A talkative old man? A naïve believer in Human Perfectibility? A Sage? Who is this guy, anyway? The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin launches a study of the way Franklin uses structure, style, and purpose, as well as different...

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...

The Secret Life of Bees provides high schoolers an opportunity to connect the events in the novel to events in America’s history. After choosing a topic from a provided list, individuals research how the event affected the Civil Rights...

Designed to assess your class's ability to follow directions, this reading activity has learners split into groups, read a series of instructions, read a passage, and answer two lists of questions. Can they remember to raise their hand...

How do cultural and historical background impact thought? To explore this essential question, class members view of portion of the film, The Passage to India, read an excerpt from The Magician’s Nephew, and Nissim Ezekiel’s...

Students examine the unique and diverse historical artifacts that people have designed to fulfill their everyday needs in extraordinary ways. They identify ways humans have used design throughout history to enhance the ways they meet...

Analyze point of view and how it affects a literary work with this lesson. Middle schoolers create a written piece that focuses on point of view. They review the literary term "point of view," and explore examples of the term in text....

This worksheet helps to understand when to use commonly confused words. It includes definitions, writing exercises, and questions that require paraphrasing the meaning of sentences. A good exercise for middle schoolers, or review for...

Pupils watch the News Ohio video about Lincoln Junior High School. They write a reaction paper, explaining what effect the studying environment has on students. If the classroom was in a basement, perhaps a little dark and damp, would...

Students gather information about vitamin C deficiency, and research how scurvy was prevented in sea-going ventures during The Age of Sail. They create a "Scurvy Log" that will allow them to connect what they have learned about scurvy...

Tenth graders explore two rhetorical strategies (ethos and audience appeals) to analyze their effects in Brutus's speech in 3.2. They are given the opportunity to participate as members of Brutus's audience by assuming the roles of...

Students add punctuation to a passage from King Lear and compare their version to the First Folio version.  In this Shakespeare and punctuation lesson plan, students discuss the difference punctuation can make on a set of...

Kids read the book Boston Tea Party by Steven Kroll and use maps to locate various landmarks. They identify the cause and effect of the events related to the Boston Tea Party, then write a descriptive composition.

Students explore the attributes of effective communication. In this communication lesson, students determine how to effectively send and receive messages as they role-play the process.

Eleventh graders determine, evaluate, and use resources that are most appropriate and readily available for investigating a particular question or topic. Examples include knowledgeable people, field trips, prefaces, appendices,...

Students examine how Latin America was affected by the Holocaust in Europe. In groups, they research topics related to Latin America and World War II. They interview survivors if possible and discover how entire nations were effected...

Students are read a story about Alejandro and how he builds an oasis to attract animals. Using the text, they discover the needs of the animal not only for water but for safety. They discuss different environmental issues as well as...

Students investigate the effect good sleep and rest has on the human body.  In this health instructional activity, students discover the different stages of sleep and discuss ways they can ease their own tension through exercise or...

Students study what reform means. In this social science lesson, students are put into small groups and create posters, oral reports, or role plays on the life and work of either Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Addams, Booker T....

Students identify and explain the variables effecting supply and demand in the marketing industry. Then they define the terms supply and demand and graph supply and demand curves on a standard grid. Students also formulate what happens...

Students explore color, light, refraction and reflection.  For this light lesson students measure solar position and compare it to time.

Students explore different natural and manmade disasters through a webquest. In this earth science lesson, students explain their causes. They also discuss how disasters affect society. 

How does geography influence daily life? Guided by an essential question, class groups select and then research an ancient culture, and develop a news broadcast about the geographical setting and its impact on the culture. Teams...

How would you feel if someone plagiarized your work? After class members turn in an assigned newspaper article, you rewrite the piece using elements of their writing. Then you claim you will be selling the story and that you will profit...