Encourage close reading for young learners with a lesson based on Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting. The first part of the resource guides readers through a Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA), prompting them to make...

To generate interest in reading Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel Unwind, class members engage in a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) that asks them to examine the front and back covers, the blurbs, and "The...

Prepare participants for a Socratic seminar by asking them to not only design questions for the discussion, but to also observe an assigned partner during the seminar. A great way to encourage student-led discussions.

While incomplete, this lesson provides an interesting way to approach an activity on giving and following directions. Learners work in groups, using a newspaper and maps, to give each other directions to a specific location. The handouts...

Are you looking for a shockingly good lesson? Check out one that has middle schoolers recreate four of Benjamin Franklin's experiments. Groups investigate, observe, and draw conclusions about static electricity and electrical current....

Young scientists develop their observation and writing skills as they craft and then post a detailed description of a plant or animal they have spotted and photographed.

Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...

Read a sample of creative descriptive writing to your science class. Discuss how writing can be used to record and communicate observations that scientists make. Reading selections and thought-provoking questions are suggested. Also...

Combine measurement, following directions, physics, and art with one fun activity. Learners read a set of instruction to create three different kinds of paper airplanes. They measure, fold, and fly the planes, and record data and answer...

Students observe and listen to nonfiction books about the life cycle of pumpkins. They practice early reading skills in a shared reading related to pumpkins. They observe the life cycle of a pumpkin including growth and decay.

First graders view the object on their desk observing the colors, patterns, and the way the object is put together but not touching it. They then write on paper the directions they would give someone so that they would be able to build...

Little ones identify the parts of a plant and practice following directions at the same time. They color each part of the flowering plant the color indicated on the sheet. Roots are brown, leaves are green, the flower is red, and the...

Give observational and writing skills a boost with a worksheet that takes scholars on a sight-seeing journey around the school. Learners read sentences and color a corresponding picture, then write their own observational sentence...

Panel 58 from Jacob Lawrence's "Migration Series" of paintings provides middle schoolers with an opportunity to sharpen their observation and analytical skills. After engaging in a warm-up activity that introduces the concepts of...

Young botanists dig into a lesson that has them planting lima bean seeds and observing their growth. They compare their experience to that of the speaker in Robert Frost's poem, "Putting in the Seed."

Experience movement in literature. High schoolers are introduced to new vocabulary related to drama and theatre. In groups, they use a piece of literature and develop their own skit to act out in front of the class. As a class, they...

Observe Constitution Day with a worksheet that delves deep into the who, what, why, when, where, and how of the U.S. Constitution. Scholars read a short informational text then answer 10 questions—short answer and multiple choice. 

Who wouldn't love to get a letter from a blue bird? Elementary art enthusiasts analyze the social and historical context of Ason Yellowhair's Navajo piece, Bird and Cornstalk Rug. They examine the construction and images on the rug...

In this directional cues activity, students observe four lines of animals, decide which animal on each line is facing a different direction and then circle that animal.

Students practice the correct use of quotation marks. In this grammar lesson, students watch and then discuss a video on the use of quotation marks. Students find examples of quotation marks in books and periodicals and then convert...

Students and their families participate in nature walk to locate, observe, and identify scavenger hunt items as well as other items of interest, compare and discuss finds with each other, and identify items found that do not belong in...

In this following directions using rhyming words worksheet, pupils observe a picture of a witch and erase parts of her using "if...then" sentences and filling in the blanks with rhyming words about the picture. They fill in the blanks...

Students observe and write about butterflies. In this life cycle lesson, students listen to the story The Life of a Butterfly by Robin Bernard and watch a YouTube video of a butterfly coming out of his chrysalis. They complete a...

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