Second graders define composting and recognize what can be composted.  For this composting and mulching lesson, 2nd graders classify objects or pictures as good or bad for composting. Students write a story about life in the compost...

Young scholars make plant pots out of newspaper as part of a recycle, reuse, and reduce lesson. In this recycling lesson, students fold a piece of newspaper to make a pot in which to start plants. They fill it with compost and plant seeds.

Students investigate issues of degradation and weathering of polymeric materials during their useful life. They evaluate photodegradable plastics and their viability as an environmental solution for litter and investigate the qualitative...

Students explore DNA restriction mapping. They cut pieces of paper into lengths representing those produced when specific enzymes are used to cut a strand of DNA.

What was life like for Irish immigrants settling in America during the late 1800's? Learners examine primary source documents, such as lyrics, poems, and letters, to understand the immigrant experience. They then use those primary source...

Here is a simple lesson that combines reading, coloring, and a puzzle for young learners. In it, pupils read the selection Great Pumpkins, then they color in the hen puzzle with colors based on the three distinct categories that the...

This is a very cute spin-off on the classic, "Old McDonald Had a Farm" song. As a way of updating young peoples' images of farmers, learners are encouraged to make up a new version of the song that uses current images and language. A...

A series of math puzzle worksheets are embedded in this simple plan which has learners solve mathematical calculation, and follow a coloring key in order to come up with the word, "chocolate." All of the puzzles are embedded in the plan....

Upper elementary learners explore and practice identifying poetry in the ABAB rhyming format. In groups, they participate in choral reading of the poem, "The Ballad of Dirty Joe," emphasizing words appropriately and speaking in the...

Young scholars brainstorm healthy food choices. In this health science lesson, students calculate how much of each food group they need daily. They plan a menu based on the "MyPyramid for Kids" food guide.

In this picture prompt worksheet, students look at a picture and try to imagine what is being said, where people are going or have come from and choose a character to write a story about.

Students explore biology by participating in a dietary habit activity. In this food chain lesson, students discuss their own diets and the animals we feed upon daily. Students create a poster demonstrating the animals that we feed upon...

Students identify several important events that led to U.S. involvement in World War I. They examine different explanations, form an opinion about the evidence for each rationale and then create a slideshow to present their findings.

Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...

The lessons in this learning guide are designed to increase youngsters' awareness of the impacts of marine debris and to teach them about pollution prevention techniques. This fabulous, 30-page packet is chock full of important...

Young schoolers explore the concept of linear regression. They determine the mass and density of salt water. Pupils add salt to water and record the density as salinity increases, and perform a linear regression on the data to model the...

In this cross-curricular sampler of worksheets, students determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words, describe and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and...

Students identify how they are feeling and deal with feelings constructively. In this conflict resolution lesson, students explore their feelings through discussion. Students read and complete the What Can I Do? e-sheet. Students "think...

While science Jeopardy games are a dime-a-dozen, this one has some pretty unique categories that are still relevant to a middle school physical science curriculum. The topics include: leading nations, famous Americans (who invented...

After analyzing newspaper articles portraying different perspectives of the explosion of the Battleship USS Maine, your young historians will take a stand on which position is the most believable in both discussion and writing.

Setting goals, career exploration, and self-awareness are three major components found on the path to college. A wide variety of wonderful teaching tools are provided to help you facilitate an understanding of how simple it can be to...

Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...

Students study the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Through studying primary source materials from American Memory and other online resources, students of all backgrounds study the relationships between blacks and whites.

Learners engage in a simulation/role play. They analyze information about flavors and ingredients that create a unique flavor of a culture. They make recommendations to the executive chef on menu items appropriate for international buffet.