Determine your class's prior knowledge about the necessities of life with this pre-assessment for a unit on living things. Learners draw pictures of themselves with all the things they need to live, grow, and survive. These drawings will...

Enrich your study of living things with these cross-curricular math activities. Following along with the story Tillena Lou's Day in the Sun, learners will practice addition and subtraction, learn how to measure volume and length,...

How has the Internet of Things affected our lives? Scholars examine the massive influence of mobile devices in this analysis lesson plan, which begins with a seven-minute documentary clip. They also read a New York Times article (linked)...

Even as adults it can be hard to distinguish needs from wants. Using pictures of common, everyday items, children make a pocket chart separating the objects they need from those that they want. Discuss their choices, explaining that...

Combine literature and history with the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. Pupils read the poem and answer four questions about the text. 

Thrill your class with the daily doubles and increasing points of Jeopardy! Complete with sound effects and visual cues, the game focuses on parts of speech, including nouns, prepositions, and conjunctions. Each point square links to a...

Before your class reads the book James and the Giant Peach, check out this very handy set of learning activities. The reading guide provides you with several excellent ideas for building vocabulary related to the text and reading...

Celebrate the arrival of winter with a reading of Jack Ezra Keats' book The Snowy Day. Engaging children by asking them about their own experiences in the snow, the teacher goes on to read the story...

First graders differentiate between turtles and tortoises. In this turtles and tortoises lesson students are visited by a turtle and a tortoise. Students write a letter with an illustration after the animals visit the class.

To better understand the conflict between Amir and Hassan, two characters in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, readers assume the voice of one of the boys and craft a letter to the other that explains his feelings and concerns.

Be prepared the next time you're in need of a substitute with a daily plan equipped with an assortment of activities covering subjects math, reading, word work, writing, and science. 

Here is a hard-hitting, cross-curricular lesson on the effects that the deforestation of the Ozark forests in the 19th century had on the people, animals, and ecosystems of the area. The Dr. Seuss book The Lorax is used as a way of...

Jan Brett, the author of many beloved children's books, is well worth a study. Try out this winter-themed unit, which covers areas of language arts as well as art, math, science, and social studies.

Throughout history, the growth of big cities has resulted in the destruction of ecosystems. In the case of Chicago, IL, a grassland that was once home to bison, deer, wolves, and foxes quickly became a booming city of over three million...

First graders learn to group living things,basic needs of living things, that there are many different living things and that each has an environment. Students learn how living things adapt to both their environment and for survival...

Considering a study of science fiction, speculative fiction, and/or dystopian fiction? Check out this concept analysis of Sonia Levitin's The Cure. The guide provides enough information to let you know if her novel would fit your...

Dive your class into the novel The Pinballs by Betsy Byars with the support of this reading guide. Including short answer questions, a multiple choice comprehension quiz, and extension activities, a variety of materials are...

Make believe becomes a reality in The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin. Readers answer worksheet comprehension questions about the seven dolls living in the house and examine the advantages and disadvantages of living...

Thomas Jefferson's letter to King George III, which evolved into the Declaration of Independence, is the subject of a two-part reading comprehension exercise that asks kids to first read the attached article, and then to respond to a...

In this living things graphic organizer, students brainstorm about the needs of living things. It is in the format of a web graphic organizer.

Learners apply prior knowledge of living things, structures of living things and how living things sense and respond to their environment. In this habitat lesson, students review the basic needs of organisms to survive. Learners create...

What's the difference between behavioral adaptations and physical adaptations? Learn about the various ways that organisms adapt to their environment with a worksheet about the creatures of the Hudson River.

Animals are the theme of this series of challenge activities. Extend scholars' learning opportunities by writing personal narratives and book reports, creating picture and alphabet books, and drawing scenes from stories read aloud.

How well do your learners really know the characters in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising? A biopoem activity prompts readers to investigate the characters and their traits. Line by line, writers add the characters'...