Students define "natural disaster" by offering examples and charting them to discover what a concept definition map is. Then students create their own maps using the word "city".

Learners examine how diamonds are portrayed in American culture. They identify the political and social implications of conflict diamonds and the locations of these diamonds in Africa. They evaluate the effectiveness of the Kimberley...

Eighth graders study the role of gender in art. They examine aspects of personal identity. They assess and utilize the properties of a variety of art media and their ability to convey messages and meaning.

Students think critically about artistic freedom and evaluate the aims and effectiveness of censorship and education. They begin an investigation of the ongoing controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ" by reading "New...

Students investigate why and how popcorn pops. In this gas lesson plan, students observe and make suggestions as to what causes popcorn to pop after observing popped corn and corn kernels. Students mass the kernels before and after...

Students identify stereotypes, especially those applied to American Indians.  For this teaching tolerance lesson, students read an essay entitled " I Hated Tonto (Still Do)" and discuss the negative impact that stereotypes may have...

Ninth graders compare the Arctic and Antarctic.  In this climate lesson students work in groups, research and complete an oral report or a poster. 

Explained as part of a whole-unit, a group newspaper project gives life to any study on WWI. This plan has historians using notes from class to "illustrate" WWI to their classmates through various articles. Not much information is...

Students assess the elements of J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series that have made it such a success. They incorporate these elements into a short film, incorporating such concepts as pop culture mythology, urban legend and archetypes.

Students analyze the Brady Bunch for signs of stereotypes.

Students engage in study of plot and setting with the reading of many familiar texts. They identify the plot and setting with the help of a worksheet. The teacher works with the class for scaffolding and helps them to recognize the...

Students engage in a variety of activities in order to achieve the objectives of a layered curriculum unit. They take notes on the differences between fact and opinion. Students also use a newspaper in order to recognize opinionated...

Students are introduced to the components and importance of the water cycle. They are shown how groundwater moves using a model. Students list 9 places on earth where water is found. They define the terms cycle and water cycle.

Learners solve problems involving tax, tips and discounts. In this algebra lesson, students convert between percents and decimals. They calculate commission using conversion from percents and fractions.

High schoolers investigate Medieval art Gargoyles/Beasties and creatures used for animation films, design an original monster, and create a hollow clay form using hand building techniques.

Ninth graders study the sections of the Declaration of Independence.  For this American Government lesson, 9th graders participate in a weekly discussion board.  Students create a multimedia project to demonstrate their applied...

Students participate in a layered curriculum unit in order to give them opportunities to master objectives. Students pick the activities and this allows a differentiated activity to occur with many opportunities for assessment.

Students role play as the editor of the student newspaper and make decisions about printing stories. In this newspaper editor instructional activity, students read the given journalism scenarios and determine if they, as editor, would...

Middle schoolers create a symbol diagram of their chosen event, reflecting on what this event meant to them at the time and how they view the event from the present moment. Linked symbols will be used to add detail and related...

Seventh graders compare the original tale of Cinderella with the Disney version of the story. They listen to the book "Yeh-Shen," complete a Venn-diagram and discuss the similarities and differences in small groups, and participate in a...

In this grammar worksheet, students determine if a group of words is a complete sentence or a fragment. Students rewrite the fragments to make complete sentences. Students correct run-on sentences by adding appropriate punctuation....

Pupils explore how to transplant trees in their community. In this citizenship instructional activity, students construct a map of where to plant trees and then plant the trees.

Second graders study and compare rural, suburban, and urban communities. They play a board game, read books about communities, and complete several other activities regarding the different types of communities. Several extension and...

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students use iMovie to create a video highlighting their middle school in order to share with incoming students.