Students discuss how people are reducing their fuel consumption, then read a news article about a new bike-sharing program in Washington, D.C. In this current events and alternative transportation lesson, the teacher introduces the...

Young scholars locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and...

Young scholars locate China on a world map, then read a news article about pollution in Beijing. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion about smog and a vocabulary activity, then students read...

Students read a story called Mayor Puts City on Diet to Lose a Million Pounds and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current event Lose a Million Pounds lesson plan, students respond to literature by...

Students read a news article about a boy in California who wants to encourage his peers to use good language. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a short rap, discussion, and vocabulary activity, then...

Students write an autobiographical essay. In this writing lesson students read a narrative, Panic in Paris, and review the elements of a narrative as a class discussion. Well-known stories are used as examples for writing their own...

Students create stories using only pictures.  In this visual storytelling lesson, students read Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola and analyze the wordless story.  Students create new text for the book by writing on...

Fourth graders read the book Talkin' About Bessie and write a paragraph about the author's purpose. For this author's purpose lesson plan, 4th graders include examples from the story.

Young scholars explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students reflect upon the lesson of tikkun olam as they read "First They Came for the Jews." Young scholars plan and execute a tikkun olam project of...

Students read and discuss a news article about a school in Scotland that is using fountain pens to write with. They answer article comprehension questions, participate in a discussion about the importance of handwriting, write their...

Students participate in the paper vs. plastic bag debate, then read a news article about one grocery store that is banning plastic bags. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the news article with a debate and a...

Students read and analyze the N. Scott Momaday novel, The Way to Rainy Mountain. They share photos of an older family relative, write about the relative, listen to an excerpt from the book, and conduct an Internet research on the Kiowa...

Students examine Harriet Tubman's contribution to the Underground Railroad. They read and discuss an excerpt from the book "The Tamarack Tree," listen to the CD for the book "Follow the Drinking Gourd," and write a journal response from...

Fourth graders participate in a shared reading of The Giving Tree. They discuss the relationship between trees and people in the story. Students contribute to a class KWL chart. They create their own KWL chart with at least four things...

Students read about the creation of a football program at a small-town school in Alaska. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary activity, then students read the news report and...

Students identify and interpret the value of the dragonfly as a predator of the mosquito. They create their own folktales using the dragonfly or a creature of their choice to solve the malaria problem or another issue. Students also...

Students will explore the animals and people living in the Arctic. In this science activity, students locate Alaska on a globe, discuss its climate and geographical features, and identify common arctic animals. Students complete the...

Students compare and contrast various versions of the fairytale Cinderella. In this folktale lesson, students read The Korean Cinderella and The Egyptian Cinderella and analyze the differences between the two stories. Students identify...

Young scholars investigate drugs in sports. In this performance enhancing drugs lesson, students discuss the uses for steroids in medicine and sports. Young scholars utilize the web to play a steroid related game, view media clips of...

Young scholars complete a unit of lessons on the events of the Holocaust during WWII. They write daily journal entries, create a collage, view and discuss videos, read and analyze novels and poetry, and complete a novel project.

Young scholars examine the African American experience after they received their freedom after the Civil War. They complete a Mind Map, read and analyze a poem, and write a paragraph using key vocabulary words. They analyze the impact of...

Students construct simple musical instruments. In this music instructional activity, students read the text Max Found Two Sticks and construct their own instruments from classroom materials.

Sixth graders discuss the vocabulary word, "migrate" and what it means and how it relates to the novel they are reading, Esperanza Rising.  In this novel lesson plan, 6th graders read chapter 7 of their novel in small groups and...

Sixth graders explore culture by reading a book with classmates. In this Hispanic history lesson, 6th graders read the story First Day in Grapes, and discuss the tough lives of migrant workers. Students answer study questions after the...