Give this skills-based assessment halfway through your unit on Esperanza Rising. After a brief review, class members take the test, which asks them to show that they know how to analyze the novel independently. They are asked to...

Determining a theme or central idea is greatly emphasized in the Common Core standards. Target that skill though big metaphors and central symbols in Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising. Help your class reach the standard through...

Now that your class has read all of Esperanza Rising, take the time to tackle big metaphors and themes. Pupils will participate in an activity called Chalk Talk, in which they circulate around the room in small groups and add...

Jump back into expository writing and analysis at the start of a new school year! Start with a review of an authors' stylistic choices in diction, syntax, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language. Writers choose a text to...

Explore a flashback in a story with readers. They will read a story, identify the flashback in the story, then evaluate how the flashback is used. Using the NoteFolio, students analyze the meaning and merit of a flashback in a story....

Begin class with a short comprehension quiz and review and then move into a new genre: two-voice poems. The activity provides information about this type of poetry as well as a video example made by eighth graders that you can show your...

Make connections between Esperanza Rising and human rights with the activities outlined here. The instructional activity starts out with a brief quiz and review of the novel. After that, pupils circulate and share quote strips that you...

Working in small groups, or individually, learners are given images of events that took place at the White House. They study the image and research that time in history to better understand how the White House has been affected by...

Students analyze the global temperature record from 1867 to the present. Long-term trends and shorter-term fluctuations are both evaluated. The data is examined for evidence of the impact of natural and anthropogenic climate forcing...

Ninth graders respond to films they have seen using literary, dramatic, and cinematic terms. They reevaluate their role as a moviegoer. Students analyze their favorite film in order to discover what good films have in common.

Students are explained how a grid and compass work. They are also explained that archaeologists use grids as a record of the exact location of artifacts. Students define the term datum as a point of reference on grids from which all...

Seventh graders explore the history of Christmas by researching classic literature. In this holiday lesson, 7th graders read the story A Christmas Carol and discuss the tone of Charles Dickens' classic literary work. Students answer...

Students read Blackbeard and brainstorm their knowledge of maps. In this language arts and geography lesson plan, students use landmarks on their playground to review north, south, east and west and discuss the compass rose. Students...

Students encounter imperatives used for the instructions for this cooking experience. They review selected vocabulary terms for food and the process of cooking. Students identify adverbs of sequence (first, then, etc.). They follow the...

Students describe two or more different rock types found in outcrop. Students look specifically at the hydro-geologic properties of the rocks and complete the lab with a paper explaining a scientific phenomenon in layperson terms.

Students read an article about a pressing public policy issue. Using the text, they identify the themes, facts and ideas presented and develop an argument supporting or disagreeing with the position of the author. In groups, they...

Pupils investigate the concept of weather and how it is created. They review relevant vocabulary related to weather. Students predict weather given slight background knowledge. The lesson includes background information for the instructor.

The Quapaw Indians of Arkansas are the focus of this American history instructional activity. Learners discover many aspects of the Quapaw culture, such as their dwellings, social organization, food, and how the tribe was eventually...

Come up with a list of requirements for this expository essay on Esperanza's character in Esperanza Rising as a class and use the list to guide class writing. Here, learners will complete the first paragraph, discuss their notes for the...

Young historians research the Southwest Trail, which ran through Arkansas back in the 19th century. Pupils are divided into four groups. Each group researches a pioneer who blazed the Southwest Trail. Then, the group presents an oral or...

Tenth graders are introduced to the poetic process. They onnect poetry to life in a meaningful way become more careful readers of poetry. They listen to a variety of poems, then write responses at the end of each adventure.

Students explore how to save money to buy the things they want.

Students explore the importance of water. They discuss why water is important and students design an experiment that evaluates the water quality and methods of improving water quality. Students perform testing and report their findings.