Students investigate the pros and cons of genetic engineering. They watch a short Bill Moyers video, conduct Internet research, create a poster, participate in a pro/con debate, and write an essay expressing their personal feelings on...

Explore connections within and between informational texts with this instructional activity about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine...

Before reading The Crucible with your ninth graders, give your class this prereading guide. They write agree or disagree for nine statements listed. Example statement: Honesty is always the best policy. What makes this guide even better...

Draw back the curtain, add a spot of joy to your class, and let learners be lesson planed by a close reading exercise that models how to develop an interpretation based on evidence drawn from a text. Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue...

Synthesizing information from a PBS documentary Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey, its companion website, and several other resources (links to which are provided), high schoolers evaluate whether Bunche did all he could to advance the...

Should companies be able to build wherever they want? Are animals worth protecting? Explore the literary themes from Carl Hiaasen's Hoot with an anticipation guide. Kids read ten statements and decide if they agree or disagree, then...

Sixth graders read and utilize the facts from the story "Abd al-Rahmen Ibrahima" by Walter Dean Myers to analyze the main character's life which is ruined by conflict, jealousy, and greed. Journal entries are created in response to the...

Let your learners voice their opinions on morals and human rights with an anticipation guide for Asa Butterfield's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Before reading the novel, kids read several statements that encourage them...

Why is Apple suing Samsung? Give your English language learners a bit of reading comprehension practice. First, they read the short passage provided, and then they complete 10 activities. There are true or false questions, matching...

A good thesis is hard to craft. Model for your writers how to develop and refine thesis statements with a series of slides that discuss the purpose and format of this all-important sentence. Viewers following along as the process is...

What does your class know about logical fallacies? They can find out quite a bit and practice identifying logical fallacies if you follow the steps and use the resources provided here! After reviewing ethos, pathos, and logos, ask small...

The value in this PowerPoint about the five-paragraph expository essay comes from the clear explanations and specific examples provided to illustrate each aspect; however, a complete, model essay is not included. Beware the typos!

Conduct a close reading of chapter 9 of The Cay. Read the chapter again and ask pupils to respond to a list of included text-dependent questions. Finish the class with the provided writing assignment, which asks learners to use textual...

Students engage in a variety of activities in order to achieve the objectives of a layered curriculum unit. They take notes on the differences between fact and opinion. Students also use a newspaper in order to recognize opinionated...

Second graders use actual written media to identify and discuss an author's purpose for writing. They identify the author's purpose in a selection from the newspaper, and write a short description of how they came to their conclusion.

Students will increase spelling and vocabulary skills. Then they will develop critical thinking skills. Next, they will develop expository writing skills. Finally, students will practice language skills with non-traditional text: a...

Fifth graders use descriptive words to write a recipe. They use the theme of Spring describing what would make for the perfect spring break, vacation, or day. They write their recipe on a recipe card and display their recipes on the...

Students explore ways to write book summaries. In this summary writing lesson plan, students discover the steps for writing summaries of fictional books.

Eleventh graders write a persuasive letter to the editor using the writing process.

Young scholars prepare to write a discursive composition. They pay particular attention to generating, selecting, ordering and organizing ideas. Students incorporate the use of linking devices and paragraph planning.

This pre-reading activity will certainly make your class ponder. With five questions to reflect upon, get insight to the moral dilemma Percy faced in the novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. 

Being expressive in a creative, empathetic, or imaginative way is not only fun, it builds good pre-writing and communication skills. Learners with visual impairments have a roundtable discussion session where several sentence frames...

Young scholars read the case briefs of Ritter v Stanton. They simulate the trial with classmates taking various parts such as appellant, appellee, bailiff, and justices. After conducting a mock argument, they write their own opinion for...

Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have proud moments, but who is more prideful? Explore Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a discussion web that compares both characters in a brainstorming graphic organizer. Each side provides...