a film festival...

Sixth graders analyze the primary force that drives a character's actions in a character analysis lesson plan. In this character analysis lesson plan, 6th graders analyze how characters present their actions and participate in a group...

Students analyze how repeated body movements and shapes can represent and extend patterns. In this pattern analysis instructional activity, students discuss patterns in dance, math, and everyday living. Students demonstrate a dance using...

Students explore the different themes and strategies of dancing by performing in class.  In this physical education lesson, students practice moving specific joints and muscles as they train to perform a dance.  Students...

Analyzing the sequence of actions in dramatic stories leads to deeper comprehension of story structure. The class identifies the main actions in each section of a story and develops frozen tableau's for the identified actions of the...