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Fourth of July Lesson Ideas: Celebrate America's struggle for independence with 13 patriotic activities.
Four Lessons for Frosty Days: From snowflakes to snowstorms, 4 lessons revel in wintry weather.
Winter Expressions: Write a winter 'shape poem.' Display the unique poems on a classroom bulletin board. (Grades PreK-8)
Power Problem: Calculate losses that innocent victim "Eun Plugd" incurred from a power outage caused by a snowstorm. (Grades 3-8)
The Last Resort: Rescue the Desert Mountain resort by designing a travel brochure that will bring in the tourists. (Grades 3-12)
Let It Snow!: Make the most of the season's first snowfall with a snowflake study! (Grades PreK-5)
Spell, Shoot, and Score: A quick, easy-to-prepare lesson when the Holiday season makes for a busy time of year.
Unwrapping Reading: Guest readers rip off the holiday wrapping and read the book inside!
Deck the Halls With Literature Trees: "Deck-orate the halls" of the school with literature trees.
A World of Special Celebrations: Create a display of the world's religious and ethnic celebrations.
Re-Name That Tune: A Vocabulary Activity: Build students' vocabulary skills with this "Re-Name That Tune" activity.
History of Toys and Games: Students create a timeline to illustrate when popular toys were first introduced.
"Write-a-Letter-to-the-Teacher" Book Report: Combine writing a book report with writing a friendly letter.
"Carousel Brainstorm" Book Report: A "carousel brainstorm" is a fun way to review a book the whole class has read.
Chain Together a Book Report: Break a book report down into sections in this "chain book report" activity.
Book Report BINGO: Chose five book report ideas in a row -- BINGO!
Book Week Celebration: Turn Children's Book Week into a school wide celebration.
Celebrate Books: A (Book) Week of Fun!: Children's Book Week is observed in May, but these 5 lessons are good any time of the year.
Globe Game: Map game challenges students to develop geography skills.
The Branding of America (and Your State): Introduce to students the products your local area contributes to the U.S./world economy.
Where Did Foods Originate?: Help students discover how New World explorers influenced the Old World's diet (and vice versa).
A World of Information: Students create colorful maps to illustrate "top ten" statistics about our world.
Where in the World?: Locating famous landmarks around the world develops students' research skills.
Make Your Lessons Pop(corn)!: Dozens of activity ideas use popcorn to teach a variety of subjects.
Popcorn Geography: Grades 3-12 use corn kernels to create a "Top Corn-Producing States" map.
Popcorn History: Grades 3-12 research/create a timeline of the history of popcorn.
Popcorn Math: Use popcorn to teach a number of K-8 math concepts.
Popcorn Nutrition: Grades 3-8 read a snack nutrition chart and answer questions.
Popcorn Science: Five simple experiments (adaptable for all grade levels) demonstrate what makes popcorn pop.
BIG Pumpkins!: Grades 3-8 read a chart and solve word problems about big pumpkins.
Hang a Jack-O'-Lantern Mobile: In this art activity for all grade levels, students create pumpkin mobiles.
Pumpkin Puzzler: Grades 3-12 put math thinking in writing with this pumpkin puzzler.
Photosynthesis Activities: Do not leaf out this most valuable fall lesson!
Technology Integration Ideas that Work: Dozens of ideas for all subjects and grade levels.
Wright Brothers Timeline: Create a photo timeline of the lives of the Wright brothers.
"Wright-ing" Biographies for Young Readers: Older students write high-interest, low-vocab biographies for young readers.
The Wright Brothers on "Hollywood Squares": Test knowledge of the Wright brothers by playing "Hollywood Squares."
The "Wright" Puzzle: Complete a crossword puzzle based on a brief biography of the Wright brothers.
Make a Model of a Wright Flyer: Grades 3-12 create a model of the Wright brothers' engine-powered glider.
You've Come to the "Wright" Place!: Five lessons for all grade levels celebrate the Wright brothers' First Flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, in 1903.
Establishing Classroom Rules: Ten activities help you set the right tone for the rest of your school year.
The Art of Me: Students create a work of art to express the most important things they want others to know about them.
Going Back to School Can Be Expensive!: In this homework activity, parents help students figure the cost of going back to school.
An Apple (Pad) for Parents: Students create a special notepad for parent-teacher communication throughout the school year.
Following-Directions Follies: This fun activity assesses students' abilities to observe and follow directions.
Student Learning-Strengths Inventory: Use an online inventory to determine students' learning strengths and intelligences.
A New Guide for New Teachers: A 30-year teaching veteran has sage advice about starting the new year.
Teachers, Start Your Engines: 20 classroom management strategies give your year a great start.
In a Million Words or Fewer ...: Forget about homework for students. This activity for their parents helps start the school year right.
Math Madness: A Game for Small Groups: Adapt this active game for any math skill you might be teaching!
"Photograph Math" Word Problems: Word problems come to life when kids write their own problems and stage photos that illustrate them.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who Needs Math in Life at All?: A fun bulletin board display helps students explore the ways they use math in their daily lives.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who Needs Math in Life at All?: This dice-and-math game provides practice in a wide variety of math skills at all levels.
Candy Colors: Figuring the Mean, Median, and Mode: Students count candy by color and then calculate mean, median, and mode.
Online Games for Grades PreK-K: Safe, engaging and free games that help kids master important skills.
Great Ideas for Better Book Reports: Twenty -- yes 20! -- great ideas add spice to student book reports!
The Authors' Picks: Award-winning authors discuss their favorite must-read books for elementary students.
That's Entertainment: Music Across the Curriculum: Four activities combine music with art and other subjects for all grade levels.
Making the Most of the Dreaded End-of-School Days: Do not give up on the school year yet! 5 lessons make the last days fun and worthwhile.
Celebrate National P.E. and Sports Month: Lessons, resources, and activities for physical education.
Improving School Recycling: Students evaluate their school recycling programs and propose improvements.
Fund-Raiser for Earth Day: Students hold a fund-raising activity to raise money to buy seeds, plants, or tree seedlings to beautify school grounds.
Earth Day PSA: Students develop a short public service announcement (PSA) video to raise awareness about an environmental issue.
Cafeteria Compost: Students create a compost pile in the schoolyard, using lunchroom food scraps and yard clippings.
Community Clean Up: Students identify community areas filled with trash and work together to clean those areas.
Four-Corner Fun: A Review Game: Multiple choice review questions are center stage in this fun activity that can be used to review any subject matter, any skill.
"Concentration" Review Game: Adapt the game of Concentration to review hundreds of skills. Ideas, puzzle sources included.
Play Ball: A Major League Review Game: In this game, students advance the bases as they give correct answers to review questions.
Do the Hokey Pokey -- In Many Languages: Encourage students to learn foreign language vocabulary for parts of the body using the popular song "The Hokey Pokey."
Comparing Composers: Beethoven and Mozart: A comprehension activity exposes students to the lives and music of Mozart and Beethoven. Work sheet included.
A STOMPing Good Time: Students work in small groups as they use everyday objects to create performances inspired by the work of STOMP.
Be Part of the World's Largest Concert: "The World's Largest Concert" takes place the second Thursday of March. It's never too late to involve your students!
Petite People: Use toothpicks and embroidery floss to make little people to wear as pins or display in dioramas.
String Eggs: Decorate the classroom with beautiful string eggs for Easter!
Signs of Spring Door Hanging: Brighten days with seasonal door hangers. They make great gifts for students' homes or retirement homes.
Playful Pinwheels: Celebrate the warm winds of spring by making colorful, breezy pinwheels!
Four Corners Debate: A debate strategy gets kids thinking -- and moving! Debate topics included for all grades.
Using Fairy Tales to Debate Ethics: Three fairy tales challenge students to think about honesty, right and wrong, and other questions of ethics.
Role Play Debate: Students assume the roles of various stakeholders in debates on issues of high interest.
Stage a Debate: A Primer for Teachers: Adapt the standard Lincoln-Douglas debate format plus ten strategies for engaging students in debate!
Scrapbooking in Middle School: Generating an interest in history.
Every Day of the Month: Pose a question about women's history for each weekday of the month.
This Is My Life: What will your students' lives be like in the future? Encourage them to create a time line of their lives that extends 50 years into the future.
Who Did That?: Not all remarkable women lived in the past. Can your students identify the accomplishments of today's remarkable women?
They Also Serve: Explore with students the roles women played during World War II; then students design a recruiting poster telling women of the ways in which they can serve their country today.
Honoring the American Woman: March is Women's History Month. This collection of lesson plans and curriculum resources will help you highlight the lives of American women and showcase their accomplishments.
Iditarod Madness!: Curriculum resources bring this March spectacular to your classroom.
Secret Agent Stan: Help an old gumshoe find his way in a new era of investigative work!
"History's Mysteries": Propose a theme for an upcoming program on the History Channel.
Mysteries in the Bag: Build a mystery around the contents of a bag of evidence.
Fingered Felons: Experiment with fingerprinting and analyze evidence to solve a classroom crime!
Money Math Match: Students hunt for the classmate who holds a bag of coins equal in value to theirs.
Coin Count and Classification: How will 100 pennies sort by decade or year? Students make and then test their predictions.
Design a Coin: Students research a state and then design a quarter for it. They use dough or foil to create the coin.
What Did It Cost in 1903?: Invite students to compare prices of goods across the century in this lesson that introduces the concept of inflation.
Try a Money Bee for a "Change": Adapt the spelling bee format and hold a money bee for a "change!"
Melba Pattillo and Ruby Bridges: Two Heroes of School Integration: Put your students in the shoes of those who integrated Little Rock High School in 1957-58.
Poetry Slam Hits Schools with Literary Force: Encourage a love of the spoken word.
The Black History Rap: Invite students to write a rap or hip-hop lyrics about the life of a famous Black American.
Rosa Parks Changed the Rules: Students complete a diagram of the Montgomery bus that carried Rosa Parks into the history books. Work sheet included.
Build a Black History Database/Timeline: The simple Black History timeline students create can be sequenced, sorted, and searched.
Lewis and Clark's Journey West: A Timeline Activity: A timeline/scavenger hunt activity highlights milestone events in Lewis and Clark's journey west.
President Jefferson's Cipher: Cracking the Code: Students crack a code for conveying secret messages that President Jefferson gave Lewis and Clark.
Meet the Corps of Discovery: Students assume the persona of one of the members of Lewis and Clark's expedition team. (Grades 3-12)
Lewis and Clark: The Journey West: Lessons for the 200th anniversary of the landmark expedition.
A Poem Is a Poem Is a Poem: Lesson plans, teaching ideas and other resources help you celebrate National Poetry Month.
Everybody Is Unique: A Lesson in Respect for Others' Differences: Teach about respect for others' unique qualities in this lesson that combines art and language arts.
Teaching About Tolerance Through Music: Invite students to analyze the lyrics of Peter, Paul and Mary songs that express themes of tolerance.
Those Tear-Me-Apart, Put-Me-Back-Together, Never-Be-the-Same-Again Blues: This powerful activity illustrates how unkind words can hurt.
How Tolerant Are Kids in Your School?: Students graph results of a survey of attitudes and tolerance in their school.
Bursting Stereotypes: Balloons serve as the conduit for this lesson in which students "burst" stereotypes.
Whiteboards Stimulate Student Learning: Lessons across the curriculum for whiteboards (and how to make whiteboards, too!)