"What is the theme of this story?" The very question can spark fear in the minds of readers and incinerate confidence. Here you will discover an exercise that shows how writers use the tools of setting, plot, conflict, and...

Students discuss the use of connectors and sequence words. They discuss common story endings and beginnings. Students brainstorm ideas for a creative story and compose a story for the rest of the class.

Students examine sequence of national events that resulted in the Civil War by using primary sources, and creating timelines and maps.

High schoolers examine procedures and processes of the Michigan Supreme Court. They explain the Second Amendment to others. They compare and contrast two cases dealing with the Second Amendment.

Imagine a day in the life of a child who has to work 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week. After viewing images and reading stories of child laborers, class members select an image and write a richly detailed narrative about a typical...

Students write their thoughts about political cartoons, photographs, and articles in their journal and then discuss them in class.

Twelfth graders examine the causes of freedom by revolutionary patriots. In this Civics and Economics lesson, 12th graders analyze primary sources. Students work cooperatively to write a freedom declaration for their group.

Make analyzing the sequence of events in an informational text easy. Ask readers to craft a one-sentence summary of each paragraph in a document and create a text map. To demonstrate their understanding of the process, participants read...

Students work in co-op groups to create a Reader's Theater production of the story. Students create a flow map that sequences the major events in the story. Students research the island of Martinique and create a travel brochure...

Students explore daily life and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies- Delaware and Massachusetts by becoming historical detectives. After gathering information from artifacts to make inferences about...

In this ESL literacy activity, students examine each individual board and then use them to tell and write a story about the events.

Students use abstract movement to tell the story of Re's journey. For this ancient Egypt lesson, students choreograph locomotor and non-locomotor movements to describe ancient Egyptian journeys to the afterlife as described in Egyptian...

Students study the cycle of how we listen and hear our own speech. They examine sound waves, and the role of the nervous system in hearing. They investigate the cues besides lipreading that deaf people rely on for comprehension.

Students examine the wartime killing of civilians in Vietnam through discussion, close reading and research.

Scholars write letters as if they were someone who heard the story of John Brown's raid. The resource, a standalone, covers information from primary sources that is important to West Virginian history: the Harpers Ferry Letters.

High schoolers explore the idea that progress for some might not mean progress for all. In this Native American lesson, students recognize different viewpoints about historical events through the study of primary documents. High...

Sudents read and critique three of their fellow classmates' science fiction short stories on three consecutive days for mechanics, short story elements, style, and informational elements.

Students begin the lesson by developing a map of their lives. Individually, they take this information and write a personal narrative. They create symbols to represent the various times in their lives and introduce them into their...

Students use a rubric to analyze their neighborhood and write a persuasive essay about changes that should be made. In this writing lesson, students use a rubric to grade their neighborhood and brainstorm improvements. Students write a...

Students use their imagination. They discuss the 4 C's of teamwork: Concentration, Communications, Coomperation, and Consideration. Students discuss the safety guidelines of the project. They complete a rope maze. The group walks...

Students are introduced to new vocabulary words associated with tribes and relocation. As a class, they listen to their teacher read an excerpt on tribal termination and urbanization. To end the lesson, they identify how this act...

Students examine and discuss the parts of a speech and how to organize them. They read sample speeches, then write a short presentation to read to the class, identifying the beginning, middle, and ending of their speech.

Students write a children's story in which the characters are encouraged to speak out for the equality of women. They create a character and plot outline that includes details and supporting statements for women's rights. A brief 2-3...

Students explore different ways geological time can be measured: comparing the time dimensions for each method, the mechanisms of each method, and the materials used.