Conflicts happen, conflicts grow, it's how to handle them that middle schoolers need to know. Introduce tweens to a problem-solving approach for handling anger with a series of activities that has class members read articles, research...

Students participate in role-play activities to explain that emotional and social effects of prejudice discussed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Students research a leader or achiever, prepare a poster, and participate in a panel discussion and role play.  For this contributions by people of diverse backgrounds lesson, students choose a leader and find three resources about...

Students explore storytelling through pantomime, improvisation, and dramatization. They watch an online video, discuss Native American earth stories, role-play various situations, explore websites, and present an oral story to the class.

Students discuss emotions and decide as a group which emotions are O.K. for males/females. They discuss solutions to gender bias in terms of the different emotions and write a reflective essay about what they learn from the discussion.

Young scholars develop their social skills and learn what it means to be responsible. In this responsibility lesson, students read a book about the topic, discuss the book, and list reasons why to act responsibly. Young scholars work in...

Eight various activities have your learners looking at hype in the media. Advertisements for films, politics, music, and philanthropy all contribute to emotional appeals and marketing strategies trying to convince consumers to...

Explore narrative writing by participating in a role-playing activity. In this perspective activity, learners define first and third person in writing and discuss how it changes the mood of the reader. The first activity has pupils write...

During a series of four activities, class members examine and deconstruct advertising that features famous athletes. They determine target audiences, analyze ads, explore "emotional climate," and role play a meeting between a sports...

Students identify human psychology by examining role-playing situations. For this homosexuality lesson, students identify what it means to be a gay or lesbian person and discuss the appropriate behavior to interacting with gay and...

Explore how Galileo's controversial theory raised objections in his time. In this physical science activity, learners research about current controversial issues. They role play both sides of the issue, and decide which one has a...

Characters play a significant role in why we like certain shows and movies but are the characters we watch representing the diverse society in which we live? Scholars examine this question through thoughtful discussion about popular...

Students examine Civil War-themed artwork. In this visual arts lesson, students compare and contrast paintings by Winslow Homer and Timothy O'Sullivan. Students analyze the symbolism in the artwork representing Civil War...

Students write persuasive speeches to recruit soldiers for a Civil War company. In this Civil War U.S. history and writing activity, students work in groups to create a recruiting poster and write a speech to persuade soldiers to join...

Students take a closer look at eating disorders. In this personal health lesson plan, students research common eating disorders, investigate treatments for the disorders, and make presentations that highlight their findings. 

Students read "Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss. They complete a story map and write about the topic of prejudice. They role-play star-bellied and plain-bellied sneetches and write a persuasive essay about their experiences.

Students write dialogue. For this character development lesson students use direct or indirect speech to include a confrontation between two characters in their story. Students portray the emotions of the characters in addition to what...

Students complete an getting to know each other activity. In this personal names lesson, students play a name game, read a book about names, and then discuss why names are important. Students design a name card on oak tag rectangles and...

Fifth graders read Swiss Family Robinson and respond to a survival scenario. In this focusing event instructional activity, 5th graders reflect on what they would do during a situation that required them to make a choice. Students...

Choosing an issue from a play or novel, researchers find two primary sources from different time periods to compare how people's views have changed. Many questions are listed to guide young writers. In the end, learners produce a...

Learners assess the Treaty of Waitangi and compare it to various Native American treaties. After discussing the legal issues of the treaties, they role-play as groups representing a nation-state and indigenous people who negotiate a...

Hook your class into an exploration of and discussion about violence in video games with a cute animal clip and a video game trailer. After a quick discussion about how media can affect mood, class members read a related article and...

Analyze the role the Crawford Grill played in the history of Jazz music. Budding historians research interviews and video clips to learn about the Crawford Grill in Pennsylvania and black music history. The activity culminates when...

Eighth graders apply knowledge of the Holocaust in general and The Diary of Anne Frank in particular to their writing. Acting the play out in class provides them an almost firsthand knowledge of Anne and the other characters.