How should America respond to acts of domestic terrorism? What motivates or prompts a terrorist attack? After reading an opinion piece on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, your learners will critically analyze factors that could have...

Finish a unit on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea with a narrative essay. Based on Santiago's harrowing adventures, the essay prompts readers to think about a time when they were faced with a challenge, overcame a...

A creative way bring autobiographical writing to your poetry unit or back-to-school curriculum, this lesson plan guides you through a bio poem activity. Kids use the graphic organizer to describe themselves using adjectives, things...

Poetry Soup, a reading and writing unit constructed by the Petrified Forest National Park, will have scholars hungry to learn about nature. The cross-content unit contains topics related to history, science, and language arts. Content...

Close your eyes and picture a time where you decided to tell the truth to someone. What were you wearing? How did you feel? Such prompts begin a guided imagery activity for Zach's Lie. Directions for creating an environment conducive to...

Here's a fun game on a very serious matter. Scholars play a board game to learn about personal energy use and consumption. They see how various choices affect their energy use and costs, and then apply this knowledge to brainstorm ways...

The opening chapters of Mark Twain's masterpiece, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, can be daunting for some readers. A reader's theater assignment divides the second chapter of the novel into a seven-role script, allowing...

Plan on using Gone with the Wind as a reading selection? Here's a packet of prompts for activities and assessments.

From play pumps that provide clean water to shoes made from trash, innovators change the world one invention at a time. After researching various inventions, young entrepreneurs develop their own. Extension opportunities include prompts...

Not all heroes wear capes—or cleats. Class members identify unsung heroes in their schools or towns for interviews, then create trading cards. A celebration including presentations or trading of cards completes their investigation of...

Delve into Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis before opening the book with a lesson on literary themes. High schoolers engage in a word association activity before reading a list of statements based on the book's...

Why did many Tennesseeans support the 1925 Butler Act, which forbade the teaching of evolution? Using several primary source documents and a brief video clip, your young historians will draw connections between the broader historical...

Coming up with a menu of engaging year-end projects can be a challenge. Never fear, help is here with an article that suggests eight projects sure to capture the interest of learners of all ages.

A learning module that gives students practice writing a short story in four lessons: Introduction; Before Writing-Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm; Writing Prompts; Point of View; and Quick Tips for Writing a Timed Response.

This site has hundreds of writing prompts/journal topics to get students started writing. Topics like "what is" and "what if" will get students thinking about what they could write.

In this lesson, students will click a button that will help them generate ideas for story development. Students can click several times, if needed, until one of the ideas is interesting to them. [Requires Adobe Reader.]

Explore Benjamin Franklin and his "Autobiography" with the help of background information, vocabulary lists, brainstorming exercises, and thought-provoking writing prompts on Franklin's talents and contributions. Also, use what you have...

Complete study guide to V. S. Naipaul's "A House for Mr. Biswas," providing pre-reading material, brainstorming activities, and thought-provoking discussion and writing prompts on plot, character, and theme. Students who have completed...