Use these 16 lessons to help fourth graders comprehend informational text as they read about different roles colonial Americans played on settlements. The class specifically studies the "wheelwright" trade and then break into groups to...

Get young scientists energized about all the different energy sources with a five-lesson unit that combines research, direct observations, and hands-on investigation. To begin, scholars investigate a renewable or non-renewable energy...

West of the West's Arlington Springs Man series documents the history of the archeological digs on Santa Rosa Island and the discovery of human and mammoth bones that challenge the once-popular theories of human migration to the...

Young scientists take on the role of biomedical engineers as they accept the challenge of using nanoparticles to help detect, treat, and protect people from skin cancer. Researchers perform hands-on activities to become familiar with the...

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 study of the benefits and harmful effects of using DDT ends in Module 4, with class members drafting, revising, editing, and publishing a research-based position paper in which they use the evidence they have collected to support...

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.

To conclude the module, sixth-graders research factual information about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire to make connections to literary texts about the disaster. After learning about the features of a newspaper article, young...

In the second unit in the 3A module, scholars examine how an author’s purpose affects point of view. They compare excerpts from “Comprehending the Calamity,” Emma Burke’s informational text about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, to...

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...

Eighth-graders develop their ability to read and understand a complex text as they consider the plight of refugees. The first unit uses Thanhha Lai’s novel, Inside Out & Back Again, as well as informational text, to build background...

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 three units in Module 2A present seventh-graders with literary and informational texts—Katherine Paterson’s novel Lyddie and a speech by Cesar Chavez—that examine historical and present-day working conditions. Pupils learn how to...

Grade 7 ELA Module 2B examines how society attempts to define individuals and how they try to define themselves. In Unit 1, seventh graders read narratives to gain background knowledge of the concept of personal identity. They learn how...

The 13 lessons in the first unit of Module 2B has pupils engage in a guided research project. Sixth- graders develop their reading skills as they examine informational texts about medieval times. They practice summarizing, analyze a...

Good writing prompts are hard to find, especially those for informative writing such as research reports, how-to instructions, and letters. The colorfully illustrated templates in a seven-prompt collection include lines to write on, as...

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...

With all the hyperbole of an election year, it can be difficult to find the facts, just the facts about candidates, issues, and ballot measures. Young political scientists, with the help of 21 resources from a nonpartisan, information...

 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,...

The final unit in Module 3A focuses on research skills. The 10 lessons in the collection have students examining how businesses can impact working conditions. Using a case study of the garment industry, class members learn to gather...

The final unit in the 2b Module has seventh graders  researching how media and advertising perpetuate gender stereotypes. To begin, class members examine the role of gender in Pygmalion, look at advertising in the 1890s, and read the...