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Lesson Plan Booster: Does Vengeance Do More Harm Than Good?Students consider the message the world has received from American celebration over the death of Osama bin Laden, and in a larger sense, whether acts of military vengeance tend to increase or decrease the probability of future violence.
 
Lesson Plan Booster: What Makes a Great Speech?Do your students love to talk? Turn that energy into something productive by discussing common elements of great speeches from a variety of genres. Kids identify what they admire about famous orations while they learn about the art of persuasion.
 
Lesson Plan Booster: How Can Students Help a Bullied Peer?
Students consider the impact of bullying on the school as a whole, as well as the impact on a bullied peer who does not receive the help he or she needs. The class learns about safe ways to help a student who has been mistreated. Students talk openly about whether the climate of your school supports bullying prevention.

Lesson Plan Booster: Think Before You Hit “Send”
Student discussion can be initiated following media coverage of a high-profile case of a youth or adult inappropriately sharing his/her personal information or photos via cell/text, email or social networking. Students are encouraged to develop personal rules regarding personal information/photos and consider why some things are never appropriate to post or send.

Lesson Plan Booster: “Teen Mom” Show and Social Norms Regarding Teen Pregnancy
The class thinks critically about “social norms” messages expressed by a popular MTV “reality show” that is aimed at a teen audience. Students consider the possible positive and negative effects of the show on teen behavior.
 
Lesson Plan Booster: Clothing and the First AmendmentThis lesson lets kids decide whether students’ rights to wear particular articles of clothing are protected under the First Amendment.
 
Lesson Plan Booster: Media Literacy and High-Profile Crime CasesHearing student chatter about that sensational murder trial or other big case in the news? Help 9th- to 12th-graders think critically about the news coverage.

Harry Potter Inspires: How Does Social Change Happen?
Students in grades 8-12 see the history of American social activism reflected in the Harry Potter saga.

 Harry Potter Inspires: A Quest for Wizardly Efficiency
Math, map reading and critical thinking skills take center stage as kids in grades 3-6 plan a series of tasks in order to help a friend who’s fallen victim to a curse.

Kids Need Prep for Global Citizenship
Geographic literacy -- and the importance of ensuring that American kids have it -- has been making headlines lately, as legislators and geography advocates move to bring a solid geography curriculum back to schools. The quest has even made its way to Congress, where a recent bill introduced by U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) would authorize competitive grants through the Department of Education to improve K-12 geography curriculum, teacher training and materials.

Digitizing History: Exploring Moments in Time Through Web Design
Students create a home page or small Web site based on a theme related to a recent history or social studies lessons.

First- and Third-World Challenges
Students develop an understanding of third-world and first-world problems and discuss issues related to the role of computer games in education.

Chatting With Historical Figures
Students research an historical figure and create a chat bot representing that figure.

Using Old Newspapers to Teach History
Few people think of todays newspapers as tomorrows history books. But two history teachers have compiled reproductions of newspapers front pages to help students get a snapshot of events as they were reported.

Podcasting and the News
Students listen to a news podcast and use a graphic organizer to record what they learn.

Election 2006: "Capitalize on This Teachable Moment
The 2004 elections are right around the corner. To help you "capitalize on this teachable moment, Education World has gathered lesson ideas from our archive. Use these lessons to teach about the elections, our government, and many other topics.

From the Land, Of the Land: An Interdisciplinary Lesson on Indigenous Peoples
Energize a geography or language arts lesson with this online activity for grades 7-12. Students research the concept of indigenous people then write a diamante poem about what they've learned. Both the research and the poem creation are done online.

Online Mapping
Knowing your home address is important in early childhood. Learning how to read and write directions is key as well. So in this online activity, students use Google Maps to pinpoint their home address and get directions to and from school.

Jet-Setting Pets
In this lesson, K-5 students select a pet and a travel destination, then find four things the pet could do at that locale. Designed for use with Inspiration/Kidspiration, the lesson can be adapted for use with other programs.

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words
In this interdisciplinary lesson, K-8 students try to interpret what pictographs -- pictures that symbolize a word or concept -- really mean. Then they write sentences using their own pictograph system.

Search for Ice and Snow
Using an Earth Image database (Space Shuttle images) and world map, students identify places on Earth where there is ice and snow, and then create a table showing where they found the information, and the geographic location of the snow and ice.

Portrait of a Hero
Students select and research someone they consider a hero and then use facts about that person and quotes by that person to create micrographic portraits.

Constitution Day
America and its educators recognize each September 17 -- the day our Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution -- as Constitution Day. Education World has scoured our site and the Internet to gather dozens of teaching ideas to help you recognize this landmark day.

Will the Leaning Tower Fall?
Students in grades 9-12 research the Tower of Pisa and write a report about its history. They examine the physics of why the Tower leans and whether it might fall. Finally, they plan a trip to Italy to see the Tower, developing an itinerary and budget for the trip.

Four Days in Paris
In this foreign language or social studies lesson for grades 4-6, students research a travel destination, set up a four-day itinerary, and then use iWork's Pages program to create an illustrated travel journal detailing their "experiences."

Design a Community Flag
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students in grades 3-8 research basic principles for flag design, find out how their city's flag (or the flag of a nearby city) ranked in a national survey, and then use the computer to create their own community flags.

Poetry From Photos: A Lesson on the Great Depression.
Getting information from the Internet often is just a copy and paste operation. The challenge for teachers is to teach students to apply and extend what they learn online. In this lesson, students view photographs of migrant families during the Great Depression, try to interpret the photos to answer questions about the subject's life, and then write a cinquain poem based on their interpretations.

I Do Solemnly Swear: Presidential Inaugurations
Stuffy and formal or disorganized and strange? Presidential inaugurations have run the gamut over the years. Check out this lesson plan for grades 3-5 in which the facts and frenzy surrounding 55 presidential inaugurations are investigated.

Inform Your Vote
Do your students voice support for one candidate or another in this year's presidential election? Do you wonder what their support is based on? Offer students a chance to weigh in on the issues, and compare their positions with that of the two party candidates.

Lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month!
Hola! Each year from September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. This week, Education World offers a dozen lessons to help students learn about the cultures and contributions of people of Hispanic heritage.

Celebrating Asian and Pacific-Island Heritage
Each May -- during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month -- we recognize the special contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. The lessons here introduce students to famous Asian Americans and explore their origins and their literature.

Some R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Lessons) Just for You!
Aretha and Rodney are always talking about respect; now it's Ed World's turn! If your students lack it or could stand to learn more about it, we offer five lessons this week to get them talking and thinking about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

A World of Learning: Geography Activities for Geography Week
Geography lessons can make a "world" of difference in students' knowledge of the world and in their test scores. That's because geography is multidisciplinary by nature. This week's lessons teach geography -- and math, language, and cultural literacy.

Remembering Those Who Gave Their Lives: Lessons for Memorial Day
What does Memorial Day mean to your students? Do they grasp the significance of the sacrifice that American men and women have made to preserve our freedom? Included: Five lessons help students understand the meaning of Memorial Day.

"Mystery Province/Territory" Game Tests Students' Knowledge of Canada
Learn which province is the "Cradle of Canada," which has the largest Chinese-speaking population in North America, and the location of the world's only potato museum in Education World's Mystery Province/Territory game -- a partner to our Mystery States game.

Reviving Reviews: Refreshing Ideas Students Can't Resist
Is review time a deadly bore for you and your students? Add a little fun to review time and you might be surprised. Games will spice up reviews, revive interest, and ensure retention! Included: Five activities for use in all subjects, all grades!

Its Up for Debate!
Debates are a staple of middle and high school social studies classes. But have you ever thought about using debates at the lower grades -- or in math class? Education World offers five debate strategies and extra lessons for students of all ages.

Were In the Money: Lessons for Teaching About Money
Every time we spend a dime -- or a penny or a dollar -- we see the face of one of our presidents! What better time than Presidents Day can there be to teach kids about money? Included: Five hands-on lessons. Hold a "money bee, make predictions, learn about inflation/the cost of goods over time, more.

Five Lessons in Black History
Primary source materials teach about Rosa Parks, school integration, and the growth of the African-American population throughout history. Plus: Students create a database/timeline and write a rap about a famous figure in Black History. More!

Map Lessons: The Route to Improved Geography Skills
Celebrate National Geography Awareness Week with five lessons that employ maps to teach geography and a wide variety of other subjects and skills. Included: Lessons to teach K-12 students about landforms, the global economy, maps from space, more!

Make Classroom Connections to This Years Elections
Use these five activities to drive home the importance of voting, teach about the process of creating laws, track election results and voter turnout, and teach students what its like to make the tough decisions that elected officials make every day. Plus links to a dozen more election lesson plans!

Mystery State Game Tests Students' Knowledge of 50 States
Which state is the "Badger State"? Which states were independent nations before becoming states? Where would you find the most crayfish? The Mystery State quiz will help your students learn about the 50 states as it improves their research skills. Give them one set of clues a week, or one clue a day, and see who is first to figure out the Mystery State!

We've Got News for You! (News Activities, That Is!)
Education World offers five complete lessons to help teachers integrate newspapers into their curriculum.

Celebrating African American History Month: Is Racism Dead?
February is African American History Month, a time set aside to promote public awareness of the history and achievements of African Americans. In recognition of that event, Education World offers activities and resources to help you encourage students to explore the history of African Americans, to learn about their struggles, to celebrate their successes, and to participate in their ongoing efforts.

Celebrating African American History Month: Is Racism Dead?
February is African American History Month, a time set aside to promote public awareness of the history and achievements of African Americans. In recognition of that event, Education World offers activities and resources to help you encourage students to explore the history of African Americans, to learn about their struggles, to celebrate their successes, and to participate in their ongoing efforts.

Lesson Planning Resources
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Fact Monster
Printable activity builds students research, literacy skills.  

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Printable activity spurs discussion, critical thinking.  

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Printable student work sheets motivate student writing.
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Vicki Cobb's hands-on science showstoppers.
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Integrate technology with step-by-step lessons. 
Geography
Build skills with these printables.

Book Report Makeover
Ideas for spicing up boring book reports.  

Reader's Theater Scripts
And teachers' guides too.  

Holidays and
Special Days

Hundreds of great themed teaching ideas.
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Printable sheets for daily language practice.
Math Puzzles: Choose from two printable puzzles:
It All Adds Up
Basic addition, a fun format.

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Try a challenging weekly puzzle.

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100s of work sheets for all subjects, grades.

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Timely computer center activities.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Teaches Many Lessons
The life of American hero Martin Luther King Jr. offers many teaching opportunities. This week, Education World offers cross-curricular and cross-grade lessons teachers can use to share King's life and legacy with students.

December: A Month of Multicultural Holiday Celebrations
Do your students celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Three Kings Day? Maybe they celebrate St. Lucia's Day or Ramadan. Chances are your class includes students who observe more than one of those events. Whether that is the case or not, December offers great opportunities for teaching about our multicultural world.

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week!
To help you celebrate Geography Awareness Week, Education World editors have gathered lessons and articles from the Education World archive. The result is a world of resources that will allow you to celebrate Geography Awareness Week all year long!

Attack on America: Explaining the Inexplicable to Your Students
What are teachers doing to help their students understand the attacks that took place September 11? Education World has culled from the Web and listservs a list of possible resources.

Five Times Five: Five Activities for Teaching Geography's Five Themes
Looking for activities to teach the five themes of geography? We've got them for you -- 25 of them! Activities for students at every level!

Ten Great Activities: Teaching With the Newspaper
Ten terrific classroom activities that use the newspaper to teach all sorts of valuable skills -- including reading and writing for meaning, map reading, media literacy, sequencing, word meaning, and math.

Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! This week, Education World offers five lessons to introduce students to Asian American history and culture.

Mexico: Meet the Neighbors!
Mexico and the United States share a border and a history. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo by introducing your students to their neighbors to the south!

Financial Literacy Begins at School!
According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, as few as ten hours of classroom instruction can be enough to persuade students to improve their spending and saving habits. This week, Education World offers five lessons to help get them started on the road to financial responsibility!

Iditarod Activities Across the Grades!
On your mark, get set, mush! If it's March in Alaska, one of the most grueling races on Earth is about to begin -- the Iditarod Sled Dog Race! This week, Education World offers activities that will have your students "teeming" to learn about this exciting competition!

Lessons to Celebrate Black History Month!
February is the annual observance of Black History Month, a time to recognize the achievements, contributions, and culture of African Americans. This week, Education World offers ten innovative activities to start your celebration of Black History Month -- and to help you incorporate the African American experience into your curriculum all year long! Included: Challenge students to create ABC books, murals, and more about famous African Americans!

Hail to the Chief: Inauguration Lessons!
Every four years on January 20, an important event occurs in the United States: A new president takes the oath of Office during an inauguration ceremony. This week, Education World offers ten super activities to help your students learn about and commemorate the inauguration. Included: Activities in which students write letters to the new president, create presidential portraits, complete an inauguration trivia hunt, and much more!

Heroic Activities to Celebrate Heroes!
Everyone has a hero -- someone to look up to or admire. This week, Education Word offers ten lessons that will get students thinking about their heroes. Included: Activities -- students create a picture book about their heroes, develop holidays honoring their favorite heroes, create memorials for animal heroes, and more! Plus additional online resources!

Go Global With Geography Activities!
November 12 to 18, 2000 is National Geography Awareness Week. This week, Education World offers ten lessons that will inspire students to explore the world! Included: Activities that have students participate in a class geography bee, plot the locations of classic children's stories, learn about cities with unusual names, plot road trips for sports teams, and much more!

Activities to Celebrate Native American Heritage!
November is National American Indian Heritage History Month. This week, Education World offers 12 lessons to help students learn about Native American history and cultures. Included: Activities that involve students in dramatizing folktales, learning new words, preparing traditional foods, and much more!

Coming to America: Immigration Builds a Nation
The story of immigration is inseparable from this country's history. Discover the United States all over again as you introduce your students to the two major waves of immigration that brought 34 million people to our nation's shores and spurred the greatest period of national change and growth.

Lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month!
Hola! Each year from September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. This week, Education World offers a dozen lessons to help students learn about the cultures and contributions of people of Hispanic heritage. Included: Activities that involve students in creating glossaries, reading and writing folktales, growing foods popular in Hispanic cultures, and much more!

Election 2000 WebQuest:
A Classroom WebQuest from Education World

In this new Education World WebQuest, students research candidates and issues to answer the question, Which candidate would you vote for? During a weekly classroom "press conference," students share what they learn and debate the issues as the election season rolls on. Students can educate their parents by researching important issues and creating a fact sheet to send home. Included: Students vote at the start and end of this WebQuest. Did the knowledge they gained change their votes?

Australia: Lessons About the 'Land Down Under'!
G'day mate! In a few weeks, all eyes will be on Australia as people around the world gather at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. This week, learn about the "land down under" as Education World offers nine lessons about the continent of Australia. Included: Activities to involve students in using maps, creating an ABC picture book of Australian animals, preparing Australian foods, and much more!

The Mighty Mississippi
In 1986, Congress designated the Upper Mississippi River System as both a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant navigation system. Help your students discover the history, geography, and significance of this incredible natural resource. Included: Ten activities that demonstrate the physical, social, political, and economic power of the Mississippi River.

Election 2000: Ten More Classroom Activities
"The right to vote is arguably one of the most important rights of citizenship in a democratic country, yet a substantial number of U.S. citizens choose not to exercise that right," states the introduction to the latest report on voter turnout from the U.S. Census Bureau. In the classroom, teachers this fall have a unique opportunity to teach about elections and the election process, current issues, the importance of making informed decisions, and the importance of voting. To that end, Education World offers ten teaching activities to help teachers achieve those goals. Included: Math, drama, art, role-playing activities, and more to take advantage of this ultimate in "teachable moments"!

Crisscrossing the U.S.A.:
Scavenger Hunts for Kids of All Ages

Each week, Education World's Great Sites for Teaching About ... page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. Internet educator Walter McKenzie selected this week's sites, which are among the best on the Web for teaching about our national parks.

Election 2000: Classroom Activities
Republicans are meeting in Philadelphia this week to nominate their candidate for the presidency. Education World recognizes that event with the first in a series of lesson plan stories full of ideas for teaching about the upcoming elections and the election process! Included: Lessons for teaching about the Electoral College and the importance of voting, plus a unique approach to staging a classroom debate about election issues!

America's Freedom Documents!
This week, Education World presents ten lesson plans for teaching about three important freedom documents -- the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Included: Activities that involve students in creating time lines and posters, writing new amendments, and much more!

Heroes Online: Looking to the Web for Those We Can Look Up To
Introduce your students to heroes online with Web sites devoted to people we can admire. Some heroes have received national acclaim; others work tirelessly and thanklessly for issues close to home and our hearts. You can use the resources of the Web to encourage this type of dedication in your students and get them thinking about the people they look up to! Included: Ten Web sites to work into your lessons!

Earth Inc. --- A Service-Learning Lesson Plan
A well-planned service-learning project should include stated academic and service goals, strategies for assessment, and opportunities for reflection. As an example, the Social Studies Education Consortium (SSEC) offers a template for a model service project --- and teachers from Desert Sky Middle School offer their project. Included: Cross-curriculum goals, activities, and more!

It's News to Me: Teaching Kids *About* the Newspaper
Celebrate American Newspaper Week by teaching students to be knowledgeable and discerning newsreaders. Explore six great sites that will help you teach *about* the newspaper --- before you start teaching with it! Included: Seven original ideas!

Happy Anniversary, Hawaii! --- 40 Ways to Teach the 50th State
Hawaii celebrates its 40th anniversary of statehood on August 21! Take a tour of this exotic state, examine its wildlife, creep to the volcano's edge, and discover the wealth of culture and diversity that isolation can bring. Aloha!

China: An Ancient Country in a Modern World
As the Chinese New Year approaches, take this opportunity to introduce your students to the history and culture of China and its people. Included: Activities for younger and older students, and links to valuable teaching resources!

Explore Alaska: Three Scavenger Hunts
Education World celebrates Alaska's 40th anniversary with scavenger hunts for students across the grades. Students explore an "Alaska" Web site in search of answers to ten grade-appropriate questions.

Great Geography: Ten Lessons on the Internet
November 15-21 is Geography Awareness Week. In celebration of GAW '98, Education World highlights ten great geography lessons we found on the Internet. These lessons span the grades and the world with activities that involve maps, art, and culture. If you like what you see, explore additional activities among the collections from which these lessons come. Go "global" with the geography resources of the Web!

Beat the Clock! -- Lessons in Time Management for Middle Graders
Is time management an issue for your students? Do their busy schedules and social lives prevent them from completing homework assignments? Now a free resource can help students learn to "beat the clock"! Included: Sample activities for teaching time management!

Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events!
Looking for ways to work news into your classroom curriculum? Check out these great ideas for connecting current events to all subjects!

Take A Virtual Trip to Antarctica
Take a cool Internet tour of Antarctica in the warmth of the classroom. Included: Fifteen Antarctica teaching activities for across the grades and across the curriculum.

Exploring Native Americans Across the Curriculum
Blast stereotypes with across-the-curriculum activities for students of all ages.

Recycling: Enter the "Use Less Stuff Contest"!
Use Less Stuff Day (November 20) coincides with the holiday season -- that time of year when Americans produce more trash than at any other time! Included -- news of a recycling-idea contest for students ages 6 to 12.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Education World offers a piñata full of activities that will help teachers focus attention on the contributions of people of Hispanic heritage to the history of the United States.

Playground Maps Are an Endless Source of Fun---and Learning!
Ed Bonne, "The Playground Map Guy," offers a collection of student-centered activities for making playground maps come to life.

Explore the Worlds Newest Country!
Stop the presses! Volume "Z of the encyclopedia just lost a few pages! A bunch of web sites can help to keep you and your students current on news about the worlds newest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).

A "Boring" Lesson in Geography
A lesson that will motivate and excite your students while teachingU.S. geography