What makes a hero? After discussing the term and considering a book about Franklin D. Roosevelt, classmates work together to write a script and present their biography of a Great American hero. Notes sheets help group members organize...

Leave the past in the past. Scholars read paragraph 12 of the chapter "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" to analyze Du Bois's development of gaining liberty and leaving the ideas of the past. Pupils then carry out a three to five-minute...

Scholars analyze various photos to determine how the people pictured take a stand. They use a Notice/Wonder Note Catcher to help organize their thoughts. Learners then study a Taking a Stand: Frayer Model handout to learn what it means...

Alabama voted to secede from the Union preceding the Civil War. What did women think of the decision? The activity uses letters and newspaper articles to explain women's views on the secession and how they participated in the celebration...

Cesar Chavez believed so much in the cause of farmworkers that he put his money where his mouth was. Chavez quit his well-paying job to organize them into labor unions. Using a speech, photograph, and short biographical video, pupils...

How are animals classified? Scholars explore animal classification by observing non-living and living specimens. They learn how to organize animals into vertebrates and invertebrates and identify the five vertebrate groups: mammals,...

Mind maps are great tools. Teach your classes how to use mind maps to collect, organize, and retain information with a instructional activity that asks learners to research the life of Sacagawea and use mind maps to record their findings.

A formidable opponent can shake up the election of an incumbent president. Class members explore the results of the elections of 1912, 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1992 using video clips. A chart helps pupils organize their thoughts and...

The "On My Own Two Feet" School Handbook describes a carefully scaffolded, richly detailed substance abuse program designed for middle and high schools. Chapters look at approaches to prevention, suggestions for organizing and...

The California grape workers' strike of 1965-66 is the focus of a lesson that asks high schoolers to investigate the strategies farmworkers used to organize and gain contracts with grape growers that ensured higher waters and better work...

A two-part lesson introduces learners to a six-step process for writing and presenting oral reports. Participants learn how to select, limit, and research a topic, how to organize their notes, draft and revise their reports, and practice...

Few have heard of Dolores Huerta and her part in organizing the California farm workers, establishing the United Farm Workers union and orchestrating the Delano Grape strike. High schoolers consider why this powerful woman has been...

Can budding writers accept constructive criticism? Learners work with their peers to gain feedback about their argumentative essay drafts. Peers give one another constructive criticism to revise their work better. Using a Peer Review...

Give the class some clarification. Scholars determine how Du Bois develops his central ideas in the chapter "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" by refining and clarifying his ideas. They organize their thoughts by annotating and recording the...

May I take your order? Scholars read "Ain't I a Woman" and participate in a World Cafe. They work in small groups to discuss text-related questions and then complete a Note-Catcher sheet to organize their thoughts. For homework, learners...

Scholars work in groups to compare Brown v. Board of Education excerpts and A Mighty Long Way. They use the Paired Text note catcher to organize their thoughts and divide the work using a jigsaw activity to track Carlotta's journey.

Organize your thoughts! Scholars work on the drafts of their position papers about sustainable water management. The draft serves as their mid-unit assessment. Before beginning, the class discusses the prompt and then learners work...

Students take a "virtual trip" to Switzerland. This lesson gives suggestions about how to arrange and then organize such an online chat trip so that it be as beneficial as possible.

To discover the impact of urbanization on the environment, learners compare landscape paintings from the past with contemporary photographs, create found poems from descriptions of artwork, design backyard or public garden spaces,...

Young journalists try their hand at writing a news report. They go through the process of developing ideas, and collecting and organizing their information. The headline everyone works with is, "Mystery Disappearance of English Teacher:...

A blood sucking what? Grade schoolers identify the characteristics of blood sucking parasites. They organize their information, identify their arguments, and present them to the class in persuasive arguments. They participate in a debate...

Fourth graders complete a research project about the state of Michigan. They conduct Internet research, organize the information on index cards, and create a HyperStudio presentation.

Create food-safe bowls with your class, then organize a meal for the community using the class's bowls to serve. This lesson is based on the Empty Bowels Project, where school kids gain an understanding of global hunger through community...

A health and fitness expo hosted by the 4th and 5th grade PE classes for the entire school. This is a great idea! There are 10 activities that are listed for the classes to participate in. For each of the activities, there is an...