Search results

Classification of matter

Students are introduced to the concept of different kinds of matter. Students create models of different substances to learn to identify the differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures. This lesson is developed so that teachers can use it with English as a Second Language students.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Development and Science)

By Anya Childs and Rhonda Garrett.

Nature journaling: A new way to enjoy nature

Nature journaling is a way to record and re-create an image experienced in nature. By combining drawing and writing, the student uses their senses to record what they feel, see, hear and touch at a particular point in time.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

By steven sather.

Building a paper bridge: An introduction to problem solving

This activity allows the student to explore problem solving strategies while working with a partner. This activity (building a paper bridge), requires students to question word definition and the application of those definitions. Through problem solving strategies, students discover the need for applying math skills.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Mathematics)

By Steve Walston.

What makes you scream?

Students will study Edvard Munch's painting The Scream. They will then produce their own scream using directional lines as Munch did. Line was used by Munch in a variety of directions—horizontal, vertical and diagonal. This will help the eye travel to the central theme of the composition: the person's fright or what they fear.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Visual Arts Education)

By Cathy Crumpler.

Seasonal farm landscapes

Students will have visited the farm landscape four times throughout the year, recording their observations during four seasons. The drawings will incorporate their knowledge of farms from our visits, their exposure to the seasonal landscapes of Grant Wood and Claude Monet, and their knowledge of landscape art and its elements of color and perspective developed at the Museum. The final project will be individual student books containing their landscape drawings and text.

Format: lesson plan (grade K Visual Arts Education)

By Jamie Barnhill.

History of atomic theory

This lesson is developed for a regular low level physical science class. In small groups, students will use media and written script to learn and teach each other about major contributions to the development of the atomic theory.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Development and Science)

By Anya Childs and Rhonda Garrett.

Writing and English as a Second Language

Strategies for helping English Language Learners throughout the writing process.

By Frances Hoch.

Camp Earth bound: Problem solving and finding for fun

Students will work together in small groups of four to six students to solve the following word problems. Their solutions will require them to practice interview techniques and create a database and/or spreadsheet of their results. This information will be the basis of the answers to the following eight word problems. Skills such as area, cost, calorie count, ratio, percentage and scale, as well as persuasive writing will be applied.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

Observing connections: Art, poetry and the environment (Lesson 1)

Students will explore the poem of Pat Lowery Collins, “I Am An Artist” and create their own poem from what they see and experience. They will then illustrate their poems with a visual design. This is the first lesson in a series of three in which students are creating art based on their observations: Observing Connections —Art, Poetry, and the Environment (Lesson 1); Observing Connections—Changing Landscapes (Lesson 2); Observing Connections—North Carolina Pottery and Face Jugs (Lesson 3)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

By Lisa Mitchell.

Planning a successful (and educational) field trip

The world can be your classroom -- but ensuring that your field trip is a productive learning experience for students takes planning. This article helps you prepare your students, yourself, and others for a successful field trip.

Format: article

By Bobby Hobgood and Lesley Richardson.

Water cycle word study

Students will look at the written similarities in the words used to describe the water cycle (ex., evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, accumulation, condensation), focusing on suffixes and prefixes as a way to gain understanding of those terms. Students will group words by meaning and label a blank water cycle chart based on the categories for the groupings they create. This lesson is designed in conjunction with “More than just a rainy day—the water cycle.”

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Science)

By Kelly This and Leigh Thrower.

Resources on the web

Cosmic oranges: Observation and inquiry through descriptive writing and art

This lesson employs scientific observation, descriptive writing, sketching, reading, investigation, and poetry writing to train students to use their senses and focus their attention. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Analyzing symbolism, plot, and theme in Death and the Miser

In this lesson, students apply analytical skills to an exploration of the early Renaissance painting Death and the Miser by Hieronymous Bosch. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Renaissance Humanism in Hamlet and The Birth of Venus

Students use visual and literary tools to identify, analyze, and explain how elements in Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus and examples from Shakespeare's Hamlet illustrate the philosophy... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 12 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE