Engaging and fun, this activity is a good way to reinforce context clues with this activity, in which middle schoolers investigate literary puzzles. They apply critical thinking skills to codes in order to solve them. They use a variety...

Help your young writers use logic in their persuasive writing. Discuss the characteristics of a persuasive paper, and have pupils work together to explore and solve a syllogism. They will write a short persuasive paper which includes a...

Write in all three authorial purposes (persuasive, informational, entertaining) with this lesson. Young writers consider a time when a friend of theirs helped them out and gave them advice on something. They write a short paragraph (no...

Learners examine issues that they consider to be priorities and how President Bush might address them in his next term. They create public service announcement scripts motivating citizens to stay involved in these issues beyond the...

Students investigate the Supreme Court's role and function in the federal government and examine how Chief Justice Rehnquist's illness might affect the future of the Court. They write letters to President Bush on the Supreme Court...

Have your U.S. history class engage in pre-assessment activities at the beginning of the school year. They activate prior knowledge to answer questions. They also use information about particular topics to fill in a graphic organizer....

Students discuss methods to solve equations and inequalities with one variable. As a review, they write Addition and Subtraction properties of equality and Multiplication and Division properties of equality. Students graph points, write...

As a class, 7th graders observe examples of brainstorming and then complete brainstorming worksheets themselves. They compose and describe planning strategies. Prior to writing an essay, they identify the purpose and the audience.

Middle-school mathematicians identify the need for scientific notation. Learners convert large and small numbers into scientific notation. Students review the powers of ten and write them on the board in standard form and scientific...

Students investigate the concept of adding and subtracting polynomials. They put terms in the correct order in order to solve them vertically. They simplify first with combining like terms and then conducting the calculations. The...

Scholars investigate the concept of adding positive and negative numbers. They practice adding using the number line for scaffolding. This can be done as a game for younger learners, but may also be helpful for engaging the older pupils.

After discussing the difference between rational and irrational numbers, the class pratices simplifying, adding, and subtracting radical expressions. They play a game which involves passing around cards until they have matching hands of...

Ninth graders use correct punctuation when writing. After defining the use of commas and semicolons, they discuss how punctuation can help eliminate confusion. They listen to a letter, first with correct punctuation, and then without...

Middle schoolers engage in a study of equations and how they are solved using algebraic methods. This overrides the fact of guessing as done in earlier grades. They cover the concept of inverse operations as the main way to manipulate...

Pupils investigate the hormonal levels that are created with the endocrine system and tie it to the act of sexual reproduction. The lesson discusses how the respiratory system is organized as a comparison to the endocrine system which is...

Students explain the steps to making a sandwich to their teacher while he/she completes the steps. After the demonstration, they identify any part of the process that could use clarification. They are introduced to the practice of...

While reading O Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," your class will define and identify situational irony and allusion. Use a study guide (not included, but easy to produce) to record and discuss examples of allusion as you read. Map the...

Review grammar rules for simple and compound sentences. Learners diagram sentences and identify conjunctions, interjections, and prepositional phrases. As a class, they study their notes and complete pages in their grammar book to...

What could you pack for a trip if you don't know the destination? After writing a list of items they would want to bring, fourth graders learn that the "trip" is to the South Pole - revealing the need to understand all available...

Learners engage in a study of mean, median, mode, and range in order to represent data in tables. They are also exposed to the results of data that is skewed because of the outlier.

Students investigate the concept of adding fractions with like denominators. They review how to combine the numerators. Students use cutouts to handle fractions that are hands on while comparing them to slices of pizza. They work...

Learners investigate the concept of fractions using the application of a word problem. The concept is taught by giving a word problem that needs to be solved. The lesson requires strong reading comprehension and logical thinking skills.

Upper elementary schoolers investigate the concept of multiplying fractions with the help of a handout and a treat of brownies. They work on a worksheet for a short while and then progress to multiplying a chain of terms. Then the...

Young scholars explore multiplying polynomials. They observe solving polynomials using the standard order of operations, FOIL, and the box method. Throughout the demonstration, students explore strategies of solving word problems such as...