A country study can begin with location. Find Spain on a world map. What continent includes Spain? Can students identify any of Spain’s neighboring countries? Note how close Spain is to Africa — this has been important in the history of Spain. While you’re thinking about Spain’s location, you… Continue reading
Never Say a Mean Word Again is an award-winning picture book by Jacqueline Jules. We love picture books for all ages. Use them as read-aloud or read-together books for younger grades and as a jumping off point for multiple subject areas with older students. Find lesson plans below for elementary,… Continue reading
We visited Baden-Württemberg, the state in the south of Germany bordering France and Switzerland. This part of the country is known for its charm and beauty. Here you see Lake Konstanz, or Lake Constance in English. Germany is famous for its breads and cake. Here you see plum cake with… Continue reading
Ellina had a summer job in Nepal, so we took the opportunity to visit. Nepal is a very interesting country, and it’s worth studying. Bring this country into your classroom for an exciting lesson at any time of the year. Nepal is mostly a rural country, but it has some… Continue reading
Your neighborhood may or may not have a farmers market, but just think how many things you can learn in a lesson about farmers markets: science, social studies, environmental literacy, economics, even art and technology. Here are some of our favorite farmers market lesson plans: Kindergarten Start your kindergarteners off… Continue reading
The story of Aladdin comes from The Arabian Nights or The 1,001 Nights, a collection of traditional stories from the Middle East. In the story, a young boy is approached by a man who claims to be his uncle. Actually a powerful magician, the supposed uncle leads Aladdin to a… Continue reading
The Couch Potato is a picture book by Jory John and Pete Oswald. It’s about a potato. Not a small potato, a sweet potato, or a mashed potato, but a couch potato. “I spend all my free time sitting in this exact spot,” the potato admits. “If the most important… Continue reading
Taino Tales: The Secret of the Hummingbird contains just one Taino Tale. In the story, a Taino girl falls invoke with a Carib boy. The Taino and Carib, bit Caribbean indigenous peoples, were traditional rivals. Here’s background information on the two groups: What Became of the Taino? Taíno: Indigenous… Continue reading
“Cinderella” is one of the best-known and best-loved of all fairy tales, and for good reason. It’s a dramatic story with a strong moral. The story tells of a virtuous, hard-working young girl who is mistreated by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters and forced to sit among the ashes and… Continue reading
Mysteries are all around us — why not in the classroom? Research and Technology Josepha has been working with young interns, and I’ve been teaching Freshman Comp, so we can tell you that two things are true about the kids who leave our high schools: Employers and college teachers expect… Continue reading
