Practice descriptive writing with a prompt that includes a photograph. Writers craft the whole story of the single second caught in a photo using the provided questions to prompt their imaginations. 

A reading of Tanya Lee Stones' biography of Ella Fitzgerald lets middle schoolers get up close and personal with the First Lady of Jazz. Stone recounts details of Fitzgerald's life from her early days through her experiences as a teenage...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" serves as an exemplar for a mini-lesson on semicolons. Working alone or in small groups, class members first circle all the semicolons in the letter, and then consider how this...

Find the pattern is the name of the game! Learners examine different patterns represented by numbers, shapes, and words. They must describe the pattern, predict the result in a given position, and find an equation that...

What did abolitionists have in common with those working for women's rights? How has the Native American struggle for voting rights differed from the struggles of other groups? Class members examine the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th...

This basic, black-and-white printable is a copy of the periodic table of elements. It includes the standard element name, symbol, atomic number, and atomic weight. Across the bottom is an explanation that says for elements without stable...

Never again will you need to worry about coming up with a writing prompt! This packet contains, as it says, 501 prompts that are suitable for fourth graders on up. The prompts are paired into four categories (persuasive, expository,...

Knowing the names of the steps of the scientific method is not enough; in order to really understand each of the elements, one must practice. Beginning with an engaging recap of the steps of the scientific method, learners practice the...

Set up a 50x50 square foot area in a space at school and choose three days to go outside and observe the birds seen in a 10 minute span. The activity has learners tapping into their observation skills and creates awareness of the birds...

One must obey the sine laws. A lesson introduces and derives the Law of Sines for non-right triangles. With examples that use the Law of Sines to determine unknown measures in triangles, the lesson checks to see if the Law...

Intended as a follow up to the Protecting Your Drinking Water activity, young environmentalists use their assessment of the a hypothetical town's water supply to debate the installation of underground chemical storage tanks. With...

Young scientists learn about plate tectonics and the three different types of faults (normal, reverse, and strike-slip) using foam models. The activity also covers common types of locations where these faults are found.

What does a graph or equation say about a situation? Lots! The lesson uses the concepts explored in the previous four lessons in the series and applies them to problem solving situations. Learners create an equation from problems posed...

Clarify the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs and when to use lay versus lie. Various examples are given before writers practice underlining verbs, circling the object of each verb, and filling in sentences with either...

Translate transition words for your class with this handout and brief exercise. Fairly straightforward and informative, it includes sample sentences and a working link to a more complete list of transition words. There are two different...

This handout offers a three-step process for revising sentences for clarity: diagnose, analyze, revise. After reading an example sentence revision with a detailed explanation, learners complete three sample sentences using the three-step...

From three-way neck rolls to a figure-5 hurdler's stretch, this is an ultimate guide to healthy exercises. It begins with a bulleted list of general guidelines on cardiorespiratory exercise, flexibility, resistance exercises, and range...

Create clay whistles with your elementary or middle school students. The project is outlined in great detail here, complete with step-by-step photographs, finished examples, a materials list, student handouts, and a rubric. Students...

Do your hands cramp up after a long day of typing? Learn the proper and ergonomic ways to type on a keyboard with a helpful "hand" book. From relaxing elbows and wrists to massaging and stretching tired hands, the strategies in the book...

Here is a pdf file of two colorful handouts; one explains and gives examples of prefixes, the other presents suffixes. 

This site examines all aspects of the rewriting process. Includes advice on how to use computers during the process, comments on peer editing, links to related topics, and an editing checklist.

Information about the process of revision including three steps to keep in mind: play the role of the reader, think in terms of strength and weakness, and take advantage of computer capabilities. Use the links on the right for other...

Getting started on a paper or story always seems to be the greatest obstacle. Learn some simple prewriting strategies to overcome this common problem. Use the links on the left to work through each step of the writing process. W.9-10.5...

Tips on planning for the essay once the thesis has been formulated. Use the links on the right for other parts of the writing process. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.5