Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Jack the Ripper terrorized London in the late 1800s. An educator's guide for the novel The Name of the Star places the historical figure in a modern context. Readers complete a pre-reading activity before answering a series of discussion...
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A High-Interest Novel Helps Struggling Readers Confront Bullying in Schools
Bully, bullied, or bystander? Paul Langan's The Bully is the anchor text in a unit that examines bullying and violence. After a close reading of the text, readers imagine themselves as the characters and consider how they would react in...
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Memoir
After reading and analyzing two narrative memoirs, middle schoolers engage in a variety of activities, including writing an essay, developing a story map, and creating character charts. They then compare and contrast story maps, and...
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College or Bust?
Based on a New York Times article, "The College Drop-Out Boom," participants in a fishbowl discussion formulate and express opinions about the correlation between level of education, career options, and economic mobility. Ample...
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How Atoms Work
Students explore the concept of atoms and how they combine to form molecules and compounds. In pairs, they read an article on how atoms work and discuss the main points. They draw atoms and write a paragraph about their elements.
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Past School Practices
Learners research the history of a school system. In this school system lesson, students list the grade levels and subjects taught in their school and interview their teachers and administrators. Learners collect past photographs of...
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When Disaster Strikes: Flooding in Pakistan
Students complete various activities after reading about flooding in Pakistan. In this instructional activity on humanitarian efforts, students read about flooding that occurred in Pakistan, discuss what they have read, and synthesize...
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A Long Time Ago in the Future
Pupils read and discuss Canadian young adult literature. They compare/contrast the elements of citizenship, characterization, and themes, write journal responses, and identify the elements that define Canadians.
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Good Schools For Everyone
Students work in groups in order to brainstorm the type of criteria needed to assess the quality of a secondary school. They use several case studies to establish the context for coming up with ideas. Then students conduct research into...
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A Site to See
Students identify the risks and benefits of living next to a volcano. After reading an article, they discuss the behaviors of an active volcano. Using the Internet, they work together to research volcano-monitoring techniques and create...
iCivics
Drafting Board: Kids and Credit
Should kids under the age of 18 be given access to credit cards? Learners identify pros and cons of using credit, develop claims based on evidence, and finally argue reasons for or against credit for minors.
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Art Mystery
Students explore famous artists in order to write mystery stories incorporating their life and works. They write their own based on their research of a particular artist.
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Characters' Coming of Age
Students develop older versions of child or adolescent characters from favorite works of literature, adapting them for teenage or adult sequels. They each outline a sequel and write its first chapter.
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Play: Types of Play
Learners identify the different types of play and examine how play helps students grow and develop. They read case studies and identify the types of play represented, and observe learners playing in group situations.
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Financial Security
Students take an economic angle on social security, working in small groups to create a reader's guide to the program and the current debate.
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Generation Tech
Students explore the work ethic and world view of the current "gamer generation." They brainstorm, describe, analyze and document the latest technology to create a virtual time capsule for a future generation.
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How Can You Be a Revolutionary?
Tenth graders identify priorities in human rights for children. They discuss the role the United Nations has in bringing nations together to work for peace and development. They create a list of imperatives that would address oversights...
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Nutrition an Food: Taking Control of What You Eat
Students examine what they eat and how they can improve their health by changing what they eat. They research nutrition and different foods. They also examine new vocabulary words.
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Native Americans - Searching for Knowledge and Understanding
What do you know about American Indians? Upper graders compose an informational essay based on the research they conduct. They choose a Native American group to study and, using the provided list of web links, gather information and...
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A Chorus For Us
Students examine "serious" choral music written for student choirs and the composers who write it. They reflect upon the notion of "serious" music, and examine the trend of concert composers writing pieces for student chorus
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Social Studies: Civil Rights Gets Stronger
Learners investigate segregation in the United States. In this American Civil Rights lesson, students read Oh Freedom and discuss the implications of segregation. Learners then view images from the time period and take notes on their...