Curated OER
Diversity of Life: Geologic Time Scale
Learners investigate the history of Earth by creating a geologic time scale. In this Earth History instructional activity, students practice sequencing events in their life as a way to get familiar with creating a time scale....
Curated OER
Journey Through Time
Learners examine the movement of the Bison over the land bridge. In groups, they use the events to put them into the correct sequence. They apply measurement to chronological time and read more information about the land bridge.
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast Creation Stories
Students compare and contrast creation stories. In this Bible studies lesson, students work in groups to read and summarize creation myths and share with their peers. The class goes on to create a chart to compare and...
Curated OER
Reaching Students through Literacy Centers
Continue the celebration of literacy this month by integrating reading centers into the classroom.
Curated OER
Navajo Code Talkers
An engaging instructional activity focuses on the contributions of the Navajo people during World War II. Learners read the book Navajo Code Talkers by Andrew Santella, answer a series of comprehension questions about the text, and...
Curated OER
Solar Storms: Sequences and Probabilities
In this sequences and probabilities learning exercise, students read about solar storms and determine the probability that none of the events occurred on the same day.
Curated OER
Present Perfect Tense: Just and Recently
In this present perfect tense: just and recently instructional activity, students read the explanations and examples of correct usage, then interactively complete 9 sentences with immediate online feedback.
Curated OER
Agriculture and Slavery
Students explore the importance of agriculture, especially tobacco farming, and the influence it had on slavery in the state of Virginia. Students establish the sequence of tobacco and slavery in the state.
Curated OER
DNA and Genes
Students analyze the structure of DNA. They describe how the structure of DNA enables it to reproduce itself accurately. Students discuss genes and the sequence of nucleotides occur in DNA.
Curated OER
Analyzing Folklore: Redwall
Brian Jacques’ novel Redwall provides the focus for a series of lessons involving the analysis of folklore. Adopting the persona of a character, groups write letters in the voice of their character, assemble a collage using Microsoft...
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War
Students identify the various causes leading to the Civil War. Students create a timeline of the actual events that led to it. Students form small groups and read from one of the included paragraphs about the causes of the war to each...
Curated OER
The Question of Annexation
Middle schoolers examine the sequence of events that led up to the annexation of Texas to the United States. They create a timeline of significant events, analyze primary source letters from this time period, and write a letter from the...
ReadWriteThink
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative
A picture's worth a thousand words—and even more inspiration! A visual activity uses photographs to inspire writers. The process teaches aspects of narrative writing, such as point of view and characterization.
Carnegie Library
Creative Writing: Middle School Lesson Plan
Enhance a unit on historical fiction with an engaging writing lesson. Learners bring the Industrial Era to life as they compose their own historical fiction pieces based on primary source images of Pittsburgh steel workers.
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 4-5
After viewing the West of the West's documentary Cache, individuals craft either a newspaper article chronicling the discovery of the cache on San Nicolas Island, a historical narrative of the placement of the cache in the cliff side, or...
Center for Civic Education
In the Shadows, Agents of Change
Most of your learners have probably heard of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Cesar Chavez, but could they also recognize the names of Betty Friedan or Dolores Huerta? Give your learners the opportunity to discover the many accomplishments of...
Curated OER
Checking Sources For Accuracy
Middle schoolers will paraphrase a resource without plagiarizing. Then rewrite after reading text. They then evaluate the site or reference they are using for accuracy. In the end, they complete a note-taking organizer.
Curated OER
Save the Dates
Students create annotated timelines of important moments in the history of the United States. They write a report highlighting one event and predicting how the history might have been different had the event not occurred.
University of Arizona
Fusing Firecrackers with Narrative
Improve your youngsters' descriptive writing. They study an object and write about what they see as a warm-up, then they read an excerpt from Paul Guest's memoir, One More Theory about Happiness. The next part of the...
Curated OER
The Final Copy
Write short stories in which events are presented in logical order, point of view is clear, theme and characters are developed. Middle schoolers also work on sensory language, concrete language and/or dialogue. They establish their...
Curated OER
12 Days of Christmas
Students utilize different problem-solving strategies and creative writing when dealing with the words from the song, "12 Days of Christmas." They try to problem solve how may presents were given and then explain their sequence in the...
Curated OER
Volcanoes!: Eyewitness Accounts
Students review previous lessons about volcanoes and name the phenomena they think the eyewitnesses of the Mount St. Helens witnessed. They play the roles of reporter, eyewitness and scientists who are serving on a committee...
Curated OER
Everyone Sang - Moods in Poetry
Start by reading the poem "Everyone Sang" by Siegried Sassoon. The archive also houses an audio clip, so consider playing that instead of reading it aloud. After hearing the poem twice, middle and high schoolers will discuss a list of...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Survivor Using Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What items would you need to survive if you were stranded in a remote place? Using chapter 10 of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, middle-schoolers work through a Six Trait writing activity to create a story about their own survival in a similar...