Review the rule "i before e except after c, or when it sounds like 'ay' as in neighbor and weigh" with your class and then set your learners to practice with this basic exercise. They fill in blank spaces with either ie or ei in 25...

Thoroughly review where to put commas: after an introductory clause, before a coordinating conjunction, around nonessential phrases, etc. Furthermore, avoid comma splices by adding a conjunction or semicolon or by starting a new sentence...

Teaching grammar can be so difficult! Help your class master how to use hyphens correctly. The first page details different places one would use a hyphen. On the second page, learners are introduced to two practice activities. In the...

Avoid short, choppy sentences in your class's writing by focusing on sentence structures. The first page in this two-page packet shows your class how to combine sentences using conjunctions, a list, an appositive, or compound predicate....

Looking for a great lesson on how to write a biography? Here, middle schoolers draw from magazine articles, novels, historical figures, and current events to choose a person, or character to write about in a biography. They follow a...

Cover character development and indirect characterization in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck with a graphic organizer. Class members search through the text and fill out a box for each character. The activity provides some notes for...

Setting and description are important parts of John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Ask your class to examine how he sets the scene with this graphic organizer. Individuals or groups look at several different aspects of the setting in...

"The Road Not Taken," is the focus of an exercise that asks readers to identify the figurative meaning of Robert Frost's poem.

Scholars stretch their writing muscles with an exercise that asks them to describe the sky using similes and metaphors. 

In this spelling worksheet, a word with missing letters is given to the student. Pupils must complete the word with either 'EI' or 'IE'.

An interactive online quiz checks mastery of the Latin roots fin, sed/sid/sess, and fer with 12 true/false items. Pupils agree or disagree with the usage of intermediate level vocabulary in context. Part of MyVocabulary.com which offers...

Start by introducing your class to basic comma rules, and then give them this practice sheet. First, learners add commas where necessary, and then they write down which comma rule (or rules) used in each sentence. Great practice!

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is known for rich character development. Expose your class to indirect characterization and all that it involves with this worksheet. Learners look at quotes, determine what method of characterization is...

Growing writers explore what it takes to develop and support a thesis statement with pre-fabricated ideas provided by the Virginia Department of Education. Learners take notes on what makes a thesis statement and a topic sentence, and...

Turning 11 comes with a range of emotions. Explore those emotions by reading the short story "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros. Readers analyze the main character's reactions to the events of her day. Then, they write an essay describing what...

Add a great resource to your collection of The Grapes of Wrath curriculum materials. A thorough packet contains loads of useful suggestions, whether you use the novel as an anchor text, as a reading circle...

Two compelling texts about tobacco companies' influence over editorial content in print media introduce readers to the concept of advertising censorship. After study and discussion, class members compose a mock "final column" by a...

Help your readers identify different points of view by studying key words the author uses to mold the story. There are four story excerpts provided here, and readers must identify the point of view, record the words that led them to that...

A detailed overview of plagiarism and citations. This 33-slide presentation is broken into three sections: a discussion of plagiarism, various examples of in-text and work cited citations, and a short, interactive quiz. Although the...

Employing the metaphor of a Big Mac hamburger, this presentation explains how to put together a cohesive paragraph. The PowerPoint uses humor, animation, sound effects, and examples to get the points across. The main focus is on the...

Young scholars to use all levels of Bloom's taxonomy to look at the case of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' through the eyes of our present legal system. They analyze the story to determine if Jack was a criminal or a victim.

Only a thorough understanding of history can save us from repeating it. Practice close reading skills with an eighth grade unit that focuses on 19th century America, including European immigration into Ellis Island and Frederick...

Complete with a reading schedule, literature question page, and supplementary list of literary activities, this book report form on Moby Dick would be an good resource for your junior high or high school class. The guide includes...

Over the course of a week, the class will study how monsters are portrayed throughout literature. But why? Monsters in science fiction or horror often depict the darker side of human nature; they are described for their horrific physical...