Seventh graders read, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," and write an expository essay discussing choices they have in society today compared with the character Kit.

Students look into a mirror and draw their own self-portraits. Then they write a descriptive essay, describing the portrait and the features of their face.

Students brainstorm a list of possible topics for their essay. As a class, they review the characteristics of anecdotal writing and the form they take in newspapers or autobiographies. To end the instructional activity, they decide on...

Twelfth graders discuss a fictional text that they are given, they identify passages, which highlight the author's style, language naances and textual ambiguities. Pupils brainstorm possible topics for an analytical essay, they are...

High schoolers determine whether the ends truly justify the means by examining the behavior of historical and fictional heroes. They view and discuss film versions of Gangs of New York and Les Miserables. Then they break into small...

Students view a segment of Prosperity and Decline. They discuss what attributes made the empire strong. Students discuss what caused the fall of the Roman Empire. They write an essay describing the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire....

Students organize facts about Harriet Tubman. In this writing lesson, students research Harriet Tubman, sort facts about her into two categories, and use the information they have found to write about her life in complete paragraphs.

Young scholars use examples of narrative and expository text to analyze and compare the two styles. Students read articles on life in Lesotho and Madagascar and use graphic organizers and discussion to compare them. Young scholars write...

Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time.  In this Thanksgiving lesson plan, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and...

Students recognize inductive and deductive reasoning and analyze common fallacies in critical thinking.  In this argumentation and logic lesson, students use role playing activities and specific instances of inductive and deductive...

Seventh graders research and obtain information about topics from the Middle Ages and write news reports that be compiled into a Gazette or newsletter. The reports can be on feudalism, castles, jousts and tournaments and/or the Crusades.

Students use this design as an electronic reading and writing guide to Henry David Thoreau's famous essay, "On Civil Disobedience." They use activities to familiarize students with the political issues of Thoreau's time. Comprehension...

Tenth graders investigate where in the real world triangles are used. In this geometry lesson, 10th graders write an essay describing where in their lives triangles are used. They can use food, buildings, clothing or anything triangular...

Students read an online article about Canadian efforts to preserve Great Bear Rain Forest. They create ecotourism brochures on the forest and write and essay.

Students examine different global issues and share their learned information with others. Students choose a topic to research, write a research essay, conduct a survey about knowledge and attitude toward chosen topic, and create an oral...

Learners identify the people actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. In this United States History lesson, students watch the video "Eyes on the Prize" then participate in a class discussion about the video.  Learners also...

Students explore the definition of agriculture.  In this Language Arts and Social Studies lesson, students read an article on products that are produced in agriculture, then they complete a vocabulary assignment and write an essay...

Ninth graders explore civil rights by reading several biographies. In this Nelson Mandela activity, 9th graders discuss the trials and tribulations Nelson Mandela had to face in South Africa and how they were similar to the problems...

Students examine the concept of free trade. They watch a video clip about this topic and write an essay comparing the opinions of the guests on the show. They research a country and role-play their decisions in international trade.

Fifth graders explore both the causes of and the actual events of the Civil War. They write essays and descriptive paragraphs and explore a variety of websites. They create a series of skits highlighting the key points of the Civil War era.

Students analyze what makes a hero in The Lord of the Rings, Book Six. They discuss the characters and the aspects of their behaviors that make them heroes and write essays regarding the climax and heroic gestures of a character. After...

Young scholars eat a Korean meal with proper table manners. They compare American table manners to Korean with at least 3 similarities and 3 differences. They write a brief essay and describe, list and demonstrate the proper...

Students investigate the Sacco-Vanzetti trial and develop a basic understanding of the issues involved. Then they write an essay taking a stance on the Sacco-Vanzetti trial: was the trial fair? were the two men falsely accused? Finally,...