Young readers apply decoding strategies to identify unknown words. In this reading lesson, they read the Preamble and practice using decoding strategies. Small groups rotate to five charts that have questions regarding the Constitution...

Students develop their dream house complete with a real estate ad. They examine actual real estate ads on the internet to compare their house.

Eighth graders design and compile a booklet of published and original poems reflective of a specific theme.

Students observe as the teacher demonstrates how to use a digital video camera. They experiment with the camera to get to know its features. Finally they create a video commercial and edit it, inserting sounds, titles and other graphics.

Students observe, measure, and graph a model of slow down slope movement representing soil creep. This task assesses students' abilities to collect, record, and organize data, set up graph axes, plot data points, draw line graphs, apply...

Middle schoolers engage in the writing of a magazine article. They focus upon the reading of a children's fiction book and create an informative narrative. They create main ideas and supporting details for the article. The supporting of...

Eighth graders explore the life and works of Pablo Neruda. They complete an author map concerning his personal and professional life. Students identify the key components of an ode. They write an ode to a common object around their...

Students research a South American Spanish speaking country, analyze and organize the information that they collect and present their findings to the class.

Students use cardboard models of the North American and Pacific plates and sand to investigate what happens when there is an earthquake or movement along the boundaries of the plates.

Students act as directors of a new science museum where they have decided to set up a display of animals without backbones that are found in the area. To organize their display, they need to sort and classify a collection of animals and...

Students read the book THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London and discuss the different elements in the book. They then write an essay on a theme providing examples backing up their main point of their essay.

Eighth graders use a dichotomous key to identify unknown fictitious organisms. They work individually during this exercise. The task is designed to take students approximately 15-25 minutes to complete.

Eighth graders use a measuring stick to determine the shape of the inside of the bottom of a box, then apply their knowledge to an additional situation. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, collect and...

Students sequence the steps leading to the formation of rain, and design a model to represent these steps. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret and communicate data, and construct a pictorial...

Students correctly sequence the steps leading to the formation of wind, and describe the cause and effect relationships involved in the formation of wind. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret...

Students interpret a graph of ocean depths and topographic features. This task assesses students' abilities to interpret figures, organize and represent data, apply knowledge of scale to a profile, and apply theoretical knowledge.

Students read a current science article. They write a summary of the article, take notes, write and edit a summary, and print their work.

Students examine the forest layers and types of forests. They explore a website, read content on forest layers and the effects of environmental conditions, sumarize the characteristics of a forest type and present the information to the...

Students examine media messages. In this media awareness lesson, students analyze online messages about heroism as they complete a jigsaw reading activity.

Eighth graders practice using correct vocabulary and apply content knowledge related to phases of matter when answering questions about situations or observations from everyday life.

Students follow directions for a simple chemical experiment. They use the appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data. Students identify a substance that has characteristic properties, such as density, a...

Pupils explore dance. They analyze and outline the movements of the dance "Roger de Coverly" from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Students choose music and choreograph a dance similar to "Roger de Coverly." They perform the dance....

Students compose letters of inquiry. In this written communication lesson plan, students read sample letters of inquiry about sites in Washington, D.C. Students then write their own letters of inquiry to the Washington, D.C. Chamber of...

Pupils read various examples of literature. In groups, they brainstorm a list of views that go against what was in one of the stories. They illustrate the opposite ideas and compile them into a class book. They use each other to check...