The ninth in a fourteen-lesson series, this plan marks a sort of midpoint in a unit devoted to the study of short stories. Pupils learn about theme and work on their short story projects by adding to their blogs, checking in with the...

Students research a famous mathematician and create a presentation of their research. In this famous mathematician research lesson, students decide on a famous mathematician that they would like to learn more about. They conduct research...

Students participate in the Small World Project that develops their interest and abilities necessary to find reliable information from the Internet and through global communication. They develop homepages, research topics, and produce a...

Seventh graders complete a journal activity in conjunction with a study of ancient Egypt. In this history and writing instructional activity, 7th graders write a journal entry based on the life of an ancient Egyptian pharoah they create.

Students recognize the elements of a fable and write an original fable. They make connections with morals and other law-related concepts.

Students draft and edit a letter regarding human rights. They work in groups to select a cause, follow basic letter writing guidelines and draft a persuasive letter expressing their concerns. Students can also send the letters to a...

Students work through the steps of writing a research paper in this lesson. They define their problem and decide what sources of information to use. They read, take notes, and organize the collected data. Finally, they write the...

Third graders research elves and create their own elf description which they use to write back to the first graders Santa letters.

Pupils write a story inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and then try their hand at their own rendition of this famous piece of art. In a twist, students incorporate the stories into their paintings.

Students use pictures to help them communicate their ideas. They write personal books or journals using pictures. Students can create daily blogs usig the internet and create a weekly newsletter.

In this writing introductions worksheet, students read about 4 types of introductions, then analyze 6 examples and interactively write comments about each one.

In this ballad composition worksheet, students compose a ballad in any key as they write a 12 line rhyming poem and continue to follow the other 6 steps to create their original ballad.

Students identify the components of the Results section of the project and technical paper.They also identify appropriate ways of presenting data and write the Results section of the technical paper.

Students complete activities for an independent novel project. In this novel project worksheet, students follow the 13 steps to analyze and complete a comprehensive project about a novel they've read.

Seventh graders, in pairs, decide on a product they would like to advertise and design an advertising plan for said product. Using ClarisWorks, 7th graders create an advertisement using pictures, vote on their favorite and discuss what...

Students create a myth in the style of Greek mythology.  In this writing a myth instructional activity, students discuss the characteristics of Greek myths and the writing process.  Students then write their own myth.

Encoding What I did Last Summer. Class members develop a way to encode a personal experience using a top-down approach to determine components and sub-components of their experience They then pick one portion of the experience and go...

High schoolers collect photographs on the Progressive Era in Illinois, then write three newspaper articles, using one photo per article. The article will highlight an event in Illinois during the Progressive Era. The newspaper must also...

A gumball machine art project is a great way to learn about optical mixing in a study of pointillism and Georges Seurat. Kids create their own masterpieces and learn about primary and secondary colors in the process.

Students complete a character study using a database to compile information from a novel. They design a five slide presentation highlighting the character's reaction to different situations in the book. They write an acrostic poem using...

Think beyond the animals and habitats we've already discovered and allow scholars to dream up their very own habitat and an animal that lives there. Class members present the new habitat and animal on a poster alongside an...

Sixth graders investigate ancient civilizations by creating a research project.  In this world history instructional activity, 6th graders investigate historic civilizations developed close to important rivers of the near East....

Students view photographs from the Civil Rights Movement and write an essay from the point of view of someone in the photograph. They artistically represent various aspects of the Movement.

Lights, Camera, Action! Pupils read Little Women and create, act, and direct a melodrama that Jo March and her sisters would enjoy. The lesson plan comes complete with resources for the educator on melodrama as well as examples...