Overcoming Obstacles
Communicating Constructively
Some types of verbal communication are just more difficult that others. High schoolers engage in a series of activities that are designed to help teens make difficult conversations easier and more effective.
Curated OER
French: One-Sided Telephone Conversations
Allo? Qui est-ce? Hone the listening skills of your Francophiles by simulating telephone conversations. After reviewing basic french telephone expressions (some are included here), they conduct two conversations per day for one week. A...
August House
Anansi Goes to Lunch - Pre-Kindergarten
In a multidisciplinary lesson plan, you will focus your instruction around the West African folktale, Anansi Goes to Lunch by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk while your little learners sing songs, play games, participate in a grand...
John F. Kennedy Center
Comparing Cultural Holidays
A lesson plan examines the holidays, Día de los Muertos and Halloween. After an exciting clip from the movie Coco, class members review vocabulary and discuss what they know about Halloween. The conversation leads into the history of Día...
EngageNY
How Does the Author Convey Themes in Bud, Not Buddy?
After reading up to chapter 12 of Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, scholars read chapter 13 and take part in a grand conversation about the author's writing techniques. Pupils discuss how his writing conveyed literary themes...
Genesis Energy
Harnessing Solar Energy
How does additional daylight hours affect people and nature? With the help from the legend Maui and the Sun and a grand conversation, scholars complete a graphic organizer to distinguish between the positive and negative effects that...
Josephson Institute
Trustworthiness
Build trust—literally—with a lesson that sparks reflection, grand conversation, and creativity. Scholars construct a trust tower out of blocks showcasing a picture that represents a good deed they have done to gain trust from their...
Curated OER
Friday Forum
Middle schoolers research a variety of controversial articles to gain knowledge. They form an opinion and defend their position with supporting data. They evaluate opposing arguments and present their viewpoint both verbally and in the...
Curated OER
Job Communication
Pupils assess the role of communication within various jobs. For this investigation lesson, students discuss the needs and types of communication in the workforce, then make their own communication device. This device is used to role...
Curated OER
The Probabilities of Problems: A Look at Genetic Inheritance
Discuss an article about families affected by genetic disorders and their decisions about whether or not to evaluate their own genetic information. Investigate four different inherited disorders. Participate in a probability exercise....
ReadWriteThink
Style-Shifting: Examining and Using Formal and Informal Language Styles
Your high schoolers are probably versed in two languages: formal language, and informal conversation. Help them identify the correct language style for their audience and context with a thorough lesson and examples of different speech...
Curated OER
Autism
Students with autism increase their knowledge about autism, communication, life skills, and goal setting. They read selections from authors who have written about their experiences with autism.
Curated OER
Mobile Phones
Why do we use phones? How does our language change on the phone? Learners practice phone conversations with the dialogues provided. They practice written phone dialogues with a partner, and create and perform phone conversations to...
Reading Shakespeare
Shakespeare Literature Circles Role Sheets
Tired of those blank stares after your class reads a particularly complex passage from a Shakespearean play? Help high schoolers untangle that prose with a literature circle activity. Ten different roles prompt class members to focus on...
Curated OER
Discuss It
A key part of learning about different people and things is knowing how to have a constructive discussion in a respectful way. The class establishes a set of rules for their discussion and then begins a conversation about a wide array of...
Curated OER
Untying the Knot
What are the current trends in divorce? What contributes to this? Examine celebrity relationship trends and how they relate to the general public with this discussion lesson. Middle schoolers analyze the results of a Census Bureau study...
Curated OER
Valentine Candy Count
Here is an imaginative take on a classic lesson! Young scholars discover what color Valentine Candy is found more often than any other in a standard bag of Valentine Conversation Hearts. They observe, predict, sort, and classify the data...
Nemours KidsHealth
Self-Esteem
It's important to have healthy self-esteem, but it't not always easy for a teen to identify and maintain it. Support your pupils' healthy self-esteem through grand conversations, daily positive self reflections, and scenario problem...
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter XIV: Lady Catherine and Elizabeth
Is your class reading Pride and Prejudice? In order to link scenes to the themes in Austen's novel, pairs take on the confrontation between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth (Chapter XIV). After writing their own version of the conversation,...
Common Sense Media
Show Respect Online
Through discussion and a variety of worksheet types, pupils learn to review their e-mails for grammar, appropriateness, and respect before sending.
Hampton-Brown
From "First Crossing"
Young scholars look closely at four tales taken from the collection of short stories, First Crossing edited by Donald R. Galloby. While examining the life of four teenagers and the lives they lead as U.S. immigrants, your enthusiastic...
Teachers Pay Teachers
Multiple Intelligence Survey for Kids
Scholars rate 24 statements 0-5 then calculate their responses to discover their preferred intelligence and which intelligences require more practice.
Curated OER
Literature Study of the Civil War Era
Learn more about the Civil War. Young scholars will choose a novel based on the Civil War to learn more about the viewpoints of that time period. They will then discuss the roles of the members of a Literature Circle and then participate...
Curated OER
Worksheet for Analysis of a Letter
Dear Nancy, how do you analyze a letter? Love, Trez. Dear Trez, you use a Letter Analysis Worksheet. Love, Nancy.
This richly detailed worksheet provides multiple questions that lead researchers step-by-step through the process of...