Identifying and Developing a Topic Lesson Plans

Middle school learners examine information for a research topic. They shuffle and physically sort their note cards into an organizational pattern for writing.

Help your young learners write a research paper about American Indians. They research American Indians by looking at resources, with different perspectives. They pick a research topic and write a short research paper.

Students research extreme weather conditions using a variety of online tools from Scholastic's Weather Watch. In this research lesson, students compare and contrast findings and give an oral presentation of their research. The lesson includes links to all mentioned online resources as well as accompanying worksheets and rubrics. 

Learners discuss the effect of global warming on bodies of water after reading "An Icy Riddle as Big as Greenland" from The New York Times. Students work in groups to research topics related to global warming and Greenland's ecology more in depth.

Young scholars navigate the Visual Thesaurus to find keywords for research.  In this keywords instructional activity, students use synonyms, hypernyms and hyponyms to find keywords. Young scholars understand why some searches are effective and some are ineffective. 

Students study the work done by various scientists on Antarctica. In this biology lesson plan, students play the role of researchers who must justify the importance of their study. They create a multimedia presentation about a specific issue that impacts Adelie penguins.

Students analyze a graphic from an article and predict what the article might be about. After reading an article, they discover a journalist's experience of travleing across the United States to compare fast food restaurants. They brainstorm ideas for their own narrative and research the topic to write their article.

Investigate weather facts and figures to determine what has caused particular climate conditions. Research air pressure, temperature, wind, and humidity. Conduct online research to determine what air pressure, wind, temperature, and humidity changes can do to actual weather conditions. Complete a research project about one type of extreme weather.

Learners match scientists with their major discoveries, choose one figure to research further, and co-author articles profiling the scientist and his or her achievements.

Students view a video clip about people affected by STDs. They research causes, symptoms and cures of a sexually transmitted disease of their choice. They create a pamphlet to share information.