The Iron Horse encroached upon the land while conflicts escalated between Native Americans and the settlers. Sophomores study the print, American Progress then discuss how American progress affected Native Americans. They will study the...

After having a class discussion on the three states of matter, young scientists utilize the wonderful substance, Oobleck in order to experience something that changes states of matter. They also create "sparkle jars" which...

Study the culture, language, and history of Mexico in this collection of lessons. Create maps of Mexico's geography, study Spanish language phrases, and create a fiesta, along with a Mexican Marketplace scene.

Looking for a motivating and creative technology lesson? Then this lesson is for you! After viewing a movie trailer, middle-schoolers follow that design to create a video preview of a book's story elements. They also create a storyboard...

Use the special Tennessee State Quarter as a learning tool. During this lesson, discuss why the Tennessee Quarter has musical instruments on it. You can also utilize a worksheet embedded in the plan to help your class compose a song that...

Mirroring Jerry Spinelli's style in Wringer, chapter 5, pupils use the "counting up/down technique" to recall an important moment in their lives. In the book, the character is being punched, and between blows he remembers details...

What do Jeep advertisements and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath have in common? They both employ the art of the extended metaphor! Using the Six-Trait Writing model, learners begin to work on their own extended metaphors. Development...

Each one of our quarters is embellished with a famous face or image representing the state it came from. This lesson uses South Dakota's state quarter to get kids thinking about monetary value, what the president of the United States...

Here is instructional activity 5 from a 7 instructional activity unit on using blogging to create a community of writers. The aim of this instructional activity is to get students writing about what Archaeologists do and how they use...

How can we identify shapes in the Universe? High schoolers will compare and contrast elliptic and hyperbolic geometry. They will also explore one possible way to measure the curvature of the Universe, namely, by measuring the sum of the...

Learn how to distinguish between curriculum and instruction. Utilize concept mapping strategies to organize a philosophy of elementary social studies education. Your class will be able to explain the process they underwent to organize...

Help your class recognize classic literature with universal themes. They will demonstrate their familiarity with Pride and Prejudice by updating a selected scene from it to the 21st century. Tip: Bring in a modern movie clip that shows...

Raise the energy level of your physical science class with this exciting hands-on activity. Applying their knowledge of kinetic and potential energy and Newton's laws of motion, young engineers use foam tubing and marbles to create...

Is Steve Harmon innocent or guilty? Examine the evidence with a instructional activity based on Monster by Walter Dean Myers. As kids read the book, they note particular passages that they believe indicate whether or not Steve...

Do your kids love football? Discuss goals for your class or for the future with a book template shaped like a football. Kids write down their goals and use the pattern to create a book.

Is your class looking forward to an upcoming event or holiday? Print links to a paper chain that inspire kids to use their waiting time to complete creative and fun activities.

Experience famous geographical landmarks around the United States right from the comfort of your very own classroom. Learners research national landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, and Niagara Falls, and then...

Use these project guidelines as a start to designing your own class PowerPoint project and to consider what elements you would like to assign and assess in your class. While the resource begins with instructions for researching World War...

Wrap up a documentary creation project with the final lesson in this series. Class members reflect on their learning and compose responses to four questions relating to what they learned, whey they would do differently, and how the group...

Geometry is everywhere, and I mean everywhere! Those skillful mathematicians discuss shapes and then come up with a well-researched list of shapes seen in everyday applications. They put their knowledge of shapes to work as each small...

Using a digital camera, Photoshop, and a desktop paint program, learners will explore perspective techniques. They apply perspective techniques to develop depth illusions within a scene. The lesson employs both traditional art and...

The Scarlet Letter is a treasure trove of topics awaiting exploration by readers of Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic opus. Whether looking for imagery (light/dark, mirror, scarlet letters), symbols (static or evolving), ironies, etc.,...

Students explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. In this extinction instructional activity, students watch dinosaur video clips or complete a puppet finger play about dinosaurs. Students may then complete a dinosaur...

Thirty-eight pages of information prepares you to assign middle or high schoolers a project on sustainable energy. They take a pretest, review the scientific method, conduct background research, and finally choose an experiment to carry...