Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...

Help your class find their writing voices with this lesson plan which uses the work of Ralph Fletcher to guide a "Prompt in Reverse" activity. Using the chapter "First Pen" from Fletcher's Marshfield Dreams, learners decipher what they...

Explore the concept of retelling a story with the Gingerbread Man. Read various gingerbread man stories with your class. They will create character puppets and retell the story to one another and in small groups. Additionally, they will...

Students make a placemat. In this art lesson students make a unique placemat. The students decorate their placemat with photos of themselves, stickers, etc. The placemat is laminated or sealed with contact paper.

Students examine works of art to develop an understanding of the importance of visual balance in works of art and nature. Students research artists and their artwork for examples of visual balance. Students create works of art showing...

Students listen carefully and put pieces together following the teacher's instructions. They point to the different shapes and sizes as they are being called out and count the number of items they have in front of them. They decorate...

Make origami ducks with your class to reinforce geometry concepts and vocabulary; develop fine motor and visual translation skills; and enrich study of Japanese culture, the pond habitat, or migration. Create a whole group "worksheet"...

First graders read the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. They consider when they have shared with someone or expressed caring. They write, illustrate and compile a fish book that tells of their caring and sharing experiences.

In this fine motor skills lesson, students cut and paste items onto a snowman with no help from their teacher.  Students will use items, such as toothpicks, to help them glue small pieces.  Students distiguish between small,...

Students brainstorm a list of the various scenerios going on their family life at home. In groups, they read about different perspectives on survival and identify ones they could use in their own lives. They share their own experiences...

Students are challenged to build a bee home out of provided materials and discover a way to produce a new flavor of honey. Students research beekeeping and honey production and brainstorm possible ideas for bee homes and honey production...

Young scholars generate, share and display ideas as a group. They break into small groups to work on hand-drawn maps made up of concentric circles. they come before the group and make a similar diagram by charting each other's...

Students construct a small city on a table in the classroom. Each student is given a lot to develop. They give directions from one location to another, and write letters with correct addresses to their classmates.

Students interview an adult that grew up in the United States during the Cold War to develop an understanding of the concept of mutually assured destruction. They focus the interview on how the person dealt with the threat of nuclear...

Students explore key concepts/facts in 20th Century history, develop interview questions, and produce master list of questions that can be used in project. Students then interview grandparent, great-grandparent, or other elder about...

Learners create a unique bug. In this lesson about bugs, students use their imagination to develop a new kind of bug. Learners use construction paper, scissors, glue, and crayons to make their bug. Students explore the different parts of...

Study the beauty of the landscape around you with an innovative art lesson. After discussing the foreground, background, and middle ground of landscape art, kids work on making their own piece of landscape art. The lesson provides...

Feature one famous artist a month with a series of portraits, biographies, and examples of their gallery. With masters such as Augustus Rodin, Francisco Goya, and Michelangelo, the resource provides opportunities every month for kids to...

Students develop hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills as they use scissors and other materials to make a time capsule. In this time capsule lesson, students use paper, scissors, glue, and other materials to develop these skills.

Young scholars enhance their artistic skills as they create a self-portrait. In this self-portrait lesson, students develop their fine motor skills as they create a life size self-portrait.

Students engage in an "All About Me," series of activities in the beginning of the year. All sorts of ideas are in this lesson plan to help students express themselves and get to know their classmates.

Learners are read "The Rainbow Fish". They discuss how important friendship is and list qualities they want in a good friend. They create a giant fish with each child's quality for the class to view.

Young scholars create dolls in a variety of skin tones to help reinact different community helpers. They make a helping hands mural on butcher block paper. They adopt a doll and demonstrate how to treat others gently. They discuss...

Students explore with play dough. In this creating dough activity, students make homemade play dough and experiment with shapes, counting, and manipulation to increase dexterity.