Light up middle schoolers' understanding of the monetary and health costs of smoking with two activities. First, class members calculate how much a smoker would spend in a year if they smoke a pack a week or a day. They then explore...

Four elephants race to snatch up all the peanuts in a synonym learning game. Players turn into peanut hungry elephants in a synonym learning game. Opponents read a word and race to locate its synonym earning points till the time...

It's not the best of guides nor the worst of guides, but time spent examining the guide to Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is certainly not wasted. The 17-page guide includes book-by-book synopses of the novel, before,...

Separate is not equal! Young historians analyze the petition from the U.S. Supreme Court case Mendez v. Westminster filed in 1945 and examine background material about the case. They then compare it to the more famous Brown v. Board of...

Jane Eyre offers scholars an opportunity to practice reading comprehension skills. Pairs are assigned a word from the text, use their prior knowledge, and consider the context, connotation, and denotation of the word to posit a...

Scholars read paragraphs one and two of the chapter "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" and search for ideas. Readers analyze how Du Bois introduces and develops an idea throughout the text. They complete the Idea Tracking Tool and discuss two...

Scholars read paragraphs 13 and 14 of "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" and analyze Du Bois's chapter conclusion. Writers revisit their quick write assignments from the previous lesson plan and revise or expand them as needed.

Some words leave a lasting impact. After reading paragraph 11 of the text "Of Our Spiritual Strivings," scholars closely examine how Du Bois describes the impact prejudice left on the African American community. They discuss the...

Scholars receive numbers as they work in groups to read Inside Out & Back Again. The instructor calls out specific numbers for readers to share the group's thoughts. Then, they use a model passage to demonstrate the effective actions...

Perspective changes everything. Scholars use a close reading guide while analyzing pages 38-47 in Unbroken. Readers learn that the governments of Japan and the United States had very different perspectives about the attack on Pearl...

Students use this activity prior to the introduction of materials on Genetics. They read the article "Becoming a Male, Becoming a Female" in the publication From Egg to Adult. Students then complete the assignment in order to better...

Students build connections between census information and community decision-making by reading a reader's theater script. For this reader's theater lesson, students practice reading fluently and learn about the government. The reader's...

Middle schoolers read and discuss the book, Who Am I Without Him? In this fluency lesson, students practice reading with expression and making text to self connections. Middle schoolers practice writing expressively in their journals.

Students explore food. In this processed and fresh foods lesson, students discover how some foods are processed and how they differ from fresh food. The complete group activities and an individual reading assignment. This lesson includes...

Students explore environmental awareness by utilizing computer technology. In this ecosystem conservation instructional activity, students read assigned text which describes the current ecological conditions of Hawaii. Students...

Students explore global culture by researching a Mexican holiday. In this Day of the Dead instructional activity, students read assigned text which discusses the view of death in several different cultures including the U.S. and Mexico....

Students explore agriculture by participating in a plant growth activity. In this botany lesson, students discuss what types of plants grow in their local environment and what the plants need to survive. Students read assigned text about...

Students explore Earth science by researching natural disasters in class. In this cyclone instructional activity, students discuss the creation of cyclones and what their potential destruction can be in the wrong environment. Students...

Students analyze psychology by completing a true or false worksheet. In this sexual health lesson, students read assigned text which dictates when it is or isn't appropriate to touch a person and what to do if you feel uncomfortable in a...

The Crusades sounds like a glamorous time period in the Middle Ages full of glory—but was it? Scholars find and review the truth of the Crusades' influence on the world through the resource. The study guides, separated individually by...

Students study the pros and cons of globalization. They highlight the economic concepts of comparative advantage, specialization, and opportunity cost. They read and discuss the "FRBSF Economic Letter: Globalization: Threat or...

Here's a great idea for your Parent/Family Night—host a Reader's Theater! Everything you need to organize the night, as well as a K-3 and a 4-7 script, is provided in the packet. 

As class members progress through eight fully prepared learning stations, they will identify how bias is present in persuasive media, as well as differentiate among types of propaganda techniques like bandwagon propaganda and the...

Is DNA still present after picking fruit or cooking vegetables? Biology scholars extract and collect DNA strands in an impactful lab. Working groups prepare their samples and compare their results to negative and positive standard...