Young scholars research and enhance the Jewish immigrant experience to that of contemporary immigrants to sustain a connection to their personal family stories. A story is shared with the class and then a discussion follows on the...

Students explore energy by researching fuel usage on Earth. For this fossil fuel lesson, students define fossil fuels, the energy created by burning them, and the impact on the environment when using them. Students conduct pollution...

What was it like to pass through Ellis Island? Learners move through the immigration process of the early 1900s in a simulation activity. A comprehensive activity includes role-playing profiles and other manipulative items such as...

Exploring bias and stereotypes, students dress up as members of "outgroups" (groups of people who are often judged). Though the lesson plan specifies that it should be "respectful and not mock the outgroup in any way," this activity...

Make history come to life by using the Frontier House series to engage young scholars in the past. Your class will "prepare" for a trip to 1833 Montana. They will learn about homesteading, frontier life, inflation, and cost of living....

Pupils prepare for an participate in a debate. They watch instructional videos on how debates proceed. Pupils work in teams to research various topics, present their opinions on the issue, and respond to opposing viewpoints during a...

Design and construct buildings with rooftop gardens. Junior engineers work in groups to build two buildings and then perform experiments to determine whether or not a garden affects the building temperatures. They graph and interpret...

Teens experience natural selection firsthand (or first beak) in an activity that has them act as finches foraging for food. Using different household items  to act as different beak styles, your little finches will collect as much...

Could a flux capacitor really work? An engaging simulation encourages scholars to investigate Faraday's law. They experiment with various speeds, magnitude, voltage, and different-sized coils. Hopefully experimenters will be able to...

Third graders explore entertainment and promotion as forms of media.  For this improvisation lesson, 3rd graders examine different types of media text and role play various experiences and responses to topics such as: creation of a...

Learners plan a mock mission to Mars. For this space science lesson, students work in cooperative groups and select one experiment to take on their mock mission. Learners create a mission plan form and send a proposed experiment to NASA.

A video leads off this activity on fables, introducing the class to this important form of traditional storytelling. The group defines fable and hears an explanation of the origin of this type of folk tale. They summarize the story they...

Connect a scene from a class play to events in your middle and high schoolers' own lives. First, they act out a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream in pairs. They work to role play a scene as an extension of the one they have read,...

Links to two different versions of this mapping activity are available. In "The Small Version," youngsters design a town, keeping the water supply in mind. In "The Large Version," they also design a town, but they consider services and...

Students investigate what a controlled group is by creating an experiment.  In this plant growth lesson, students identify the different parts of a plant and discuss what is needed for a plant to be successfully grown....

Students investigate their sense of smell by experimenting with smelly objects.  In this human senses lesson plan, students examine the length of time it takes to smell a random object that is close to them.  Students record...

Students create a town model and analyze the type of greenhouse gases their town emits. For this earth science lesson, students build greenhouses to investigate how trapped heat causes temperature change. They relate this activity to...

Students explore war refugees and their life experiences. After reading about refugees, students compare and contrast the experiences of teen war refugees with their own experiences. They write simulate writing letters as if they were a...

Sixth graders experience the stages of process writing, work cooperatively, to critique and to incorporate software tools to enhance writing and problem solving skills.

Learn about the concept of specialization of labor with your class. In this specialization of labor lesson, 3rd graders work in teams to produce a product. They work in either a division of labor or independent production method. They...

Literature circles let kids interact with each other and hear different perspectives. explore literature circles. Group your class into small reading groups, and then assign each class member a specific role to keep them focused. After...

What better way to learn about different economic systems than to participate in them? An engaging bead game highlights the differences between market, command, and traditional economies. In small groups, 6th graders work through three...

High schoolers explore the relationship between video games and actual population. Example: A 2005 study showed Latino youth play at higher rates than other groups, but there are no Latino playable characters. They watch a brief video...

One of the most difficult parts of getting a job, is the interview. Learners are each given a card with personal experience and information on it. They respond to an advertisement for a chef position at a Korean restaurant. Each person...