National Endowment for the Humanities
The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf
Riddle me this! What do kennings, caesura, and alliteration have to do with the Nowell Codex? Introduce class members to Anglo-Saxon poetry and prepare readers for a study of Beowulf with a series of activities that...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Vengeful Verbs in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
It's time for pupils to read, examine, and contemplate literature to explore the difference between vivid and generic verbs. Pupils distinguish between the two types of verbs as they read the ghost scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. They...
Curated OER
Tissue Paper Butterfly
Creating butterfly art is as simple as 1-2-3. Kids cut coffee filters into butterfly shapes. Next, they wet and place squares of tissue paper onto the filters. Fifteen minutes later, they lift the tissue to reveal a colorful pattern...
Curated OER
Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...
Curated OER
Rave Reviews
A fun instructional activity that utilizes toys and persuasion! After reading the article, which was written in 2005, pull some advertisements for toys currently being sold. These will be more relevant to your middle and high schoolers....
Curated OER
Old Hobbits Are Hard to Break
Explore film adaptation of literature with this lesson, which focuses on the world of film advertisements. Middle schoolers discuss various films (including The Lord of the Rings) and create advertisements for a pretend film based on a...
Curated OER
Writing a Halloween Poem
A delightful instructional activity on poetry is here for you and your middle schoolers. Learners are instructed to write a Halloween poem. They get to choose the age range for the audience of the poem. So, it may be scary (for older...
Bright Hub Education
Advertisement Analysis
Middle schoolers review magazine ads and take a look at some of the most common advertising techniques. From analyzing these ads, youngsters begin to become aware of how advertisers target specific age groups, gender groups, and how they...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Eighth Grade
Middle schoolers are likely very familiar with the concept of bullying and cliques. Discuss their experiences and brainstorm ways to handle peer conflict and feelings of exclusion with a poem that focuses on bullying, and a second lesson...
Curated OER
"Zebra" by Chaim Potok
Combine art and literature to teach greater themes and symbolic meaning. Using the plan outlined in this resource, expose your class to the story "Zebra" by Chaim Potok, conduct discussions about social issues and nicknames, and ask...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Bright Hub Education
"A Long Way From Chicago": Character Descriptions
Complete studies of the memorable characters in Richard Peck's novel A Long Way from Chicago. The lesson describes three different activities to help your class better understand characters in the story, character development in general,...
Curated OER
Making Stained Glass Windows
Students, in groups, research several European cathedrals from the Middle Ages. They design stained glass windows and decorate a school window with their design using black construction paper and cellophane.
Curated OER
Medieval Music
In this music worksheet, students locate and identify various vocabulary terms related to Medieval music. They select the best response for each multiple choice question. Then, students draw some notes the way they were written in the...
Curated OER
Castle Blue Eagle
Sixth graders read the legend of King Arthur. They complete comprehension activities and research life in the Middle Ages. In groups, 6th graders complete several projects including making shields, crowns, and stained glass art designs.
Curated OER
Astronomy
Students examine a medieval manuscript on astronomy and create their own books based on modern discoveries in astronomy. In this astronomy lesson plan, students compare astronomy knowledge in the middle ages to today and research modern...
Curated OER
A Prelude To Beowulf
Students study the literature and literary techniques of the early Middle Ages, thus preparing students to read Beowulf with an appreciation for its artistry and beauty. Students solve online riddles, write riddles and study Anglo-Saxon...
Curated OER
Knights and Kings
Students explore feudalism. In this government lesson, students examine the role of knights and kings. Students discover the training boys went through for knighthood. Students write a letter home as if they were a squire during the...
Curated OER
Mixed Breed Animals Art
Students create an animal in the tradition of medieval animal combinations. They choose components from various animals and design a new animal from those parts. Students draw their animal with careful attention to surrounding...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A viewing of Disney’s 1993 film of The Adventures of Huck Finn launches an examination of the events in and themes of Mark Twain’s story. Viewers respond to prompts on a film story worksheet, engage in full-class discussions, and select...
Curated OER
Down in the Dumps
After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...
Curated OER
The Joy Luck Club: Problematic Situation
How do your learners react in conflicts with authority figures? Help them begin Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club with an activity about different conflicts that kids can run into with their parents. Each scenario prompts learners to rank...
Curated OER
Natural Twig Journals
Artists of all ages participate in a very basic bookbinding technique incorporating a dimensional object and simple fastening method. They create their own book to use as a sketchbook, writing surface or scrapbook. The results are...
Carnegie Library
Creative Writing: Middle School Lesson Plan
Enhance a unit on historical fiction with an engaging writing lesson. Learners bring the Industrial Era to life as they compose their own historical fiction pieces based on primary source images of Pittsburgh steel workers.