Explore identity and community through an expository essay based on The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This two-week unit on writing an essay provides a brief description of each day and all of the worksheets and...

Exploration comes at a cost. A set of questions designed for the AP® English Language and Composition exam includes an argumentative prompt about the cost of space exploration. Writers review sources to develop their position before...

Believe it or not, everyone plays a role in Internet advertising. Scholars explore the topic with a podcast about Internet advertising and personal identity. Next, partners plan and produce their own public service announcements to...

Students investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration lesson, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding his adventure....

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...

A good gift is hard to find. A “worn truth,” perhaps, as Billy Collins says in his poem, “The Lanyard,” but true nonetheless. After a study of Collins’ tribute to a mother’s love, young poets select an object that sends them “into the...

Read and analyze a variety of Shakespearean and contemporary puns using Visual Thesaurus computer software. Middle and high schoolers analyze a pun as a class; in small groups they analyze a Shakespearean pun using contextual clues and...

Are you are considering a unit on Beowulf or Superman, on myths, or tricksters? Here's a great overview you can use to launch a study of universal themes and archetypes. The focus here is on the oral tradition, but the concepts apply to...

If your class doesn't know what a haiku is, show them two examples from the Japanese poet Issa (both included here), and have them make some observations. How long are they? What is the structure? A video and a list of questions help...

What can young scientists discover from dissecting an owl pellet? Explore the owl food chain, beginning with an introduction to these predatory birds. Suggested strategies here include creating a podcast and purchasing a poster, however...

Students examine the literary terms "round character" and "characterization" through the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. They view and discuss examples of clip art, video, and comic strips, and describe the character traits. ...

Students engage in several activities to explore Idaho and Social Studies themes. Using an variety of media, students become familiar with Idaho's geography and geology.

The PBS film, Bronx Princess, launches a study of complex parent-child relationships. Using the provided reading guide, viewers respond to clips from the film and compare Rocky and Yaa’s relationship to other parent-child relationships....

An interview with Dr. Rosemary Beam de Azcona launches a study of the complexities of language and how meaning changes across languages and cultures. The investigation continues as class members view clips of the film, The Tailenders,...

Need an extra challenge for your best readers? Check out a unit that uses Hannah Webster Foster’s epistolary novel, The Coquette, published in 1797, as the anchor text. The resource is packed with project ideas; each with its...

Examine Erikson's chart on the various stages one goes through growing up. Individually, they write a paper on whether or not they fit into those categories and how they are different today. In groups, for each stage they role play the...

Stories from "The Great Lakes Mariner" provide pupils with an opportunity to practice their synopsis-writing skills. The tabloid, which focuses on the Great Lakes region, is filled with stories written by sea captains, that are filled...

Students explore the concept of English units. In this English units instructional activity, students convert from one English unit to another English unit. Students estimate the size and weight of objects using English units.

Students explore world history by researching explorers of North America. In this famous explorers instructional activity, students research one specific explorer of their choice and identify his successes and failures by utilizing the...

Middle schoolers conduct Internet research on the history of ancient Ireland. They create a rubric for evaluating information sources. Students explore how to create a story map depicting the events in an Irish myth. They create an...

While an interesting instructional activity idea involving the exploration of a story about an Asian American boy named Imduk, a teacher would need to have assess to the Scott Foresman reading program to make this work. If not, a teacher...

High schoolers gain an understanding of humans need to explore. They create a "journey map" depicting the accomplishments of artistic explorers, and research the influences that caused the artists to embark on these "explorations."

Have your class practice using adjective clauses with this resource. Learners discuss adjective clauses and the words commonly found in these types of sentences. This resource is a comprehensive and worthwhile exploration.

Explore how photographs can represent a whole story to a viewer. Middle schoolers work on narrative writing techniques in this lesson, focusing on photographs from the New York Times to write first-person descriptive narratives....