What do your classes know about biodiversity? A 10-question online quiz asks questions related to biodiversity and species groups. As learners answer questions, they click on links to additional information. The lesson could be an option...

To sign or not to sign? That is the question facing readers of the 1807 bill proposing an end to the slave trade. After a close reading of excerpts from the bill, readers are asked to advise Thomas Jefferson either to sign or reject the...

Looking for analogies? Here are 501.

After viewing an informational video that introduces Bernard Madoff and the concept of a Ponzi scheme, class members begin reading "How Bernard Madoff Did It," Liaquat Ahamed's New York Times book review that explains Madoff's crime, and...

The opening exercise in this instructional unit introduces class members to the writing process they will follow to craft an informative, expository research paper that addresses their research question. To begin, writers are asked to...

Explore the scientific method of classification. An interactive activity asks learners to create a classification system for a group of objects and develop a flow chart to communicate their systems. In addition, individuals use a...

What is the connection between greed and mercantilism? Historians consider this question by analyzing a fairy-tale like story about King Midas from the nineteenth century. The background information and excerpt help pupils understand the...

A lab activity is a great way to incite thoughtful questioning and scientific processes. Pupils will collect organisms with a Petri dish, make observations, sketch the organism, ask questions, then attempt to identify the specimen...

Teach your learners how to conduct an interview. English learners will learn the language patterns behind asking questions and creating answers through sentence frames and pictures though the topic of famous athletes.

The ambiguity in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre makes the novel a perfect choice for a shared inquiry discussion. Readers respond to open-ended questions with evidence drawn directly from the text. 

Just how successful were the reform movements of the ninteenth and twentieth centuries? Using documents ranging from the writings of Mother Jones to the marriage vows of Lucy Stone, individuals consider the question in a scaffolded...

Explore the concept of make believe stories. In this genres of literature lesson, students discover the difference between realistic fiction and fantasy. They are asked questions during and after the reading of a book to ensure the...

Give your class a taste of the Common Core with a practice test that includes both literary and informational reading passages. Pupils respond to related multiple choice questions and longer written response questions. See the...

The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet takes center stage as class members consider the structural choices Shakespeare makes, i.e., having Romeo appear first in the scene and having Juliet appear unaware that Romeo is listening to her...

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, can seem strangely prophetic when compared to modern news events and politics. Readers of Orwell's dystopian classic sharpen their critical thinking skills by engaging in...

High school freshmen are asked to think about their future goals and reflect on what they have learned about the barriers they may face and the resources they have to overcome these barriers. Individuals then respond to questions on a...

After learning all about World War I, middle schoolers can delve into this writing exercise. They complete three short answer questions that ask them to describe the role of women in WWI, the role of technology in WWI, and four causes of...

Focusing on a specific inquiry and area of investigation, ninth graders continue their research projects and portfolios based on Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation and their questions. The activity guides readers through the...

It's not easy to ask for help. Learn why a boy on a ship struggles with accepting help in "The Glass of Milk," a short story by Manuel Rojas. Six discussion questions prompt class members to make inferences from the text about character...

Many upper level tests require pupils to interpret written descriptions of scientific principles. Scholars practice the skill by working through three levels of difficulty. Each question covers kinetic energy, gravitational potential...

Are your learners feeling a bit jittery about an upcoming American history standardized test? Take a look at a state standardized test to give them additional practice and ease their nerves. Extra practice includes a scaffolded...

Time to know what they know! The final installment of a 14-lesson unit assesses the class's understanding of magnetism and electricity concepts. Items include both multiple-choice and open-ended questions on magnetic fields, electric...

A summary of electric charge and its flow along a conductor starts this PowerPoint. The differences between batteries and supply from a power station are detailed and a group of slides that ask questions of your students and then give...

Where did that bug go? Kids can find out where it is by reading this short poem that features -ug words and responding to the three included reading comprehension questions.