Develop readers’ awareness of the visual power of language with a guided imagery exercise. Set the stage and create the mood with dim lights, soft music and potpourri. Then read the provided section of Bud, Not Buddy. Next, invite...

Students review the main points of the Walking Purchase of 1737. In groups, they describe how the Iroquois, Minisink, and Delaware Indians felt about the purchase and compare and contrast the different views. They write and perform a...

Scholars read Maniac Magee and create epitaphs for each of the major characters using precise words reflecting the individual characters personality and nature. They will learn what an epitaph is and practice writing their own. They can...

Poems by O. Henry, Marion Dane Bauer, Monty Roberts, and Langston Hughes provide the text for a study of symbolism, hyperbole, and imagery. Employing the “think-pair-share” strategy learners generate definitions of these terms and locate...

What do you use a brochure for? Middle schoolers or underperforming high schoolers identify the attributes of informative brochures. Either bring in a few brochures you've collected or use the sample brochures attached here. While...

Students study scientific names and descriptions of forces.  In this motion instructional activity students organize information into a graphic organizer then teach it to other students. 

Suggestions for using Roberto Marzano's six-step approach to academic vocabulary instruction are detailed in a packet that includes graphic organizers, worksheets, and activities.

Using a three-column chart labeled "Character," "Action," and "Trait," pupils analyze the traits of several characters from a short story. The lesson is designed for a SMART board, but a teacher could easily do the lesson without the...

Reinforce sentence styles with this lesson, which prompts young grammarians to build complex and compound-complex sentence structures. They respond to non-print text and identify subordinators as parts of speech procedure. They spell...

What are the necessary components of a five paragraph essay? How does one interest their reader? These questions are answered with this 12-slide PowerPoint which details components of the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion....

"How are belief systems represented and reproduced through nature?" This essential question guides lesson 6 of this unit on The Odyssey (the rest of the unit is linked). Students first write about a scenario in which they are...

Learners create triptychs, pictures in three panels side by side, of certain themes displayed in the painting "Don Quixote" by Jean-Baptiste Camile Carot. Student evaluations are accomplished through participation during in-class...

Use this resource to support your class practicing inference with poetry and visual art. The plan calls for an examination of "The Scream" by Edvard Munch and the "Mona Lisa" to promote speculation about artist's intent. From there, it...

Young poets focus on one character from a story they are reading, collect details, and use a biopoem template to analyze this character. The activity can be used with any text.

Students discuss the characteristics that make a historical resource reliable. As a class, they brainstorm a list of examples of possible historical resources and why they are important. In groups, they discover the consequences of...

Eighth graders create their own poetry portfolio containing poems that relate to Students' lives and families. The portfolio consist of the following types of poems: acrostic, diamante`, haiku, cinquain, and free verse.

Eighth graders view a presentation about the importance of the Holocaust. In groups, they complete a workshop in which they discover the reasons and actions behind the event. They share their feelings about the material and stereotypes...

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...

During a biology activity, scholars research microbes, design a lesson plan using an outline, and present the activity to the class. 

Students create non-linear, user-directed presentations in a presentation software application. They create, using Powerpoints, tutorial movies using the topic of solving a math story problem.

Students use Geometer's Sketchpad to draw triangles and explore the classificaiton of each using the mearsures of interior angles and the lengths of the sides.

Learners utilize the U.S. Geological Service web site. They research the various types of scales used to measure earthquakes and classify different situations on the scale. They write a story about a town that has just experienced a quake.

Students design and conduct an experiment on unknown solutions after studying descriptions of indicators and the way in which they identify acids and bases. Students must gather, organize, and analyze data as well as make inferences...

Students read and discuss the book, Who Am I Without Him? In this fluency instructional activity, students practice reading with expression and making text to self connections. Students practice writing expressively in their journals.