Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Writing Prompts for Middle School
Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...
Committee for Children
Students Learn to Stop Rumors Before They Start
Two activities look at how rumors are spread and ways class members can stop them. The first activity brings forth an in-depth conversation about how reporters gather information to write articles and how students can implement the same...
Anti-Defamation League
Gossip, Rumors and Identity
A thoughtful discussion prompts middle schoolers to reflect on gossip and rumors, what they are, their experience with them, and how some groups experience it more than others. Scenarios challenge participants to consider the impact of...
Curated OER
Maniac Magee
Seventh graders read Mania Magee as a shared literature experience. This lesson plan presents some ideas to use after certain chapters in the book as a way of supplementing student learning and involvement in the story.
Curated OER
Symbols That Represent Me
In this self-evaluation worksheet, students write about their personality traits, what they like, and their hobbies and then illustrate symbols to represent their answers. Students complete 2 activities.
Curated OER
Diversity: a World of Difference
First graders each add a different item to a classroom salad while discussing the connection to a multicultural society. They also create a friendship web with yarn by each of them contributing some unique quality about themselves. ...
Curated OER
Friendship Mobiles
Learners discuss how the sun, wind, clouds and other elements of nature can be their friends. They create mobile demonstrating this.
Curated OER
Making Friends With Franklin
Students will reflect upon the life of Benjamin Franklin in order to understand his place in history. Emphasis is placed upon the development and contributions he made to modern science inquiry. The learner uses readings to do various...
Curated OER
New Friends! Interview and Presentation
For this interview and presentation worksheet, students interview 3 different people and then present what they have found. There are 5 questions that students ask each person. They use the fill in the blank paragraph for the...
Curated OER
Delivering Service
Students explore the term consensus. In this vocabulary lesson, students define consensus and discuss how and why people make decisions this way. Students also practice reaching a consensus on which classmate should receive the...
Curated OER
Using Art to Draw Us Together
Students build their own bridges or make connections to other peers, teens, adults/parents, senior citizens and people from around the world through various art mediums. Through this type of lesson students attempt to communicate in...
Curated OER
Top Ten List
By writing a list of "The Top Ten Ways to Lose a Best Friend", students explore the true meaning of friendship by defining "how not to be a friend".
Curated OER
Being Friends
In this friendship instructional activity, students read a list of steps about being a good friend and complete a set of discussion questions based on a referenced video program. Suggestions for related activities are also given.
Curated OER
Brown Bear Pudding Style!
Students are read the story "Brown Bear, Brown Bear". They create their own bear painting out of chocolate pudding. They are allowed to bring in their own stuffed animal to make the first day better for them.
Curated OER
Harry Potter: Middle Grades Activity
Middle schoolers identify inferred and recurring literary, cultural and social themes such as bravery, loyalty, friendship and the notion of good vs. evil.
Curated OER
Preparing for a Valentine's Day Party
Here are some tips to make a Valentine's Day party run smoothly.
Curated OER
The Heart Symbol
Students investigate the symbol of the heart and how it is used to represent the relationship of friendship. They look at samples of the heart set in different contexts in order to compare and contrast them. Students answer some key...
Curated OER
ESL Holiday Lessons: Pen Pal Day
In this language skills worksheet, students read an article on Pen Pal Day. Students respond to 6 matching questions, 29 fill in the blank questions, 30 multiple choice questions, 12 word scramble questions, 30 short...
Curated OER
Naming Trust
Students write a poem. In this character activity, students read a quote about trust and friendship and discuss what they mean. Students write an acrostic poem using the letters in their name and come up with a phrase or word that...
Curated OER
Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...
Curated OER
Forming relationships
Learners are asked: How can rumors affect possible relationships?, How can a celebrity romance help the careers of those involved?, and Are celebrity relationships doomed from the start? Students are then divided into groups to see if...
Curated OER
Washoe Indians: Dat-so-la-lee
Young scholars study the life and crafts of Washoe Indian, Dat-so-la-lee. In this Washoe Indians lesson, students read and study the life of Washoe Indian basket weaver Dat-so-la-lee. Young scholars study images of her crafts and discuss...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Practice: Words That Mean the Same
In this synonyms worksheet, students read ten sentences and analyze the words in bold. From three choices, students choose the word or phrase that means the same as the word in bold.
Curated OER
The Good Samaritan
In this Good Samaritan worksheet, students answer a set of questions about the story of The Good Samaritan, then write things from the story they feel would help in making choices and behavior toward others.