Media Smarts
Marketing to Teens: Talking Back
Teach your class to talk back in a constructive and respectful way. This focuses in particular on talking back to the media and to advertisers when they have concerns. Learners participate in a brainstorm and then compose letters or...
Curated OER
Gender Roles: Exposing Stereotypes
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...
Curated OER
Bully Busting
Students keep a respect journal. In this character counts lesson, students write in a journal what it means to be respectful. They answer sentence stems and share their thoughts with classmates.
Curated OER
Tell Me; I'll Listen
Students complete activities about the importance of listening in order to show respect. In this listening lesson, students read Angel Child, Dragon Child and discuss the role of listening. Students practice listening in pairs by telling...
Curated OER
Figure of Speech
Examine the changing nature of language in the U.S. View and discuss excerpts from a PBS documentary with your class and then conduct Internet research, and complete a team project on the evolution of teen expressions.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Songwriting Skill - Choosing a Tone: Jordan Pruitt - “One Love”
"Tone means attitude." Or so says this resource that uses Jordan Pruitt's "One Love" to model for songwriters how to develop an attitude in their lyrics. Class members engage in a number of exercises designed to give them direct and...
Curated OER
Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying is an important topic to address with middleschoolers. Here, learners take an active role in identifying and discussing this issue. Reviewing this resource with your class will help to equip them to be a part of the...
Curated OER
National Love Our Children Day
Have your class discuss National Love Our Children Day worksheet. Learners complete activities, such as reading a passage, matching phrases, filling in the blanks, choosing the correct word, spelling, sequencing, asking questions,...
Curated OER
Quiet on the Set!
In pairs learners perform a silent skit portraying relationships between two known characters from a popular book or a play for their classmates. Next, the class will read and discuss a NYTimes article about a film school in the Bronx...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1
You want your class to meet all of the Common Core standards, and here is one way to tackle the first speaking and listening standard. Given a theme to focus on from "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" by Leo Tolstoy, small groups come up...
Curated OER
Valentine's Day
Students participate in a gardening activity to learn about the growth process and how to show care. In this garden care lesson, students discuss Valentine's Day poems for words of kindness. Students read a poem about a garden of love...
Curated OER
Tru Confessions
Students view the movie "Tru Confessions" about the life of teenagers. They participate in activities in which they analyze themselves. They record their thoughts and feelings to be analyzed at a later date.
Curated OER
It's Who I Am
Young scholars use banners to share information about themselves. In this art-based character lesson, students make a banner with an acrostic made from their name, then share the banner and information about themselves with the class.
Curated OER
Summer Activities
Pupils work together in groups and pretend they are stranded on a desert island. In this desert island lesson plan, students write messages in a bottle, work together to give compliments, and talk about their feelings.
Hold McDougal
Songwriting Skill - Finding Your Style: Elisa Victoria - “No Surprise”
Hip Hop? Country? Punk? R and B? So many styles. Young song writers consider the emotional effects of various style options before selecting the style best suited to the emotions they want to express in their song. The sixth in a...
Curated OER
Using the Commentaries in Class
Students examine language and communication by listening to a commentary radio show. In this communications lesson, students listen to Michael Josephson's radio broadcast using the Internet and analyze his words and their meaning....
Curated OER
Independence Day
Young scholars discuss and complete activities associated with Independence Day. In this Independence Day instructional activity, students brainstorm about holidays and their symbols. Young scholars complete organization charts and work...
Curated OER
Solution-Hero
Students analyze the decision-making skills. In this character education instructional activity, students read a comic book and identify the superhero. Students then analyze the types of decisions the character makes throughout the story...
Curated OER
Talking Tolerance: Exploring Attitudes About Difference And Discrimination
Students discuss attitudes toward different sexual orientations and how to recognize and combat homophobia and discrimination in their own lives, schools, and communities.
Curated OER
Pen Pals
Young scholars write to a pen pal and learn about their lives. In this pen pal lesson, students learn about a person from another country. Young scholars develop an understanding that they have many things in common with people from...
Curated OER
More of, Less of
Have your class discuss behaviors they like from other people. They will then get into groups and list behaviors they want to see more of from people in their community, classroom, or school. This is a great Character Counts lesson!
Curated OER
Who Needs My Help?
Students think about helping others. In this citizenship lesson, students think of people in their lives who could use their help. Students illustrate the things they do to help others.
Curated OER
My Life 24-7
Analyze the "My Life 24-7" project as a part of community involvement. Students discuss the pros and cons of being community involved. They will also write a proposal to increase community involvement and submit a blog entry about the...
Curated OER
Cooperative Learning Duties
Middle schoolers learn how to be held accountable while working in groups. In this accountability lesson plan, students complete an assignment in groups and everyone has a role to be held accountable for.