The school band or orchestra analyzes their own performance after exploring musical terminology. They listen to a classical piece and describe it using only words. They look up musical terminology and then use those words to compare and...

High schoolers examine the New York Times review of the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and explore the elements of scriptwriting. They read the article about the film adaptation screenplay and examine a...

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, can seem strangely prophetic when compared to modern news events and politics. Readers of Orwell's dystopian classic sharpen their critical thinking skills by engaging in...

Students watch the News Ohio video about Lincoln Junior High School. They write a reaction paper, explaining what effect the studying environment has on students. If the classroom was in a basement, perhaps a little dark and damp, would...

Students view various paintings and write down the adjectives that come to mind. Using the painting, they use information from a previous lesson to write their own critique or point of view. They share their writings with the class.

High schoolers become immersed in a compelling anecdote of the civil rights movement through the experience of constructing dramatic scripts. An added goal is to equip students, through this "hands-on" experience, to critique dramatic...

Students listen to another's presentation and take notes. After that the student in is paired with another student to recreate the instructions of the demonstration. They will have to have proper notes recorded down and be able to...

Students improve their creative writing skills. In this writing skills lesson, students learn about picture captions, story writing, critiques, poems, reports, letter writing, creative writing, and a rap poem.

Pupils examine color and composition by arranging color paper cut-outs without the use of sketches or drawings in this Art lesson for the upper-elementary classroom. Emphasis is placed upon the "cut-out" art pieces created by Henri...

Students create portraits using brown construction paper, paints, and brushes in this 4th through 6th grade Art lesson. Emphasis is placed upon the artwork of Georges Rouault and the lesson includes resource links for background...

Fourth graders explore the artistic ideas of landscape, foreground, middle ground, and background through a creative painting project. While this is written for North Carolina, teacher may adapt for any state/region.

Students read, examine and critique a newspaper article on how the European Commission proposes to increase the amount of agricultural land under cultivation. They assess key vocabulary terms, the stress placed on pronunciation and...

Tenth graders research and illustrate the diplomatic policies of American presidents, and write letters critiquing the policies of specific presidents. March 17, 2003)

Eighth graders create an original scene or short one-act play within specified guidelines. Assessment is based upon the performance of student-created scenes during class time. Rubrics for assessment and connection to state standards...

Eighth graders study and analyze the elements of color by creating an personalized color wheel. Emphasis is placed on constructive criticism of student work by others for assessment. Students create short poems for their color wheel...

Students write a poetic analysis on a poem by Carl Sandburg. They take their previous knowledge of poetic devices and apply them to a piece of writing that displays their knowledge on a specific poem. They explain what they know about a...

Students compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.

Students explore the process of play and movie making from books. They study the basic elements of drama and write and produce a play based on a chosen theme. Students explain the basic elements of a play by looking at "The Wonderful...

Students become more savvy Web surfers by evaluating the various elements of a Web site to determine its credibility. They conduct a two-part investigation of a Web site, focusing on how one determines if a Web site is credible in...

Students consider reactions to various plans for building on the grounds of the World Trade Center. They explore ideas and opinions that went into creating other memorials of events in American history and propose ideas for improving...

Students consider goods and services that might be at the base of successful Web-based delivery services geared to students their age while they are in school. They act as entrepreneurs to develop plans for such services and create...

Students perform a "dumb show" based on a short passage from either A Midsummer Night's Dream or King Lear. This technique allows students to explain the action taking place on stage and the variety of different ways that action can be...

Students examine the responsibilites of country's chosen to host the Olympics. After reading an article, they discuss how China is preparing for the 2008 Summer Games. They focus on the country's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities...

Learners listen to a confusing poem about baseball. In this clear writing lesson, students write a set of directions for a game.  Learners rewrite their directions until they are clearly understood.   Students make a game and...