Looking for a good lesson on dictionary and word definition skills? The lesson presented here is for you! In it, learners utilize a worksheet, embedded in the plan, to record a word's definition(s), etymology, multiple meanings,...

How did the tiger get its stripes? Kindergartners read a Vietnamese folk tale, "How the Tiger Got His Stripes," retold by Rob Cleveland, and work through several reading comprehension and literary analysis activities.

Young historians use primary source materials to investigate the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the USS Arizona. After reading background articles and studying maps and images of the attack, class members consider whether...

The second instructional activity in a unit about how writers develop their central ideas and use evidence to support their arguments focuses on the role that scholars at Jundi Shapur, "The World's First True University," played in the...

Chances are good that young scholars have heard of the Tuskegee Airmen but few would predict that these pilots had their own support in the form of the Tuskegee Weathermen. These Black meteorologists were recruited and trained to provide...

What is the connection between the spread of ideas and the expansion of the sugar trade? Class members continue their reading of Sugar Changed the World and use an analysis tool to identify how critical ideas in the chapters are...

Minnie Bruce Pratt's poem, "The Great Migration," offers young scholars an opportunity to reflect on how where we come from influences who we are. Groups conduct a close reading of the poem, recording observations about the poem's...

Look it up. Scholars read Florida: A Paradise of Scandals Excerpt 1 and use a dictionary to look up any unfamiliar words. They then do a close read of the text and answer text-dependent questions. Learners analyze author perspective by...

The Harappan Civilization, also known as the Indus Valley civilization (2600 BC-1900 BC), is the focus of a resource packet that details the rise and fall of a culture that existed in India during the Chalcolithic period of...

Introduce middle schoolers to the First Nations that inhabited the Northeast during the Age of Exploration with a series of activities designed for differentiated groups.

Sometimes the New Order becomes synonymous with its implications for European countries, but what about its consequences for East Asia? The final instructional activity in a four-part series teaches scholars about World War II. High...

Urban communities are the focus of a series of lessons created to meet specific needs using differentiated instruction. A pre-assessment designates scholars into three groups based on their ability level. Small groups take part in...

A lesson on evaluating sources of information teaches scholars to "think twice" before using a source. Researchers examine a resource's home page, author, and sponsor, as well as the date published and the documentation provided.

Sometimes, sensory details can bring you back to a familiar place. Study the setting descriptions from a critical chapter in Amy Tan's A Joy Luck Club, and discuss how they enhance the book's plot and contribute to a central theme.

After viewing the West of the West's documentary Cache, individuals craft either a newspaper article chronicling the discovery of the cache on San Nicolas Island, a historical narrative of the placement of the cache in the cliff side, or...

Eighth graders research the career of Arctic transportation. In this arctic transportation lesson, 8th graders read a book about Arctic truck travel and review the historical aspects of transporting goods in the Arctic. Students review...

Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...

Students learn about rivers. In this maps activity, students describe rivers and what human activities take place in a river. Students use a map to locate the rivers in the United States.

Students write directions from a starting point to a destination using a map and ads from the Yellow Pages. They define the following terms using total body response or through the use of random objects: "right-hand," "left-hand,"...

Third graders problem solve using drawings and map interpretations. They preview graphs and Cartesian geometry. They follow directions on a map using a grid and compass references while simulating they are reading a pirate map.

Sixth graders discover locations and countries in Europe by identifying them on a map.  In this European geography lesson, 6th graders read the book The Lost Little Elephant, with their class and discuss the geography referenced in...

First graders read and follow a map in a treasure hunt to find the location of the treasure. They demonstrate their knowledge/understanding of symbols, keys on a map, and directions by following the map with ease.

Students analyze data from the 2000 census to learn how the census works. In this civics lesson, students read a story to find out about the census, then use a map and census data to analyze changes. Lesson includes related resources...

Second graders calculate mileage for a journey. In this place value and measurement lesson, 2nd graders read Johnny Appleseed, work in groups to locate his birthplace on a map, locate the other states he stopped in, and measure the...