Young scholars evaluate and debate whether movies, television shows, and other mass media cause violent behavior in students and whether books are the same as or different from these other media in their potential for causing violent...

A rich series of activities introduces learners to the concept of culture by closely examining the behaviors, practices, and art of three distinct peoples: the Highland Maya of Guatemala, the Hmong of China and Southeast...

The takeaway from the second lesson in the Resolving Conflicts module is that "conflict is like an iceberg" in that we only see a small portion of what's involved in conflicts. Participants learn to identify the many unseen feelings that...

In this eating disorders instructional activity, students use drawings or photos from magazines to create an ad for blue jeans. They use realistic body types and positive messages about body image and types. The instructional activity...

Students discuss how they are disciplined at home, then read a news article about some unusual punishments given to children. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity,...

Students determine the normal behavior of California blackworms. They determine how various concentrations of assigned toxicants affect the worm's behavior. Students are introduced to testing of potential toxicants, an important...

Develop reading skills in your middle school classroom with this short reading passage. Consider assigning your class a reading strategy to practice as they read the selection. Ten reading comprehension and vocabulary-in-context...

Use a West African folktale to practice several different skills in your first grade classroom. Learners read The Clever Monkey Rides Again and focus on rhyming words, reading comprehension, measurement, art, movement, and word...

How did Rutherford determine that the nucleus was the center of an atom? Take a look inside the famous Gold Foil Experiment with an interesting interactive. Learners fire a beam of alpha particles at a nucleus containing variable...

Young scholars explore recent research linking economic status with student behavior. They design their own studies that investigate how different variables are related to student performance in particular subject areas.

Students are given a fictitious case study to read in preparation for the class. This instructional activity can also be readily adapted for a role-playing classroom exercise. They discuss the ethical issues of the case.

Fourth graders discuss the benefits of regular exercise.  For this physical health studies lesson, 4th graders create visual demonstrations to track their progress with physical fitness related goals.  Students discuss various...

Students define identity as it applies to them and their classmates. Using real-life situations, they discuss how identity plays a role in their school and community. They practice creating identity charts and write journal entries to...

At times special needs or Autistic children have a difficult time disengaging from a lesson to line up at the door. This brief strategy overview employs mini-porcupine balls and a pocket. It was developed to help pupils...

Second graders perform various tasks by identifying the action word with teacher. They demonstrate each of the correct critical elements of loco motor, non-manipulative, and manipulative skills.

Students click an icon from hyper studio template and cooperate with others from group to a solve mathematical equation and then use their bodies to "build" the answer. They work cooperatively to complete tasks.

When it comes time for parent-teacher conferences, keep this template handy for preparing your comments and noting any main points that you discuss during your meeting.

Learning how to interact and work cooperatively in a team is an essential skill, both in school and the world beyond the classroom. Pupils use a self-check, group skills worksheet to evaluate their behavior in a recent group situation,...

Foster a sense of community by having youngsters work together to create a list of classroom rules. They draw pictures of their hopes for first grade after reading a children's book as a group. They also discuss why it is important to...

Get kids re-oriented to the computer lab for back-to-school. The constructivist approach in this session allows children to exert ownership of their behavior in the computer lab. Read aloud a few books about good and poor manners, as...

Examine a slug? Of course, what else would a 2nd grader do with it? Pupils use clues and go on a slug hunt, read a slug story, or make a cooperative group mural of a slug's habitat. While older learners catalog slugs, go on a slug hunt,...

Think like an engineer and an agricultural scientist over the course of 12 lessons in a STEM based unit. Young scientists take on the roles of animal physiologists, animal geneticists, agricultural engineers, animal nutritionists,...