Designed for students in grades 4-6, the teaching unit presents illustrations and facts about snakes. Topics include common snakes found in the United States, how snakes eat, how snakes shed their skin, poisonous snakes, the Eastern Indigo snake, and the anatomy of a snake. A student page includes a crossword puzzle and surprising snake facts. A…

Activities in this unit are designed to sensitize students in grades 4-6 to the needs of animals and to the injustices many species suffer. The lessons focus on inhumane acts such as the use of steel-jaw traps, dogfighting, hunting, keeping exotic pets in captivity, using animals in entertainment, habitat destruction, factory farming, and animal…

Initially designed for social studies students in grades 4-6 in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, the purpose of the unit is to help students see the relationships among all the workers and natural resources within the state. It is also intended to help students realize the ways the area in which they live is affected by the climate,…

Suitable for students in the intermediate grades, the calendar provides teachers and students with a source of topics dealing with U.S. history and its cultural heritage. Following each calendar page is a day-by-day list of related questions to be used with students working independently, in groups, or in whole class discussions. This document is…

An intermediate-level general music unit provides introductory lessons for the autoharp, guitar, and recorder. In the autoharp unit, chording is approached by first using a one-chord song and proceeding to three-chord songs. The guitar unit introduces chord symbols and tablatures and helps students gain familiarity with the parts of the…

This curriculum unit introduces intermediate grade and middle school students to the work of Stephen Sondheim, one of the most talented composers of the contemporary American musical theater, and teaches them about the process of writing an original musical. The unit notes that in his musical "Into the Woods" Sondheim incorporates (and…

This unit is designed to introduce upper elementary and middle school students to the traditional cultures of the people of Southern Africa, particularly the Swazi. Information on housing and family life covers family structure, marriage customs, respect for ancestors, male and female roles, employment, eating customs, and handicrafts. An overview…

Intermediate grade teachers are provided with 14 presidential election learning activities which introduce students to the different stages of the campaign process, past presidents, and the two-party system. Students participate in a presidential facts game, an election vocabulary game, a word search, and a matching game; create campaign slogans…

An intermediate to junior high level activity packet presents learning activities for improving student outlining, notetaking, and listening skills. In part I, students gain experience in the use of complete sentences, phrases, and word outlines by outlining reports, arranging facts and details into logical order, and writing from outlines. Part…

An 8-day unit introduces middle school students to American inventors and inventions. In separate lessons, students examine the patenting process, women inventors, minority inventors, Native American inventors, the airplane, Thomas Edison, and the impact of inventions on America's growth. A brief outline of daily lesson plans precedes a section of…

Designed for use with intermediate students, this unit presents eight 45-minute lessons in which students learn about Iowa's history, economic factors, governmental functions, geography, and people. Although the unit is intended primarily for fifth grade students residing in Iowa, it can be used as a model for those interested in developing…

A book called "The Shakespeare Stealer" (Gary Blackwood) is about a young boy during the time of Shakespeare who sneaks into the Globe Theater and meets the Bard. The book has been turned into a play. The five lessons in this curriculum unit revolve around "The Shakespeare Stealer." The lessons in the unit support many major…

This activity book is designed for grades 4-8 but could be modified for other levels. Mini-units begin with a brief biographical sketch of a U.S. president, including highlights of his life and administration. Twelve trivia questions accompany each sketch and require additional reading from other sources. Thought questions are based on an analysis…

Designed for intermediate grade students, this 4-week unit contains 11 lessons on Australian culture and geography. Topics covered are: the map, history, geography, climate, economy, people, education, religion, recreation, government, cities, transportation, communication, wildlife, and plantlife. Each lesson includes text and questions on the…

Arranged in outline form, this unit on Japan contains over 40 activities for intermediate grade students. Subjects covered are human and physical geography, social history, life style, communication and travel, occupations, recreation, art, education, government, and relations with the United States. Four to 10 activities are described under each…