Prepare to teach Jan Brett stories by taking a look at this teacher resource, which includes text-based questions, writing assignments, discussion ideas, and vocabulary practice for 18 different stories.

It can be difficult to find the theme of a book or story if you don't know the questions to ask. Teach your kids to discern the universal theme in works of literature with a set of activities that promote critical thinking and...

Soccer stars and fans alike will enjoy a fun cloze activity about Sarah the soccer player. Using the word bank below, kids find places in the reading passage to place the words most appropriately.

Determining which statements represent fact or the author's opinion in an integral part of reading informational text. Encourage seventh graders to read a passage about Barack Obama and the city of Chicago, as well as a passage focused...

Challenge your classes to complete an experiment from beginning to end. Learners make their own hypotheses, collect and analyze their own data, and make their own conclusions. They are on their way to becoming statisticians! 

Class members take center stage as groups perform scenes from Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope. Actors are encouraged to add stage directions to the script, as well as create costumes and props to...

Is it crazy to fall in love with your own work, or is that the purest love of all? Compare two renditions of the classic Greek myth Pygmalion and Galatea with a literary analysis exercise. After students compare the similarities and...

Does pride really goeth before the fall, or can it be essential to one's development? Second graders read two of Aesop's fables that refer to pride in their morals, and write a short essay about whether pride is good or bad, based on...

Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects....

It's important to make sure houses can withstand winds. A hands-on activity has learners create a structure out of household materials. They use a fan to simulate hurricane-force winds to see if their structures can withstand the...

What do lab tests reveal about a patient's health? Scholars perform a simulated urinalysis on two different patients by testing color, pH, glucose levels, and protein levels. Then, they compare their findings to what they know passes...

Changes in the family such as a new baby, divorce, a new job, or death are the focus of a lesson that examines how every family is different. Scholars draw a picture of their family then share the changes that have occurred within it....

Change is inevitable. Kindergarteners discuss coping skills to properly manage changes that can occur outside the family.  Scholars reflect on their life changes after starting kindergarten. They discuss their feelings and draw a...

Two stuffed animals open a lesson that examines two types of touch. Scholars discuss the difference between comfortable and uncomfortable touch. They offer examples then brainstorm ways an individual can keep safe from uncomfortable...

Encourage responsible decision-making while boosting sorting skills with a lesson that looks at safe and unsafe situations. Scholars use two bags, one happy the other sad, to sort scenario cards. After a thorough examination,...

Using a remote-controlled robot, junior engineers simulate a hazardous materials removal exercise. This activity will introduce students to the following careers: robotics technician, hazardous materials specialist, environmental...

Students develop an awareness of mathematics in a diverse number of careers, then describe three duties of a pilot that require mathematical skills. They increase understanding of interpreting data relationships presented in table format.

Having good hygiene skills is a very important part of living an independent life. Learners with special needs follow sequencing cards to practice washing their faces. They follow each step in the process and discuss the importance of...

Mr. Bojangles was born just after slavery was abolished and became one of the most beloved entertainers of his time. Explore key vocabulary, the life of an African-American entertainer, and the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on...

Young scholars identify conditions in Europe that relate to the independence movements in South America and list reasons why President Monroe gave for recognizing the independence movement in South America.

Bring to life the health risks of unsafe sex and drug use. Participants are involved in a simulation they don't understand until the end. One pupil is "in the know", secretly playing the role of being HIV-positive. Everyone else...

Here is a wonderful lesson designed for students with special needs. This well-thought-out lesson uses Big Books, familiar stories, and has a lot of review learning built into it. The book, The Keeping Quilt is used in the main part of...

Pupils identify the different forms of civic engagement. They identify their responsibilities at the different levels of government. They also analyze young leaders running for office.

Students research and produce an oral history that reflects the importance of meterologists in the lives of people in their community.