In this first of four lessons on book design, pupils are introduced to the vocabulary of book design through the use of bookwalks and a non-linear PowerPoint presentation in game-show (Jeopardy!) format.

Learners combine simple sentences into compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.  In this combining sentences lesson, students are given short, choppy sentences and combine them into more mature sentences.  Learners...

Use this lesson to focus on a compare and contrast writing structure in your middle school language arts class. Here, young writers compare and contrast two texts using graphic organizers. They use a double bubble format for their...

Here is an engaging instructional activity on solving equations with two variables. Have the class rewrite linear equations in the slope intercept form, y=mx + b. They graph the lines using the slope and y-intercepts.

Why does Scout fear Boo? Why does George kill Lennie? Whether in literature or life, helping young learners recognize the relationship between actions and consequences is an important lesson. Have your class match twelve observable...

A classic Japanese print is attached to this lesson and its up to your class to write a story about it. Pretending the image is an illustration, they use what they know about Japanese mythology to compose a short story describing the...

Students investigate the concept of a hurricane by using the cartoon series "The Magic Schoolbus" to simulate the fantasy of traveling through a hurricane. The lesson plan uses a KWL graphic organizer in order to guide student inquiry...

In order to build discussion skills, English language learners use a worksheet with several questions regarding crime and punishment in the justice system. They interview fellow classmates, noting how each feels about a given topic. They...

Looking for a way to improve your students' writing conventions? Include this adverb clauses worksheet in your next grammar lesson. Middle and high schoolers read a three-paragraph selection and rewrite adverb time clauses to make the...

Explore osmosis through art. Learners use paper towels and markers to create beautiful designs. Although a simple activity, the results are quite remarkable. Your class will love this lesson!

Middle schoolers speculate on the better rate of pay: a dollar a day for 10 days, or a penny the first day, two pennies the second, doubling each day for 10 days. Start by listening to the story The King's Chessboard, by David Birch....

Students explore feelings.  In this mental health cross-curriculum lesson, students listen to My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss and discuss their own moods and feelings.  Students sing related songs, write about feelings, and...

Students examine global issues centered around HIV and AIDS. In this health science lesson, students compare and analyze public health measures and factors that affect the treatment of HIV/AIDS. They examine the role of socioeconomic...

Investigate prewriting activities in this brainstorming lesson. Middle schoolers are divided into groups and are assigned a topic. They decide which prewriting technique to choose from, including free write, looping, brainstorming,...

Students create new sentences using adverb clauses identified from a book.  In this narrative writing lesson, students write new sentences from some of the dependent clauses used in a book read to them by the teacher.  Students...

Where and when should you use prepositions? A handy worksheet provides examples and instructions about prepositions and prepositional phrases, as well as eight practice sentences. Learners underline the prepositional phrases and circle...

Whether or not your class is reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, you can use this exercise as the basis of a mini-lesson on how to determine the main idea of a passage or as a pre-test to assess mastery of the skill. A graphic...

An important part of balancing caloric intake to energy expenditure is knowing how many Calories you are consuming. In the fifth of a seven-lesson plan series on food and energy, learners estimate their daily caloric intake, then use a...

Yo! Check it out. Here's a lesson on formal and informal language. And the packet includes a game. What fun!

Fourth graders complete a WebQuest involving astronomy and copyright laws. They conduct Internet research, complete the WebQuest, and design and publish a planet travel brochure.

Students discover the differences in being an entrepreneurial artist and an employed artist. They explore the tax codes, copyright laws and fringe benefits of being an employee versus an independent contractor.

Groups simulate an orbit using a piece of string and a water balloon. Individuals spin in a circular path and calculate the balloon's velocity when the clothes pin can no longer hold onto the balloon.

The last segment of the nine-part unit makes a connection between springs and linear equations. Groups hang weights from the spring and measure its length. Then, using the data collected, they calculate the slope to find the k-value...

Let your class bounce to examine the concept elastic potential energy. Individuals bounce on a pogo stick in order to calculate its elastic potential energy. Groups then compare the elastic potential energy to the gravitational...