Be sure to see our Arts Subject Center
for more great lesson ideas and articles.
Kids Learn Better With a Song in Their Hearts
Do you recall the multiplication tables, grammatical terms, or historical documents because of a song you learned as a kid? Educators recognize that teaching with song makes learning not only more fun, but more effective and long-lasting.
Programs Connect U.S. Students, Orphans Abroad
The Memory Project enlists students to create portraits and books for orphaned children overseas. Teachers say the program helps students learn about the world and provides opportunities for authentic learning. Included: How your school can participate.
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.
Scriptwriting with a Wiki
This middle- and high-school lesson plan uses a wiki -- a Web site that allows users to add and edit content collectively
-- to write a one-act play.
A Travel Journal for Homer's Odyssey
Students select their favorite excerpts from The Odyssey, type a first-hand account of the story, and add graphics
and music from the Internet. This lesson uses Apple's Pages program and includes a completed sample for viewing.
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.
No Place Like Home
Students learn to "read" digital content as they analyze photographs of high plains sod homes and read accompanying
narratives. They then choose one photograph and identify characteristics, points, differences, and questions they
find in that photograph.
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."
Create A Poetry Calendar
In this lesson, students research, design, and create a school-year calendar based on the work of famous poets. The
activity, which can take 4-5 class periods to complete, is a great culminating activity for a poetry unit for grades
3-12.
Quilting Connections
Help your K-8 class celebrate Women's History Month. Students research an influential woman, then create on the computer
a quilt block with text and graphics. Quilt blocks are then printed and combined to form a quilt of connections.
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.
PowerPoint Poetry Slam
Make poetry come alive with this English lesson for grades 7-12. In a unique twist to a standard poetry reading, students
select poems, create PowerPoint presentations that use graphics and text to enhance their poems, and then display
those presentations as they read their poems aloud.
Illustrating Illustrating Student Writing in Grades 1-3
In this lesson, students type in Microsoft Word a descriptive paragraph about a person or other creature they would
most like to meet. They then draw in Microsoft Paint a picture of that person and/or of their meeting, and insert
the image into the Word document.
How Does it End? A Lesson in Creativity
Put students' creative talents to work by having them compose their own endings to a read-aloud story. Students use
drawing software, such as Paint or AppleWorks, to draw, or write and draw, what they want to happen at the end of
the story.
Morning Sing: School's Weekly Tradition Is Music to the Ears
What has "risk takers" performing on stage, teachers reading and singing to the entire school, and students still
talking about events from elementary school years later? It's Lake Street School's "Morning Sing," a weekly event
that brings together the entire school.
That's Entertainment: Music Lessons for Every Grade
Music is in the air! While the beat goes on, can you hear it? As you climb every mountain, do you hear the sound of
music? You don't need to be a music man to make music in the classroom. Included: Five lessons that will have you
singing a happy tune!
Affordable Art for a Sensational Spring
Celebrate the arrival of spring with art activities that will bring out creativity, not break the bank. You can find
all the ingredients for these sunny lessons in a classroom closet. Included: Five lessons that make everyday materials
into uncommon treasures!
Connect With Music: Lessons Any Teacher Can Teach!
No special training or skills are necessary to integrate music into your school day. Any teacher can make their core
curriculum "sing” by working in some music. Included: Don’t miss a great PR opportunity -- tips for joining the World’s
Largest Concert.
Five Holiday Keepsakes Parents Will Love!
Is the pressure on to come up with a creative gift-making idea? Education World offers five gift ideas, including
keepsake ornaments to hang, snowglobes to shake, and colorful candleholders to brighten the holidays.
Holiday Projects: Classroom Decorating and Gift-Making Ideas!
Are you tired of doing the same holiday art project year after year? Or maybe you are looking for a new project kids
can make for holiday gift giving? This week, Education World reaches into our holiday sack (and our archives too)
to find just the project for you!
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!
Tune Up for Music Activities!
March is the annual observance of national Music in Our Schools Month, a time to focus on the importance of music
in education. This week, Education World offers a symphony of activities to help students learn, share, and enjoy
musical experiences!
Handmade Holiday Treasures: Student Projects That Make Great Gifts
Many of our most treasured holiday decorations and small gifts are special because they were made by hand --- especially
if they were made by children's hands! Help your students make a memory this holiday season with a gift idea from
the Web. These projects will put little, or big, hands to work on a masterpiece for a family member or friend.
Refrigerator to Renoir: Ten Great Art Lessons on the Net
American writer Henry Miller said, "Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life." Few teachers would argue
the importance of teaching art in schools. How many times have you seen a student who struggles in every other subject
light up when you do the simplest art project? You don't need to be Picasso to teach valuable artistic concepts in
your classroom, but you may need a little guidance. These art lessons will fill the void, give you perspective, and
move you into motion!
Art on a Shoestring: Creating Groundbreaking Works Without Breaking the Bank!
As school budgets shrink, especially in the area of arts education, are you finding it difficult to fund even the
simplest art projects for your classroom? Art doesn't have to cost big bucks! Some of the neatest works of art are
made with recycled or inexpensive materials. You don't have to be a scrooge to appreciate a good bargain -- these
activities straight from the Internet are fun and cheap!
The Amazing Picture Machine! -- A Picture Resource on the Net for Teachers
Have you ever tried to describe something to your students that could be easily illustrated with a simple picture?
Now you don't have to be van Gogh to share those concepts with your class! The Amazing Picture Machine will help you
locate the pictures you seek on the Internet! Included: Sample lessons that make use of online picture resources across
the grades!
Lesson Plan of the Day
Writing Bugs
Show-Biz Science
Tech Lesson of the Week
Geography
Holidays and
Every-Day Edits
Don’t miss our 