Viewers take a Crash Course in Media Literacy. They watch 12 videos that take them through media history, the positive and negative effects of media, and regulations and policies affecting media producers. The series aims to help viewers...

The literacy focus of this three-unit module is on reading scientific and technical text and writing to inform and explain. In Unit 1, young scholars build background knowledge of the rainforest and the scientists who study them. Kathryn...

The 15 lessons in Unit 3 focus on the reading and writing skills scientists use while observing, researching, and recording information in field journals. The unit begins with young scientists learning how to observe and to write precise...

In Module 4, sixth-graders research the question of whether the benefits of DDT outweigh its harmful consequences. Unit 1 challenges investigators to read a novel, informational text, and watch videos to gather evidence about DDT’s uses,...

The search is on for information about DDT, its benefits, and harmful effects. Over 15 units In Module 4, young researchers conduct a WebQuest to find informational texts about the pesticide, learn how to paraphrase information, cite...

The topic of ocean conservation and the impact of human activities on ocean life is the focus of three units in Module 3B. The first unit challenges sixth graders to read Mark Kurlansky’s illustrated book, World without Fish: How Kids...

Module 3B ends with class members diving into case studies to learn more about overfishing methods. The goal is to discover information about sustainable fishing practices and a consumer guide for buying fish.

Where does our food come from? Eighth graders research food chains and the consequences for stakeholders affected by those food chains. Using Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, as a core text, the three units in this module teach...

The Civil Rights Movement in the United States takes center stage in a three-unit module that focuses particularly on The Little Rock Nine. Carlotta Walls LaNier’s, A Mighty Long Way, and Shelley Tougas’ photo essay, Little Rock Girl...

Water may be everywhere but supplies of freshwater are dwindling. An eight-week, three-unit module takes up the topic of water sustainability and freshwater management. In Unit 1, seventh graders read Barbara Kingsolver’s article, “Water...

Module 4A examines the effects of entertainment screen time has on the adolescent brain. In Unit 1, seventh-graders build background knowledge by reading texts about brain development, centering around the prefrontal cortex, the limbic...

The 17 lessons in Module 4B, Unit 2 continue to focus on sustainable water management. Seventh graders research ways industry and agriculture currently use freshwater resources to ways sustainable water management could be improved. They...

The internet as well as the popularity of and availability of personal electronic devices equipped with social media has changed journalism forever. Here's a collection of resources that provide student journalists the tools they need to...

Module 4a, Unit 3 is all about research. Over the course of the10 lessons  in the collection, seventh graders plan a research-based position paper. After examining a model, writers consider the claims and counterclaims to include in...

 In the 19 lessons that make up the Module 4A, Unit 2 collection, seventh graders continue their research into the affects of screen time on the adolescent brain. They conduct independent research, analyze the credibility of sources,...

Which of Michael Pollan’s four food chains described in The Omnivore’s Dilemma would best feed the United States?  To answer this question, eight grade teams research other articles and resources and build a cascading consequences chart...

The 20 lessons in the second unit of Module 3b make up a collection that provides eighth-graders with background knowledge of the Little Rock Nine by using the case study, A Mighty Long Way, and the photo essay, Little Rock Girl...

In an age when so much information is delivered online, media literacy skills are essential. John Green's Crash Course on Navigating Digital Information provides 21st-century learners with the skills they need to help them evaluate the...

Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation provides the anchor text in an inquiry-based unit project that requires ninth graders to use sophisticated research skills. Learners focus on accurate search engine techniques including searching...

Analyzing primary and secondary source materials requires a special set of skills. Readers must be able to identify the central ideas in a text, to cite evidence to support their analysis, and to evaluate the arguments put forth in a...

No matter what technology is available to your middle schoolers, the basic tenets of research remain the same: analyzing primary and secondary documents, verifying the validity of sources, and citing sources properly. Explore a...