Introduce young learners to the idea of disabilities and making friends with children who are different than they are. Using Don't Call Me Special - A First Look at Disability by Pat Thomas, learners are guided through the new...

Teach your class about compassion and empathy with Jamee Riggio Heelan's Can You Hear a Rainbow? As kids read about Chris, a boy who is deaf, they discuss the things he likes to do, as well as the ways he communicates with the world.

Discussing topics that other people are interested in is a key social skill that can often be overlooked. Here is a resource that supports learners in developing this life skill by first prompting them to consider a wide range...

Learn about how the seeing eye dog program began with a reading lesson about Eva Moore's chapter book, Buddy, The First Seeing Eye Dog. With vocabulary words, discussion questions, and extension resources, the lesson is a...

Help to create the next generation of friends with a lesson about accepting people who are different. As kids read Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, they answer a series of discussion questions and activities about making friends...

Stand in My Shoes, a story by Bob Sornson, is an effective way to teach young learners about empathy and making friends. Once pupils read through the story, they answer a series of discussion questions and complete reading...

First graders read "The Red Racer" by Audrey Wood. They identify choices and consequences present in the story. They identify and evaluate choices, and the consequences of those choices, in everyday life both at school and home.

First graders explore the relationships between the choices one makes and the consequences that follow. The importance of choices in context of getting along with others is stressed throughout the lesson.

Students study sports teams, gather data about the teams, and create a newscast about their data. For this sports analysis lesson, students research two teams and define their statistical data. Students compare the two teams, make...

Students explore correct social behaviors. In this social skills lesson, students take turns modeling correct social behaviors in various settings. Students write text for a social story and share them with the class.

Students participate in literary circles to analyze characters, critique writing, discuss events, and  story elements.  In this literary circles lesson, students take responsibility for their learning as a member of the...

Students practice the skill of reasoned decision making. In this making decisions instructional activity, students read from the website 'Little Planet Times' and use the 'Making Good Decisions' E-Sheet to help with the article. Students...

Students complete a unit using the story of the Little Red Hen to learn the storybook reading format as well as improve their reading and social skills. In this storybook lesson, students complete five lessons using the story of the...

Pupils investigate the virtue of kindness and giving by conducting a children's literature study of "The Giving Tree". They make a list of words to describe emotions in the story and write a journal daily while looking at the virtues and...

Students share the value of helping others through reading and art activities. For this Clifford and the Big Storm lesson plan, students read the story, discuss courage, and create a gallery of heroes.

Students investigate the character trait of perseverance and how it is used to help a girl gain independence in a fictional story. The story also has them think about the value of relationships and then write reflectively about...

Learners explore profit and risk. In this economics lesson, students read about McDonald's and Nabisco stock and discuss the risks and rewards of stock ownership. Printable worksheets ask questions about rights of stock owners and the...

As testing season is upon us, give class members a way to prepare their minds and bodies for the big day. A resource promotes deep breathing exercises and comfortability to reduce anxiety. Along with multiple choice, short...

Fourth graders read the book "The Sign of the Beaver". As a class, they identify the problems in the story and predicting what they think is going to happen next. Individually, they examine the cause and effect relationships and...

Through the journey of four stories of immigration, scholars complete graphic organizers and apply knowledge to create a visual representation of their findings on a large poster. Third and fourth readers write a letter to their...

Students explore classroom community building. In this character development and community building activity, students listen to Hands Are Not for Hitting and generate a class list of positive ways to handle classroom conflicts. Students...

Young scholars consider the importance of giving as they read "Franklin Says I Love You". In this character education lesson, students engage in discussion about the importance of sharing and giving. They relate to the story by offering...

After reading and analyzing The 'In' Group by Eve Shalen, sixth graders consider how the categorization of people results in exclusion, discrimination, and injustice. 

Learners identify their beliefs and values and compare how these values relate to those of their community. They then determine how their values affect the roles they play in different situations. A quiz about values and beliefs...