Students sort animal picture cards into classification groups such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and fish. They discuss the characteristics that each group of animals shares then arrange the pictures into a clasificatioon...

Introduce S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders with a bell work journal that asks class members to define loyalty. Key words (patience, unity, honesty, caring, etc.), drawn from their musings, are posted around the room, and groups search for...

Do you know what a fallacy is? Discuss this term and its meaning with your class. Then, talk about why making generalizations about a large group of people isn't the best thing to do. As a group, study the included letter excerpt. It...

Learners participate in a lesson of adding and subtracting decimals. They should review place values with decimals before beginning the lesson. The lesson plan also includes sample problems for the teacher to use in direct instruction....

Young scholars work in groups as they read chapters of Charles Darwin's, Voyage of the Beagle. They take notes on the chapter and in their group make a timeline of the chapter. They tape the timelines together in order to depict the...

Tenth graders explore the concept of censorship through a reading of Fahrenheit 451. They discuss the issue and its relation to contemporary society. Students work in groups to debate the pros and cons of censorship in our society.

Fourth graders use a previous and current map of the state of Michigan to compare cities and roads. They look for names that come from the Native American culture. They participate in a class discussion to compare findings.

Real-life math is really great! In groups, learners measure objects in the classroom. After comparing measurements, they determine a scale and create a blueprint of the classroom. They discuss the purpose of using scale drawings in...

Students discuss ways to get involved in activities at school. In groups, they brainstorm a list of qualities of a person who is engaged in civics and how they can become involved in activities at school related to government. They...

Students examine drastic changes in Florida Everglades watershed, compare and contrast two watershed maps, discuss effects of addition of agriculture, loss of wetlands, and introduction of Water Conservation Areas, and predict condition...

Exploring the idea of working to achieve the American Dream, the class reads an excerpt from How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Following, the class analyzes the excerpt and discusses the theme of the reading using...

Help your charges investigate visual art by identifying sounds that are associated with the images. They view art galleries online and discuss which sounds would be present if the image was a real life situation. Additionally, they...

Analyze poetry in a group setting. Middle and high schoolers read lyrics to a Tom Petty song and free write about the song's tone, setting, and speaker. They then complete the same activity in a group setting using seven poems. The...

Geometers explore mathematics by completing an object measurement worksheet. They utilize a variety of candy bars and rulers to conduct a measurement experiment in class. They complete worksheets as a group based on the measurement...

Cooperative groups are formed for this graphing activity. Each group must construct a graph that represents how many eyelets (the holes for laces in shoes), are present in their group. A whole-class bar graph is eventually constructed...

Ask learners about their personal writing habits, such as whether they keep a journal or a blog, or if they'd ever want to. Though this is not a fully developed lesson, you can use this article and question to provoke discussion and...

Incorporate technological fluency with a search for examples of active and passive voice in online resources. Discuss how use of active or passive voice influences mood or tone and contributes to author's purpose. List of...

Does watching TV increase one's blood pressure? Assess student understanding of how study design dictates whether a conclusion of causation is warranted. Use this as a prompt for a small group or whole class discussion, or as a part of a...

What information would you find in an almanac that you would not find in an atlas? What is the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus? Using a Cite Your Sites worksheet on which they record their observations, groups participate...

Students perform an activity in small groups in order to investigate different types of shapes found in photographs taken with a digital camera. The integration of technology is used to engage students in the lesson.

Students explore race and ethnicity as it is defined by the U. S. Census Bureau. They compare data from 1900, 1950, and 2000 and identify settlement patterns and changes in population. In groups, they map these changes and discuss...

Students discuss the weather conditions. They read thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, and wind direction and speed. They record observations of weather conditions and enter information into data base on the computer.

Fifth graders discuss insurance and the cost of automobile insurance. They compare and contrast the costs of insurance from different companies. They figure the savings from the lowest deductible to the highest deductible.

Middle and high schoolers work in groups to research tales of King Arthur, using primary sources. They present the major themes and symbols from these stories, and discuss how they still relevant in today's world. Use this instructional...