Shows how to use electronic spreadsheets and databases as a part of social studies instruction aimed at analyzing issues and trends in data. Provides a lesson plan which has students use a database to compile their own government handbook. (JDH)

Provides primary grade level science activities that focus on insects, tracks and trails, water, and flight. For each topic, six major ideas plus related activities and suggestions about resources are given. (RH)

This article reviews literature on kinetic structure, a low-inference variable related to lesson organization. Kinetic structure significantly affects student achievement and student perception of lesson effectiveness. Training programs to increase kinetic structure and other results concerning structure are discussed. (Author/MT)

Focuses upon important components of a law studies curriculum and presents teaching strategies and sample lessons to help in the teaching of introductory law, exploring the nature of law, examining legal concepts, understanding legal processes, clarifying values and attitudes about law, and forecasting possible futures based on assumptions about…

This document presents eight detailed lesson plans for use with students with disabilities. The lesson plans address oral language skills, reading comprehension, math problem solving, written expression, reading acquisition, study skills, math computation, and social skills. Each lesson plan identifies relevant standards from the Council for…

Connecting art and language arts, this guide offers creative lessons for more than 140 favorite children's books, most of which have been published within the last 10 years. The lessons help teachers inspire students in grades K-5 to create art projects related to a book's story. In the first part of the book, the author explains more than 50 art…

This book provides tools for educators to help children respond to traumatic events with resiliency and hope. Created as an extension of the "9/11 As History" initiative, the book provides an overview of 16 unique lesson plans created for children from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade. It also contains selections from the writings…

This lesson plan for instruction in geography addresses three social studies standards (People, Places and Environments; Culture; Civic Ideals and Values) and seven geography standards (development of mental maps; physical and human characteristics of places; people create regions to interpret the earth's complexity; patterns and networks of…

This packet contains information on teaching about environmental impact. Background information is included on the role of environmental impact on our society and environmental risk is also discussed. Environmental impacts are studied using Stages of Assessment. Learning activities and seven lesson plans include: (1) "The Community…

This lesson is an exploration of figurative language using the novel "The Phantom Tollbooth" and various Web resources. Students examine figurative language in the story and create a chart representing the literal and figurative meanings of words and phrases. During the four to eight 40-minute class sessions, middle school students will: read the…

Involving students in drawing activities prior to writing helps them to visualize what they want to express in their writing. Drawing before writing makes writing an easier process. In this lesson, K-2 students learn story elements, use graphic organizers, and access the Internet to gather factual information about frogs and toads. During the two-…

Teachers have long surrounded young students with a print-rich environment within the classroom, but the purpose of this lesson is to bring the print-rich environment of the community into the classroom through the use of environmental print, enabling emergent readers to delight in the realization that they are indeed readers. During 10 to 20…

This lesson uses the informational power of the Internet for a prewriting activity. Through various Internet sites, students gather information about the history and celebration practices associated with Veterans Day. Following the prewriting activity, students write content-rich poems that honor veterans. During the 45-minute prewriting session,…

Letter poems make poetry accessible, meaningful, and fun. Letter poems are also an apt medium for exploring a defining characteristic of poetry--line breaks. Students explore letter poems and experiment with writing letters as poems, using the placement of line breaks to enhance rhythm, sound, meaning, and appearance. During the two 40-minute…