Learners complete a scavenger hunt which highlights events on the journey by Lewis and Clark. Using the internet and journals, they identify events on the journey and places them on a timeline. They complete a worksheet as well to end...

Students work together to identify and describe the various types of mussels. Using a color-coded system, they plot the arrival date of zebra mussels in North American waters. They discuss the increase in their population with the class.

What's happening in this poem? Have your high schoolers participate in an activity about connotation and denotation. They apply the concept of connotation to a reading of Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz." Lead a discussion about...

Students use the internet to research and determine who their representative is. In groups, they discuss how the representatives set their priorities and identify the various roles they can play. They determine which role their own...

Students review the roles and responsibitlies of members of Congress. After reading excerpts of a book about one member, they write their own version about the same representative. They also identify the challenges and benefits of begin...

Students identify the roles and responsibilies of a member of Congress. In groups, they brainstorm a list of qualities senators and representatives should have. They also work together to develop a brochure for someone to examine if they...

High schoolers identify the location of different cultural groups within the United States (agricultural, retirement, urban, etc.) They map these areas and analyze the correlation between the landscape of a given region and the type of...

Students research how the government works together to create a budget. In groups, they examine each major spending category and their purpose. They identify the many challenges and compromises that must take place to agree on a budget.

Young writers work with the conjunctions "and," "but," and "or." They choose the proper conjunction to complete five sentences by circling the one that fits the sentence best.

In this zebra mussels instructional activity, 7th graders read an article about zebra mussel populations in United States' lakes and rivers. Students read about the negative effects and some positive results and then answer several...

Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...

For this catfish coloring book worksheet, students read information about catfish and color pictures in a twenty-page coloring book. Final page contains recipes.

Coming to America as an immigrant can be an emotional and difficult process. This lesson has learners explore what it means to be an immigrant, listen to real life accounts, and visit an online museum. This is a wonderful discussion...

Students explore water density and design a hydrometer to measure density. This activity is part of Ocean World's home site and excellent resources and links are provided.

Fourth graders examine life of French explorer, La Salle, and how he impacted settlement of Texas and the establishment of Catholic missions in Texas; students write letters from the perspective of an explorer.

Students examine the value and use of scrapbooks in writing and historic inquiry. They view and discuss online interactive scrapbooks by Mark Twain, and in small groups create a collaborative scrapbook that reflects the time and place...

Students experience musical imagery. They link this musical concept to literary imagery to gain an understanding of the use of imagery in both genres. After listening to a varriety of sounds, students will compose and perform a melody.

Click here to download a PDF of this lesson plan. (2.8 MB) Overview This lesson plan will enable teachers to use the blues to explore selected topics in African American folklore. Students will learn about some of the African American...

This instructional activity focuses on how the blues both operates as poetry and informs the poetry of many prominent African American poets. Students consider the poetic devices and recurring themes in blues lyrics and the significance...

This lesson enables teachers to use blues music to explore the history of African Americans in the 20th century. By studying the content of blues songs, students can learn about the experiences and struggles of the working-class...

Fourth graders become familiar with the conditions facing the members of the Expedition in the early 1800's, as well as the causes and consequences of the Expedition. They describe the conditions of the land in the 1800's and during the...

Students investigate the creatures of intertidal zones. They explore the adaptations species make to survive .

Students examine their assumptions about forest fires. They explore the conflicts involved with the forest service's new strategy. in addition, they will study one case where a prescribed natural burn had a significant impact on a later,...

Students will examine how floods work and why they can cause so much damage and destruction. They use a stream table to observe the processes that lead to flooding and the effects of floods on human-made structures. Includes a guide to...