Introduce the six major types of biomes to your class as part of your science curriculum. They include freshwater, marine, desert, forest, grassland and tundra. Discuss the basics in class. Then break the class into six groups and assign each a biome. Instruct the students to research the climate, animals, vegetation, people and positives and negatives of their assigned biome. They should create a shoebox diorama depicting their biome and then present the information they learned to the class.
As part of a history or social studies project, discuss timelines and family history. Discuss different ways people through time have passed down family stories and traditions. For example, many Native Americans shared stories through word of mouth instead of in written form. Instruct your students to construct a family timeline as far back as they are able and bring in a recipe to class that has been passed down from a generation before or that they hope to pass down. The treat can then be shared with the class while the student presents his family history timeline.
Art has changed over time and is represented differently according to culture and country. Explore topics such as the Renaissance and early Native American paintings. Instruct your students to choose an era and culture and create a painting or artwork to represent their research. For example, after studying the Aboriginal art work of Australia, a student can create her own dream painting with limited colors and the dot method. She will then present her artwork to the class and share facts about early Aboriginals and their art. The class will benefit from the variety of examples and cultures represented.
Through the rest of their academic career, students will be asked to speak and present in front of their classmates or a group of other people. The earlier students become comfortable with this technique, the more confident they will be in the long run. Instruct students to choose a book related to a topic you are studying in class. If you have studied fairy tales in language arts, assign each student a different fairy tale. They are to design a costume of the main character in that story and present the story to the class as that character. This will help students with reading aloud and presentation.