Lois Lowry's The Giver is one of the most engaging and thought-provoking works of literature in the middle school curriculum. Round out your novel unit with a collection of reading activities, comprehension questions, memoir and...

Encourage your young writers to thoughtfully plan and organize their work. First, model how this is done and vocalize your thought process as you work. Next, create a class list of strategies that they can use during independent writing...

Students help solve real-life classroom problems. In this problem solving activity, the class sits down as a whole and discusses possible solutions to real problems that they face as a class.

Learners study society's needs and altruism within communities. In this altruism lesson, students identify and categorize the basic needs that human beings have and define altruism. Learners complete research on altruistic...

Students read and response to the book, Abuela's Weave. In this African-American literature lesson, students discuss pre-reading questions, that focus on family traditions and make predictions about the text. Students read the text and...

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson plan, students consider the issues of hunger and homelessness. Students explore literature dealing with the topics and brainstorm ways they may be able to help...

In this vocabulary worksheet, students select the word from a drop down list that correctly completes a sentence, 20 total. Students may check their answers and score online.

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...

Letter writing may be outdated but it's a great way to practice English conventions, grammar, and spelling. The class researches consumer scams, then writes a letter about them. They each choose a scam to write about paying close...

The lessons that come from reading the novel Buddy by Nigel Hinton might be masked by how much you have just enjoyed the story, but don’t let an opportunity for learning pass you by. Let this learning scheme bring clarity to the ideas...

Learners explore responsibility by participating in a jobs activity. In this housekeeping lesson, students identify the work and preparation that needs to be done at their home if they are going to learn in a home schooling environment....

Students explore the concepts of community, belonging and human relationships through an Internet application designed to foster neighborly relations and write a persuasive statement to recruit others to join their community.

Students read "Fish Tale: Falling For a Live One" from The New York Times and discuss the methods and techniques the writer uses to create a strong mental image. Students pick a place in their community they wish to write about and...

Students consider the prospect of inviting a controversial leader to speak in their community. They analyze the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial invitation to speak at Columbia University. Students create...

Students discover the postal service through a letter writing activity.  In this U.S. Government lesson plan, students read the book Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, and discover the life history of President Abraham Lincoln.  Students...

In this World Mental Health Day worksheet, students complete activities such as reading a passage, matching phrases, fill in the blanks, choose the correct word, multiple choice, unscramble the words, sequencing, unscramble the...

Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South.  In this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary.  Learners analyze the images...

Students complete activities with the book The Birthday Swap by Loretta Lopez. For this literature lesson, students answer pre-reading questions, locate new vocabulary, and read the story. They answer comprehension questions,...

Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...

“It was a dark and stormy night.” Thus begins the 1830's novel Paul Clifford and, of course, all of Snoopy’s novels! Encourage young writers to craft settings for their stories that go beyond Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s often-mocked phrase...

Second graders use cardinal and intermediate directions to locate places on maps and places in the classroom, school, and community. They draw a setting map of "Little Red Riding Hood." Students give five steps of cardinal or...

Students discuss the risks a landfill may pose to a community. The setting is a school board faced with a decision about whether to close a school until the landfill is capped (a 3 year period). They are asked to determine how they would...

Learners read the novel, Across Five Aprils and investigate the theme of the individual vs, community loyalties. They keep a daily journal, role-play situations, hold a mock debate, and write a research paper on "coming of age."

Students examine how people and cultures have moved over time. They plot the movement of different groups of people and examine any cultural artifacts. They research a local group of people to determine how their community has changed...