A lesson spotlights the poem "Tamales on Christmas" by Christian Robinson. Scholars discuss their favorite foods and then examine a lively picture of a family preparing tamales. After listening to the poem twice, learners participate in...

Students take a virtual field trip to Memphis, Tennessee in their study of the blues, its characterisitics, founding fathers, and histororical influence on modern music. They compose blues lyrics that reflect present-day attitudes and...

Grab a pencil and get ready to compose and answer three different questions related to the Ming Dynasty. Learners read and then write about the rise of the Dynasty, the Forbidden City of Beijing, and China's ethnocentric perspective...

How have things changed economically since the end of WWII? Thoughtful writers will consider three questions and compose responses for each. They'll discuss Cold War science and technology, US involvement in the economic recovery of...

What role did Chiang Kai-shek play in the Chinese Communist Revolution? Young analysts compose three responses to three prompts related to Marxist Theory, the Chinese Communist Revolution, and Chiang Kai-shek.

World War II led to the collapse of the colonial empires that Europe had created before the turn of the century. Budding historians examine Imperialism's historiography. They compose three responses that discuss the roles of Indian caste...

A lot happened after communism fell in the Soviet Union. Your pupils answer three prompts about this time period that require them to compose short essay responses for each. They describe Russia's move toward communism, the impact of the...

Young historians will consider the causes of the collapse of communism and the Soviet Union, as well as the impact Lech Walesa had on Poland. They compose three responses in short essay format.

This writing pre-assessment has minimal instruction but maximum support and encouragement. It begins with a review of the book, Rain School, through a think-pair-share and small group discussion. The discussion...

Engage further in Esperanza Rising with a focus on close reading and metaphor. Class members zero in on the tenth chapter, examining characters and big ideas. Pupils discuss the text in small groups and as a whole class, and...

Begin class with a short comprehension quiz and review and then move into a new genre: two-voice poems. The activity provides information about this type of poetry as well as a video example made by eighth graders that you can show your...

Come up with a list of requirements for this expository essay on Esperanza's character in Esperanza Rising as a class and use the list to guide class writing. Here, learners will complete the first paragraph, discuss their notes for the...

Close the unit on Esperanza Rising with an in-class analytic essay on how Esperanza changes over the course of the novel. Writers can use any of their notes and work from the unit as well as their drafts of the first two paragraphs of...

Supervise the final drafting of a well-organized paragraph by following the steps outlined in this plan. Using the included sample paragraph as a model, class members brainstorm criteria for quality work and then compose their paragraphs...

It's important that writers leave their readers with a strong and satisfying conclusion. Help your young writers develop the skills to compose a concluding sentence with the steps outlined here. After class members have had a chance to...

Using everything they have learned about writing paragraphs over the past few lessons of the unit, class members compose an informative paragraph independently. This is an authentic assessment of their ability, since learners have...

Where to begin? This lesson plan, part of a series designed to help seniors compose a narrative response to a prompt found on the college Common Application, focuses on the techniques writers employ to craft an engaging introduction to...

Young writers compose a gripping ending to their historical fiction narratives. Following the previous lesson plan, where learners wrote a bold beginning, class members examine exciting endings from a literary text. They then draft their...

Vivid quotes and strong sensory language compose Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, bringing the women to life as they navigate through issues surrounding identity and maternal relationships. Examine Waverly's relationship with her mother...

The 21st segment in a 28-part series provides learners with area problems involving composite figures. To find the solution, pupils must decide whether to add or subtract areas. The composite figures are composed of quadrilaterals,...

A final assessment marks the end of a unit that takes a close look at a variety of informational texts all about frogs. A graphic organizer aides scholars in planning an accordion paragraph using their recorder forms from previous...

Show what you know. Learners demonstrate mastery of English grammar and usage by completing a pen-and-paper assessment of verbals and verb shifts. In addition, they begin composing a book review based on an independent reading book. The...

Writing becomes dynamic in a presentation. Presenters transform a piece of writing they have already composed about the Little Rock Nine into a presentation. The focus is transferring ideas from their writing into short prompts on cards...

Combine functions for the first time. Pupils investigate composition of functions using a function table and then function machines in the 17th installment in a 23-part Precalculus series. Scholars learn the two notations for composition...