 Chatting With Historical Figures
Students research an historical figure and create a chat bot representing that figure.
Creating a Multimedia Journey
Students take a journey through sound, exploring the sounds of the places they visit. They then research some of those places and write a fictional account of their journey.
Get Animated About Chemistry
Students learn about the elements of the Periodic Table and create an animation to represent one of the elements.
Podcasting and the News
Students listen to a news podcast and use a graphic organizer to record what they learn.
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.
This Bird Can Blog!
Want to improve your students' quality and quantity of writing? Check out this lesson plan for grades 3-5! Students
assume the persona of a real or imagined classroom pet and write a blog describing daily activities in the classroom.
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.
Web Research Helps Students Choose Classroom Pets
Instead of writing traditional animal reports ("This is what a hamster eats."), students research, synthesize,
and apply information to determine the best pet for a particular classroom. Internet access is all that's needed
for this tech-infused science lesson.
Biography Brainstorm: Using Word and the Web to Jumpstart Research
Students use Internet resources and Microsoft Word drawing tools to brainstorm (through webbing) questions about
a person they will research and write about.
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.
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.
What's the Word?
In this activity for grades 3-8, students define 4-5 vocabulary words, use a free online tool to create crossword
puzzles with the words, and then share their puzzles for review.
Croc or Gator?
Students in grades 2-4 read online information about crocodiles and alligators, write down the similarities
and differences, and then create a Venn Diagram.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Middle-school students think "outside the box" to identify unusual things they're thankful for, and then use
digital content (audio, images, movies…) to represent those things on a PowerPoint slide. Students' slides are
combined into a class slide show.
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.
Dangerous Animal Facts
From sharks to tarantulas to snakes, students often are fascinated by dangerous animals. Capitalize on their
interest with this fun online lesson in which students identify three facts on a dangerous animal then record
those facts on a printable graphic organizer.
A Lesson in Proofing
Students in middle and high school learn to use Word's Find/Replace feature to check written work, increase
accuracy, and improve their grades. Teachers might want to use the feature too.
Teaching Writing on a Computer
Students love seeing their work in print, so why not have them write some of their work on the computer? Walk
students through the basics of typing and saving on a computer.
Edit Essays with Word Tables
Still grading essays, red ink pen in hand? Next time your students have an essay due, ask them to submit their
work in Word, help them identify their grammar and spelling errors, and then have them correct those errors
using Word's table feature.
Get into the Flow with an Interactive Volcano
Working in small groups, students in grades 4-8 research volcanos and create PowerPoint slides. They then make
an interactive table of contents using a volcano diagram and Action Buttons.
An Out-of-This-World Crossword Puzzle
Make planetary facts fun with this online lesson about Earth's solar system. Students visit an interactive Web
site to research the planets and Sun in Earth's solar system, then create original crossword puzzles based on
their research.
Introducing Tessellations
Students use the drawings of M.C. Escher, as well as online research, to deduce what tessellations are. Then
each student creates tessellations from both regular and irregular polygons.
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.
Plant Growth
Students learn about the parts of a seed, as they plant seeds and observe and record their growth.
Human Body Board Game
Students research a system of the human body, write questions and answers on game cards created in Word, and
then play the game using a game board template from Word. This is a great culminating activity at the end of
a unit!
Presidential Bookmarks
Students use online resources and Microsoft Word to create bookmarks containing a few facts about a U.S. president
along with his photograph, print the bookmarks, and trade them with their peers.
A Favorite Poem
Students explore a variety of poems, find one poem they feel a particular connection to, and share that poem
by reading it aloud to their classmates. Students then create videos of their readings to share with other classes.
Visiting a Historical Site
On the PBS show History Detectives, experts solve mysteries from the past using modern research methods.
Teach your students to think like the history-mystery detectives with these lessons for visiting a historical
site. Appropriate for grades 7-12, the lessons provide step-by-step instructions for research before a visit
to a historical site, procedures during the visit, and the creation of a poem based on the visit.
Upping the Odds on Standardized Tests
Help your high school students perform their best on upcoming college admissions or state standardized tests
with this fun and informative lesson plan. Students research test-taking tips focusing on nutrition, sleep,
stress reducers, and more, and then present their findings -- in a variety of fun projects -- to another class
or grade level.
Drive-Thru Nutrition
Students learn to make healthful fast-food choices with this grade 9-12 activity. Students use online resources
and a spreadsheet program to compare the fat and calorie content of various food items at 12 popular fast-food
restaurants. Then, they create a day's worth of healthful menus using food from those restaurants.
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.
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.
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.
Definition Expedition
Students in grades 9-12 learn three ways to define a term in technical writing, search the Web for scientific
text, then copy and paste sections into a Word document. Finally, they use the highlighter feature of Word to
highlight examples of definitions within the text.
Write a Number Story
Make writing across content areas fun with this K-3 computer activity. Students use AppleWorks (or Office) to
write and illustrate number stories. The stories then are used to create a Keynote or PowerPoint show and displayed
for the class (or parents!) to see and share.
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.
The Bear Necessities
Does the idea of your K-2 students doing Web research seem impossible? Check out this simple, but engaging,
lesson! With teacher guidance, students use a KWL worksheet and a single easy-to-read Web site to record what
they know, what they want to learn, and what they do learn about polar bears.
Introducing Calculators
This year, introduce calculators with this K-2 computer activity. Students record how many pets each has, then
use the computer's calculator to find the sum of pets by type, for small groups, and for the entire class. A
downloadable template makes this activity easy to implement in your classroom.
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.
Prehistoric Pen Pals
Students research dinosaurs, then assume the personality of a specific dinosaur species in this lesson for grades
3-5. Each student/dinosaur writes an online "getting to know you" letter to another student/dinosaur in class.
Students swap letters and reply to each other's questions, improving research and letter writing skills while
learning fun dinosaur facts.
The News Behind the (Short) Story
Transform students from passive readers to gritty journalists. In this lesson, students read a short story,
then create a one-page newspaper depicting the facts of the fictional story as real-life events. Included: Links
to an online newspaper template as well as to a classic short story site are included.
Foliage Tracker
The spectacle of changing leaf colors dramatically signals fall's changing seasons. Students track leaf changes,
input data found at one Web site into another, and then graph foliage changes with a free online tool.
Panda-Monium
Students in grades 3-5 learn basic facts about giant and lesser pandas, then categorize same or differing characteristics
onto an online Venn diagram. The activity can be done as a whole class, small group, or individual assignment.
Let the panda-monium begin!
Vampires: Fact Or Fiction?
Polish students' graphing and problem solving skills with this Halloween spreadsheet activity from Microsoft.
Using Excel and Internet sources, middle school students determine how many vampires might exist in the world
based on current census data.
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.
A Spooky Adlib Story
Get creative this Halloween with this adlib activity in which students answer questions on an Excel sheet to
create a silly, spooky story. Besides having fun, students can review basic spreadsheet skills and develop creativity.
Slicing Up Fractions
Are your students struggling to understand fractions? Check out this Web-based lesson in which students read
a problem involving pieces (fractions!) of pizza, review the concepts necessary to solve the problem, and then
solve further equations based on the same concept.
Hurricanes in History: Where, When, and How!
Students practice teamwork and graph interpretation skills as they study a graph showing 100 years of hurricane
data, and then predict what types of hurricanes are most likely to hit a particular area in the future.
Illustrating Student Writing in Grades 1-3
In this lesson, students type a descriptive paragraph about a person or creature they would most like to meet.
They then illustrate the paragraph in Microsoft Paint and insert the image into the Word document.
Evaluating Web Sites
Do your students know how to identify accurate, authoritative, and authentic information on the Web? This lesson,
for grades 6-8, teaches students the basic criteria and procedure for evaluating Web sites for research purposes.
Country Comparisons in Current Events Class
Do you have students who are eager to debate current events, but sometimes lack evidence for their arguments?
If so, this lesson using online resources and a spreadsheet program, could be just what you need.
Tasty Tech Activity With Excel
Do your students struggle when entering data into spreadsheets or creating graphs with Excel? Try this simple
Excel lesson plan in which students use their opinions of fast food for data collection and analysis.
Formatting Fun
Want to have your elementary students type their descriptive or narrative paragraphs, but find they're missing
a few basic formatting skills in Word? This activity makes formatting fun.
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 write and draw the story's end.
Little, Medium, Big
Students love to spend time on the computer, especially in early childhood. Why not use that time to practice
classroom skills? In this lesson, students use the computer mouse to order sets of clip art in a Word document.
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