Do you ever give your class the "teacher look"? Without saying a word, they become silent and engaged (hopefully). How do they know what you're thinking? Explore the concept of nonverbal communication and how it relates to our...

How can you encourage pupils to demonstrate creativity while still meeting the objective of applying technical knowledge? This activity is your answer! Scientists will create an imaginary creature and prepare a graphic organizer with...

The teenagers in your class are probably involved in romantic relationships, but are they keeping themselves safe? Guide learners through the warning signs for dating violence with a series of lessons and discussions. 

Annoyed or bewitched—how does an author's word choice affect a text? Scholars begin the instructional activity by analyzing word choice in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, learners take a closer look at the narrative...

Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...

How can we heal our hearts through forgiveness?  The third activity in a series of six prompts readers to answer questions about Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen. Not only does it activate background knowledge on the...

Young historians view and analyze photos and documents from WWII that are related to blood transfusions and blood plasma. A demonstration of correct and incorrect blood donors visually shows the importance of knowing blood...

What better day to celebrate the US Constitution than on Constitution Day! After reading a short passage about the different understandings of habeas corpus and ex post facto, sixth graders respond to 10 multiple choice and short...

Andrew Carnegie's "The Gospel of Wealth" provides high schoolers an opportunity to engage more complex text. After a close reading of the essay and an analysis of Carnegie's argument that the rich are superior because they earn money,...

Parking structures don't build themselves. Investigate the process of designing and planning the construction of a parking garage. After considering the factors that must go into the design, scholars create their own models from a...

Strengthen the bonds of friendship within your class with a reading of E.B. White's award-winning novel, Charlotte's Web. Focusing on the unique characters in the story and the relationships they develop, young readers draw...

In this word groups worksheet, middle schoolers complete a ten question multiple choice on-line interactive quiz. Students read the four words in a group and choose the one that is somehow different from the others.

Are you teaching present tense verbs that end in -er and -ir? Have your learners apply their current knowledge to conjugating the various verbs in this resource. First they'll complete a fill-in-the-blank verb chart. Afterward, they'll...

Now you see it, now you don't! The stick bug exhibits the ability to disappear into a wooded environment. Why does this adaptation manifest in some species, but not in others? Life science students explore animal adaptations in nature...

Consider complex numbers, roots, and quadratic equations. Use the discriminate as a way to determine the nature of a quadratic's roots. Then discuss the similarities and differences between quadratics with two, one, or no real roots....

Looking for a good lesson on dictionary and word definition skills? The lesson presented here is for you! In it, learners utilize a worksheet, embedded in the plan, to record a word's definition(s), etymology, multiple meanings,...

Could your third graders use some more practice on the five times table? Six word problems guide pupils through the steps to solve multiplication and division problems with multiples of five. Two examples show them exactly how to use the...

What a kick! After examining the definitions and looking at examples of the different parts of speech, partners work together on a retelling of a famous nursery rhyme. For each sentence, they must select a word that matches the part of...

Words carry weight. And some words carry baggage. Scholars learn the difference in a study of connotation and denotation. Individuals sort the cards into three groupings using words from Shakespeare's play. After sharing within groups,...

Uncover new or more relevant information with the filtering tools in the top navigation bar. First, show your class the tools and demonstrate how to use a few. Next, give class members some time to apply what they have learned. They can...

Are your students wild about horses? Then introduce them Sandra Olsen, a  zooarchaeologist, who has been studying horses and the people who herd them. Ms Olsen responds to 15 interview questions and details how she goes about her...

So many words are easily confused in the English language. Take precede and proceed, for example. Look at the example sentences provided here, and then have your learners take the short quiz. Have they mastered these vocabulary terms?

Use online dictionaries to define vocabulary words and create a visualization of word meanings through digital art. Middle schoolers go online to define assigned vocabulary words. They visualize the meanings of the words in photo...

You might not be able to put a girdle around the earth in forty minutes but you can generate interest in A Midsummer’s Night Dream in that length of time. As an introduction to Shakespeare’s comedy, pairs of students assume the roles of...