Facing History and Ourselves
Envisioning Our Classroom Space
Wouldn't it be lovely if we all had a space where we were seen, heard, and valued? As part of creating a safe, respectful classroom community, participants envision such a space and then generate a classroom contract that will establish...
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School Museum
Fourth graders research individuals who contributed to the history of Illinois, and what school was like at that time. They compare schools of various times.
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Reader's Paradise
Students visit the school or local library (or bookstore) to create short film or radio documentary that records a specific habit or ritual associated with reading, book buying, or book borrowing.
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Photographs from the Great Depression: Jacob Have I Loved 
Students research the Great Depression and World War II. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze photographs of the depression era as they begin reading Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved.
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Waste Not, Want Not
Young scholars consider the types of debris that litters beaches and conduct research on waste management. They then interview professionals in a particular field of waste management and write reports for a booklet about garbage and...
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First Grade Tour Guides
First graders plan a tour to give their parents on a school parent night. In this school tour lesson plan, 1st graders gather information about their school, determine how to best present information, and prepare a tour and talk to give...
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More Than Anything Else
Second graders investigate the life of Booker T. Washington by reading a biography. For this biographical lesson, 2nd graders read the story More Than Anything Else, and examine the geographical locations Washington once resided...
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It's All Greek to Me!
While the ideas for Ancient Greek research are solid, there is little detail to help make your job easier. The focus here is familiarizing your class with online databases and print resources in their school library. After direct...
American Library Association
Great Early Elementary Reads
Here is an excellent reference list of over 60 recommended book titles for early readers, each of which includes the author, title, number of pages, and brief summary.
C.S. Lewis Foundation
Educator’s Guide to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe #1
Perfect for both classroom and homeschool settings, this 72-page resource packet, designed for C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, is a must-have for your curriculum library. Chapter-by-chapter vocabulary lists and...
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1920s Variety Show
To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...
DK Publishing
Sorting Animals
How many legs does a lion have? What about a bird? How many legs does a snake have? A counting assignment prompts kindergartners to sort the animals by the amount of legs they have. After kids finish matching, they can color the animals...
Channel Islands Film
Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Lesson Plan 1
As a practice writing test, fourth graders use the West of the West's documentary Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island and two print resources as source materials for an informative article that identifies information that is...
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Create Your School Lunch Menu
Students develop their own school menu with as many healthy choices as possible. They keep a journal of what they eat on one day and then research nutrition. They present their new menu to the judging committee.
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Does Candy Belong in Your School?
Students use the program MediaBlender to create a persuasive presentation about candy being allowed in school vending machines along with healthy snacks. Presentations are geared toward the school board.
National First Ladies' Library
Designing the Common School: The First Educational Reform
Middle schoolers perform preliminary research to explore education before public (common) education was in place. They design a public educational system of their own. Students construct a report outlining challenges and solutions for...
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Size Small School
Students explore the concept of scale and ratio. In this scale and ratio lesson, students work in groups to measure a given space such as a hallway, office, or gym. Students measure their area using a meter stick. ...
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Chemistry Lesson Outline
Young scholars identify the different types of chemical bonds. In this chemistry lesson, students research a procedure on growing crystals in the lab. They perform the experiment and share results with the class.
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A Shape-Note Singing Lesson
Students discover the shape-note method of singing. In this reading and notating music lesson, students learn the four shapes of the shape-note method and the tradition of Sacred Harp singers. Students sing the shapes of "Yankee Doodle"...
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Lesson Two: Discover a purpose for keywords
Second graders research a topic in nature. In this research lesson, 2nd graders pick a nature topic and discuss the keywords needed to find more information about that topic. They fill their information out on a organizer.
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Lesson Six: Nonfiction Text Elements (Part One)
Students examine nonfiction text elements in preparation for writing a nonfiction book about Lewis and Clark. In this social studies/language arts lesson, students discuss the term research and complete a cluster map. Additionally,...
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Literature for Lesson 4 - Abolitionists
Young scholars examine the definition of abolition and abolitionists. In this abolition lesson, students complete vocabulary work before reading about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass. They watch a video about...
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School Renovation - What's Your Idea?
Students discuss the upcoming renvoations to their school. As a class, they develop their own proposals for what they would like to have available to them. Using a digital camera, they take pictures of the new school and compare them...
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ESL Conversation-School
In this ESL conversation about school worksheet, students complete a dictation activity and read and discuss several articles about various aspects of school. A reference web site is included.