Students define success. They analyze what makes people successful and develop their own plans to become successful people. After a class discussion about success, students analyze the story of a young adult who is working in the real...

Learners examine heroes and discuss their characteristics, values, and actions. They produce Powerpoint presentations on real-life and fictional heroes. Students interview veterans for an oral history project.

Young scholars use real life situations to use their problem-solving skills. They, in groups, explore why rules are a part of life.

Learners study the impact of humans on the environment of a river valley over time and recognize stewardship and the common good in a real life example.

Learners practice making critical judgments about the sources sited when researching a topic on the internet and in real-life situations. They assess how sources vary in reliability and accuracy while reviewing a variety of source...

Search a variety of sources to create a multimedia or book project about Japan. Learners use the independent investigation method to plan and conduct research about Japan. They use the information they discover to create a computer book...

Eighth graders examine the role of intended meaning in Ralph Earl's portrait of Andrew Jackson. They, in groups, research periods in Jackson's life and use gathered information to create their own portraits of Jackson.

Have your class explore the effects of war by reading Eleanor Coerr's story, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." This is a story about a sixth grader who lives in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb is dropped. Learners answer questions,...

Everyone loves the tales involving King Arthur and his knights. After reading Knights of the Round Table by Gwen Gross, learners draw inferences and conclusions, analyze story elements, and discuss figurative language, including...

Small groups read assigned chapters from the book, Letters to Rifka, then work together to fill out comprehension worksheets associated with their chapters. This fine, 13-page lesson culminates with each group getting together to meet...

Students study the measurement formulas for area and perimeter in real-life situations. In this area and perimeter lesson, students design a bed and arrange furniture in a hotel room using area and perimeter formulas for a 7 1/2 foot...

Third graders grasp a deeper understanding of historical time periods when vicariously experienceing the situations and circumstances of real-life individuals and responding to them.

Using geoboards, computer programs, and hands-on manipulative materials, elementary schoolers engage in a study of two and three-dimensional geometric shapes. This lesson is chock full of good teaching ideas on the subject, and the...

Challenge your class with these essay questions based on Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetry. This resource includes 3-8 short answer and essay questions for each of 9 different poems by Shelley. Pick and choose the poems you would like to...

Get things moving with this elementary science unit on simple machines. Through a series of nine lessons including teacher demonstrations, hands-on activities, and science experiments, young scientists learn about forces, motion,...

Students role-play real-life survivors in a panel discussion. They read a mini-biography about a survivor.

Eighth graders engage inn role-playing activities as families caring for babies with genetic defects. A partial list of activities include: dressing the babies ( raw eggs), designing birth certificates, and recording a log of care,...

Students explain how individual elements (e.g., plot, theme, character, conflict, etc.) comprise the structure of a play. They write an original one-act play with developed characters, specific setting, conflict, and resolution.

Clichés, paradoxes, and equivocations are detailed in a short, animated video that defines and illustrates these writing traps. The resource also includes a quiz and the transcript for the video. Users can register to access free course...

Students examine and identify the characteristics of the different genres of literature. After being read and reading various stories, they identify how different books by the same author carry the same story elements. They discuss how...

Learners identify cause and effect relationships in a short story. After reading a short story, they participate in a discussion of how one event in a story can lead to several others. Students are then paired for a matching task that...

Pupils examine human health by reading a children's book in class. In this breakfast lesson, students identify the importance of starting the day with a good, nutritious meal. Pupils read the book I Think I Forgot Something and answer...

Learners investigate about the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., watching video clips from unitedstreaming. They identify ways that they can help make Martin Luther's dream of peace a reality. Pupils identify contributions that...

Students develop the skills necessary to advocate for themselves through adulthood. Through class discussion and creative projects, students create a portrait of themselves as adults. They develop an action plan for their adult years and...