After listening to a story about Martin Luther King Jr., first graders answer questions about the text. They discuss the importance of the illustrations, identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and complete a writing...

The distinction between Shiite and Sunni Muslims is an often misunderstood concept, yet very important for its implications in global affairs and for a more comprehensive understanding of the religion of Islam.

Seventh graders research Greek mythological characters. They write about problems faced by middle school-aged children and how the character would handle them. Students also create story boards to accompany their oral narratives.

What is historical fiction? After explaining the difference to your learners, it's time to give each learner a try! With your support, encourage them to research, plan, and write their own historical fiction story. Don't forget to have a...

Students demonstrate their knowledge of panthers by writing a play on the subject.  In this animal life activity, students view a slide-show on school computers of a veterinary exam of a panther.  Students utilize this...

Learners conduct research on 1830s families and early New England culture. They conduct research on the Old Sturbridge Village website, participate in an online chat with a costumed interpreter, and continue to develop possible plots to...

Students write a paragraph describing a conflict they had with a friend or a family member and a paragraph explaining how it was resolved. In this social science lesson, students share their paragraphs with a partner and then will...

Here’s a clever way to combine language arts and social studies. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is believed to have been inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609. The class views a brief scene from Castaway in which Tom...

Students explore the feelings surrounded by humiliation, resentment and retaliation in the context of school violence.  In this character building instructional activity, students examine possible reasons for school violence and...

Students identify the plot and theme of cartoons. In groups, they discuss and compare the written and movie versions of popular fairy tales. Individually, they write their own fairy tale and share them with the class. They write their...

Students analyze the plot of the story, "The Little Engine That Could" to provide a model for writing creatively, developing critical essays, producing themes, and making predictions.

Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...

Students apply the global positioning system to create maps of local historical sites. By collaborating with local historical groups, they research events and relate them to broader, national history. In addition to writing essays...

Sixth graders study and identify the elements of a story such as. setting, character, plot, and theme, using two versions of the folktale Little Red-Riding Hood. They use the Internet to locate more information on the author Ed Young.

Students examine, evaluate and understand the concept of conflict, conflict escalation and colflict resolution through a variety of creative interactions.

Students use several short stories to analyze different types of power. While discussing the role of power in these short stories, students will practice communication skills essential to conflict transformation, specifically attentive...

Tenth graders explore the importance of peace in society.  In this Global History lesson, 10th graders create a common vocabulary for the different elements that exist in a peaceful society.  Students discover the connections...

Students practice conflict resolution by considering alternatives before reacting to a conflict.

Tenth graders differentiate between positions, interests, and values.  In this current events lesson, 10th graders analyze, in a response to literature, the failure of a fictional negotiation.  Students demonstrate the ability...

Students work through conflict. In this conflict resolution instructional activity, students participate in a simulation that requires them to consider both sides of the whaling issue.

Students use whale migration patterns to determine sex and age of whales and determine where these whales can be located during different seasons. They use mapping skills to plot the migration patterns of four unknown whales.

Students are exposed to the writings of John Wilkes Booth. They discover that fanaticism is not just a modern phenomenon. They examine four periods in American history when treason was at issue.

Middle schoolers break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose an option to demonstrate a different cultural perspective in a fairy tale or other folklore that they are familiar. Possible choices are: PowerPoint presentation, video, digital...