Geography lessons come to life when you narrow your focus to a single country. Let’s use Italy as an example. One great way to organize a country study is with the Five Themes of Geography — and when you’ve applied them to one country, your students will understand the five… Continue reading
A patriotic theme is always in style. It’s also a fun way to introduce American History lessons, and a cheerful theme at any time. Read on for ideas for ways to use patriotic songs in art and English lessons. There are plenty of ready-made decoratives (more at the bottom of… Continue reading
Whales are the biggest things your students can readily imagine. They’ll certainly be welcome in your lessons. We like to start a study of whales with a research project covering the basics: Begin by getting to know the physical characteristics of whales. One of the most important physical characteristics of… Continue reading
What do snakes do in winter? They sleep. When the ground begins to warm up, snakes begin to move, making snakes an important sign of spring. For a seasonal study, or any time, try some science-based lessons on snakes. This study really lends itself to the use of video, and… Continue reading
Learn about diamonds — math, science, art, and history connections. Continue reading
Problem-solving in math can focus on real life math problems, but it can be fun to focus on unreal life math problems, too. Continue reading
While we were in Rome with Google Earth, we saw a pizzeria on every corner. Why not choose pizza as a classroom theme? It’s fun for everyone! Pizza is perfect for studying fractions. Our friend Debby Picou showed us how to make a fractions center with pizza slice cutouts.… Continue reading
Get medieval for inspiring lessons on social studies, science, and art. The Middle Ages lasted from the sack of Rome in 400 AD to the beginning of the Renaissance in the 15th century, so there’s plenty to work with. Let us share our favorite lesson plans for working on this… Continue reading
Japan has an unusual artistic tradition: gyotaku, fish printing. The image above is “Pisces Indecision,” a print by Canadian artist Jeanette Jobson, who extends the technique beyond its traditional boundaries. Traditional Japanese fish art is an exciting art project with cross-curricular opportunities. We tried it out at the Nelson-Atkins Museum… Continue reading
I love octopi. I worked at Scripps Institution of Oceanography when I was a student at UCSD and learned to make friends with them. They’re fascinating. They’ll spout water to welcome you once they get to know you, and they will wrap their tentacles right around your wrist while… Continue reading
