Students write a descriptive essay.  In this Holocaust instructional activity, students discuss what it must have been like for Anne Frank to stay inside for two years.  Students try to appeal to all five senses in their...

Students examine the experiences of American prisoners of war to begin their discussion on the Holocaust. They read and view primary source documents and discuss. They discover the importance of the Holocaust as well.

Students study Japanese American internment camps. In this American history lesson, students compare and contrast the camp internees' experiences with with team sports-related challenges students have encountered. Students discuss team...

Learners investigate the history and goals of NASA and human spaceflight. In this space science lesson, students answer questions about one of seven manned space programs and print pictures from the mission. As a...

Students consider what real needs are and how people meet them. For this community lesson, students read A New Coat for Anna and utilize a landscape picture map to help them discuss community.

Students discuss the four freedoms. In this freedom lesson, students discuss freedom of speech, freedom to worship any God, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. They create a picture to match each freedom and make a book shaped like...

Fifth graders study nuclear destruction using visual literacy. In this nuclear destruction lesson, 5th graders work in groups to examine a group of pictures that show the destruction of a home by a nuclear blast. They discuss the type of...

Students predict what geometric shapes they think would be on the battleship; then view a picture and identify the various shapes they see. They take a tour of the battleship Wisconsin they identify various geometric shapes represented...

Discuss the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This story, called "Franklin D. Roosevelt" by Laura Hamilton Waxman, is used to explore comprehension skills. Some of these skills include identifying prefixes and suffixes, making comparisons,...

What role did women play in pop art during the 1950s and 1960s? The class researches the role of women in mid-century America and how those roles were portrayed through the pop art of the time. They use an excellent set of...

Students research the French-Canadian influence in northern New York. They interview families of French-Canadian descent, research immigration history, visit a French restaurant, write narratives about their experiences interviewing...

Get started with The Cay. First, provide some background information and images that relate to the novel. Then pupils can create double-entry journals. Once that is complete, read the first two chapters, encouraging individuals to record...

Take a seat on the parade route with a holiday-themed set of word problems. Young mathematicians answer questions based on the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, including finding the average number of members in a...

Students study the life and art of George Rounalt as they examine his painting, "The Clown." They study the Nazi campaign against modern art such as the Degenerate Art exhibition of 1937. Finally, they create an original piece of art...

Prepare your class to read Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, with these prereading activities. This resource lists three ideas to ready your readers. Learners explore the historical context, connect to the book, and preview the book....

Students study contributions of important people during the Great Depression. Using the internet, they research and collect information on an assigned individual. Students write an essay on the person researched.

Have you used the directed reading thinking activity in your classroom? Doubling as either a prereading strategy, or a during reading strategy, it helps readers connect the historical background of the text to the text itself. As the...

Students use Guided Reading techniques to learn about Capa's style and to discover the techniques that made him a great photographer. Students examine the basics of telling compelling stories through photos and each student creates a...

Students describe the complementary relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, identify adaptations that flowers have developed to "encourage" pollination, and create and draw their own "designer" flowers.

Students research early Indian adaptations in this lesson. They research the different American Indian tribes. They also research and compare the tribes' rituals, daily lives, and their impact on the Europeans who came later to the...

Students investigate the history of technology development during the twentieth century as a preparation for visiting the Intel Museum. They complete worksheets, review timelines and research specific topics in technology for...

Students describe the importance of being a responsible citizen. In this philanthropic actions instructional activity, students view "An American Story" and identify examples from the movie. Students discuss and recognize philanthropic...

Students explore the impact of written communication. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students investigate communication from ancient Sumer and discuss its relevance today. Students watch a multimedia presentation about cuneiform...