Visible Thinking Routines are designed to help learners deepen their understanding of what they are learning and enable them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. Individuals adopt one of these routines to use to...

Challenge your class to hold a discussion about the theme of death in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead without direct teacher guidance. After going over the discussion protocols and quotes from the text, learners move in a circle...

Use this comprehensive packet to accompany a study of Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. Starting out with a brief author biography and background information about the novel, this guide includes materials to use throughout the entire novel....

Pop quiz! Learners work in groups to answer questions on a quiz about dictionary skills.  They then work to create a dictionary skill quiz of their own. Groups exchange quizzes and race to find all of the answers.

What kinds of skills and attitudes are valued in a work environment? Using this set of worksheets and collaborative activities, your pupils will develop important life skills and consider what is necessary for getting and keeping a job.

What does the media tell the teenagers about using marijuana? Help class members decipher what they are being told about drug use with a lesson on editorial cartoons, subliminal messages, and critical thinking skills.

This lesson starts out with a guided discussion about the statement "Birds fly in the sky; airplanes fly in the sky; therefore, airplanes are birds" and goes on to cover logical fallacies and reliable sources, relating these to the topic...

Think outside the box - and think about education beyond the classroom walls - with a resource that has your critical thinkers watching a video about a nursery in Scotland that lets youngsters roam wild in a forest....

Do you have a lot of different reading levels in your class? Pair kids up by level and have them choose a book to read independently. They will make predictions, ask questions, make connections, etc. Consider creating a general reading...

What exactly does make life worth living? In preparation for a fishbowl discussion of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, readers of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel highlight sections that show a character grieving, coping, or suffering...

Engaging in topical discussions can be a great way to teach kids how to build strong arguments and support their opinions with concrete evidence. High schoolers choose a controversial topic, build an argument for or against that topic,...

Give a voice to even the most quiet learners! Post discussion questions in different locations (on the whiteboard or around the room on posters). Class members then either answer a question posed or comment on a peer's response. Instead...

Have your young learners practice using higher-order thinking skills by engaging in this problem-solving activity. They work in cooperative groups to solve problems, and list ways to address a variety of challenges. They explain their...

Expand your study of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak with a question for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. These questions focus on part four of the novel; each is paired with at least one quote from the text for context and teacher...

Examine the Supreme Court case, District of Columbia vs Heller, to build a better understanding of the Bill of Rights. Learners visit three different websites, read the provided informational text, and then answer a series of critical...

As part of a final discussion of The House on Mango Street, groups examine a concept question about the text, record arguments for and opposed to the question, and then a draw their own conclusions.

Why do some people achieve their goals and persevere despite the setbacks they face? This question is the focus of this life skills lesson plan, which includes worksheets, discussion, and collaborative activities on developing a growth...

Problem solving is a skill of its own. Learners use a variety of problems to encourage mental math and logic to get the correct answer. Guiding questions are provided along the way to encourage the right way of thinking to help tackle...

Put an end to wasted instructional time with this instructional activity on responsibility and preparedness. After completing this series of activities students will learn the importance of these social skills not only in the...

Engage little learners in this moderately developed three-lesson unit on the composer Camille Saint-Saens and his piece "The Carnival of Animals." Each lesson includes a listening, discussion, and an art project to engage your class in...

Get your class talking, even debating, about Gary Paulsen's popular novel Canyons. As they finish chapters 10-12, they complete the following discussion web concerning Brennan and the skull. They fill out the graphic organizer provided...

Good endings are hard to find. And write. This, the final lesson in a six-part series devoted to study of the ingredients of a good story, focuses on crafting endings. Class members draft ideas about what should happen to each of their...

Learners work collaboratively to take and download digital images, use iMovie software, and create an iMovie to show at a Back To School Night event. They discuss how to organize the information into a clear and cohesive movie. Then,...

How do you get your class talking? Use a card like the one included to help English language learners join the discussion. On this card, for example, nine sentence starters are provided. You could also use this with native English...