This versatile resource from The New York Times website provides a short opinion piece on smart phones and the amount of time we spend playing games on them as well as several possible writing prompts pupils could consider in response to...

What do your kids think about female Marines? They can explore this idea by reading the related New York Times article and by answering each of the seven comprehension questions. A learner-driven blog is located at the bottom of the...

Biodiversity is essential for every habitat, but many species are at risk due to pollution and other factors. Explore several different species native to Illinois in a gallery walk with posters that learners have created after research...

Explore the theme of release and death in Lois Lowry's The Giver with a K-W-H-L chart. After noting what they already know, kids come up with a list of questions about topics that they would like to know about, as well as how they...

Narrative or expository? That is the question readers face on a two-part comprehension worksheet that asks kids to read a short passage about these two different types of writing, and then to answer a series of comprehension questions...

A series of activities help middle- and high-schoolers identify and explore gender stereotypes and how they can lead to violence and abuse. Use think-pair-share to activate whole class brainstorming about what it means to "be a man" and...

What makes a TV program enjoyable? As an introduction to media analysis, kids identify their favorite programs and the elements they find engaging.

Considering a lesson on using context clues to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words? This packet includes a brief reading passage about strategies readers can use and 12 very different graphic organizers, including a template for a...

The magic number is 100. A collection of fun activities, this guide provides educators with ideas for young mathematicians to practice counting to 100.

Young scholars create personalized place mats as they learn about initial sounds. Using construction paper, they stamp their names using letter stamps. Scholars examine print resources and cut out pictures with the same initial sound as...

Early readers play a board game to practice segmenting phonemes. Players determine how many spaces to move by choosing a picture, saying the object's name on the card, then counting the phonemes they say.

Learners use a stack of words embellished with tactile elements, such as sandpaper, to practice high-frequency words. Pupils trace the tactile surface of each letter in the word, write it on their paper, then find and glue that word from...

There is a lot to be learned from a tomato. Kids research the pressures that four major fast food and supermarket chains endure to keep customers coming back. They analyze how this pressure is then transferred to those working in the...

What makes an effective advertisement? Read the advertisement for the Time Machine 3000, and discuss the format and heading with your class. A short series of questions help middle schoolers analyze this advertisement before they write...

Is our car bigger than theirs? Is this car better than than that one? Use comparative and superlative adjectives of provided verbs to complete twenty sentences.

Parallel structure is tricky, even for many adults! Give your class extra practice with this two-page resource. For each of 16 sentences, they rewrite it using parallel structure. Do an example or two with them to give them confidence...

Show scholars the practical uses of adding numbers with decimals as they add measurements and amounts of money. The first 12 equations are written vertically with half the sums requiring a dollar sign and half a unit of measurement. The...

This plan centers around the article "How Advertisers Persuade," although it is not included in the instructional activity itself. Get your class thinking about advertising, appeals, and techniques that companies use to get their...

Which ones can be thrown on the ground? Discover the difference between natural litter and unhealthy trash, helping scholars by using several examples. Use the information here to give them a basic background, but also encourage prior...

Interactive SMART Board activities provide young grammarians with practice changing singular nouns to plural nouns. Learners then create collages on which they inscribe the singular and plural form of the noun label.

What is a declarative sentence? Interrogative sentence? If your middle schoolers are asking these questions, it's time to learn them once and for all! Start by reading through the information provided at the top of the page, and then...

How are linking verbs and action verbs different? First, study the definitions and examples of each (at the top of the first page). Then, assess the comprehension skills of your class by having them complete the 20-question practice...

The importance of accepting those who are different is the subject of a service learning project. Upper graders craft presentations for younger learners on ways to include everyone in the school community and to decrease the feelings of...