The use of metaphors really paints a picture in the reader's mind. Get your class using metaphors in their writing by studying them first. This worksheet has four simple metaphors, and the reader must identify which two things are being...

This instructional activity on metaphors is your ticket to better writing! As learners read ten sentences, they underline the metaphor and circle the two objects of comparison.

Dazai Osamu’s short story, “A Sound of Hammering” is the focus of a three-day investigation of modern Japanese literature and life in post-World War II Japan. The events in Osamu’s story mirror those in his own life, and give a...

“When a great truth once gets abroad in the world, no power on earth can imprison it, or prescribe its limits, or suppress it.” These words come from Frederick Douglass’ April, 1888 speech to the International Council of Women. One of...

Alphabet insects! Who has ever heard of such a thing? Get ready because your class is going to research insects that start with a specific letter of the alphabet. In small groups, they'll use the Internet and reference texts to locate...

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take your class on an underwater adventure. The final installment in a seven-part series involving salt and freshwater bodies takes junior oceanographers below the surface in...

How many people live on the planet, anyway? The first resource in a six-part series covers the topic of the world population. Scholars work in groups to conduct research and make population posters after learning about the global...

Viewers learn about three different weather measurement tools in installment five of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They build weather vanes to collect data on wind speed, barometers to determine air pressure, and...

In this verb tense instructional activity, students fill in the blanks with the word that is in the correct verb tense and then label the tense of verbs given. Students complete 16 problems.

Students write the lyrics to their own Christmas carol. Through discussion and lecture, students become aware of the history of two Christmas carols. They memorize the lyrics to carols and perform them in class. Students use their...

In this verb learning exercise, students learn about the state of being verbs. They then use what they learned to answer the 30 questions on the learning exercise. The answers are on the last page of the packet.

Ninth graders, while practicing writing, illustrate how verbs change forms both according to subject and time frame. They drill on verbs of all forms and brainstorm different ways to incorporate them into their writing in groups.

Students investigate current events. In this current events lesson, students identify current events from newspaper articles and place them on a timeline.

Students study the history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. For this Pennsylvania history activity, students use primary documents to study the history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In a culminating activity, students create an...

In this "to be" learning exercise, students fill in the blanks to sentences with the correct form of the verb "to be". Students complete 10 sentences total.

Learners examine Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's, Paul Revere's Ride, and other pieces of poetry to use maps and literature to investigate geographic concepts. They chart Revere's ride on current Massachusetts maps while working in pairs....

Students explore the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin. In this colonial history lesson, students research Benjamin Franklin's work as a printer, a writer, a statesman, and an inventor. Students determine what his most...

In this grammar activity, students learn the difference between main verbs and helping verbs in sentence writing. The read how to use "have" and "has" correctly. Students then use what they learned to answer the 11 questions on the...

Students discuss the different types of reading and when to use each type. They read passages and try to find the mistake in each sentence.

Middle schoolers read The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, and develop skits that deal with projecting possible long-term impacts of decisions, and taking risks.

Students write third conditional sentences. In this grammar lesson plan students assess and recreate sentences using third conditional tense. Students work in pairs and independently throughout the lesson plan.

Learners write in their journals. In this writing and responsibility lesson, students write about personal responsibility. They have three writing choices to choose from that all deal with this central theme.

Students study ecology, listen to speakers and research conservation topics.  In this investigative lesson students discuss wilderness resources, learn about Native Americans and participate in activities that help them to better...

In this word work worksheet, students match adjectives with their meanings and fill in the blanks to sentences about wishes. Students complete 21 problems.