One of the keys for successful teaching is connecting curriculum to real-life experiences. This lesson on blogging does this, by making writing, revising, and publishing a reality. Pupils create a character for a story, write about their...

What does your class know about logical fallacies? They can find out quite a bit and practice identifying logical fallacies if you follow the steps and use the resources provided here! After reviewing ethos, pathos, and logos, ask small...

Kindergarteners spell patterns of the long vowel phoneme /ay/. After listenting to The Birthday Day, learners work together to construct a class book that utilizes words that end in /ay/. Since the /ay/ phoneme is used so much...

Students create original works of "sunflower" art using Van Gogh's paintings and the book "Camille and the Sunflowers" as a basis. Pastels and sugar paper are the suggested medium for this creative project.

Eighth graders compose or create works of communication for specific audiences and purposes. They locate, access, and select relevant information from a variety of sources. They revise and edit their work to improve content, organization...

Using the sun's light as a source of energy is not a new concept. Give your environmental studies, engineering, or physical science class this list of how humans have used solar energy throughout history. Assign groups a certain time...

Learn about your home state. After listening to stories about your state, identifying symbols, and discussing what makes your region special, your class creates a mural.

A nice, neat PowerPoint accompanies this lesson plan, explaining each of the MyPlate dietary recommendations. Another PowerPoint gives the class the opportunity to apply the concepts of MyPlate on a worksheet. Recipes are provided for...

By counting differences in amino acids, biology stars examine the relationships between different primates. With information gleaned, they map out a phylogenic tree and discover common ancestry. You will need to create printable versions...

Are you planning to have a guest speaker talk to your class? Prepare in advance and help your class transform into an engaged and thoughtful audience. Before the visit, young writers work cooperatively to brainstorm what they want to...

Sixth graders work in pairs to research information related to aquatic life using references from the World Wide Web. They present their findings in the form of an oral presentation to the class.

Learners recognize words by common spelling patterns. The teacher reads a poem to the class and look at rhymes for the word moon. They practice handwriting in conjunction with spelling, and they can even write their own -oo- poem! 

Students identify and categorize contraceptive methods according to how they work. They read reference sheets, view and discuss transparencies, and complete various worksheets.

Young scholars explore their creative-thinking and writing skills while writing a sequel to the classic story, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". Students work in small groups to complete this activity and share their completed story with...

Students are introduced to the types of characters found in short stories. They read a short story in class and produce sketches of the protagonist and antagonist. Finally, they create their own characters and write about them in their...

Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...

A mail truck travels the same amount of miles per day. It will be up to your algebra learners to find an equation for this mailman’s truck. One needs a good understanding of rate of change and the initial value for this model. The...

Most middle schoolers probably feel that quilting is at best an activity left to their grandmothers. This lesson plan uses the Zome modeling system to get them to realize how shapes in quilting are really tessellations and repeating...

First graders explore the work of Henri Matisse. They use shapes to create a collage. Students create texture in their collage by using various types of papers and they study how to use various materials to make one unified piece of art.

Third graders role-play various organisms from a food chain to illustrate how a food chain works. In relay style, 3rd graders fill their cups (stomachs) and, in turn, fill a larger organism's cup (stomach) to visualize the importance of...

Students watch westerns and analyze them. They identify the plot, characters and the sounds in the film. They research icons of the American west and prepare a presentation. They share their presentation with the class.

A hands-on activity uses the Zome modeling system, and helps young geometers either learn or review their knowledge of polygons. Students build as many different 2-dimensional polygons as possible: triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon,...

Students create art plans for an "installation" after viewing a video of Native American mask making that centers around the Salmon rack idea. Emphasis is placed on collaborative work in this introductory lesson.

Students read the story SAIL AWAY by Donald Crew to show different pictures of water and oceans. They are then introduced to a collage showing examples of Picasso's work. They construct a collage using different methods.