Finding engaging ways to help your middle schoolers build their vocabulary is not easy to do. The activity presented here offers a great way to motivate them to build vocabulary by making it into a game. Teams of pupils use a dictionary...

Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, guide your class in the process of identifying unknown terms using context clues and formulating text-based answers. The lesson plan includes a useful worksheet incorporating scaffolding questions on an...

Wes Magee's poem "The Chimney Boy's Story" about chimney sweeps/climbing boys is used as an introduction to a lesson that asks groups to research child labor in Victorian Britain. 

Ninth graders examine sequential number patterns and the Fibonacci sequence. Given number patterns, they determine the next number in a sequence. Students develop their own number patterns and exchange them with another to be solved.

Eighth graders examine different pieces of literature from specific isolated Pacific islands. In this Geography lesson, 8th graders read and interpret a written selection. Students construct a map of the stories setting.

Second graders study folktales and their characteristics. After brainstorming what they know about Africa, 2nd graders read a book about mosquitoes. In groups, students develop a graphic organizer about the characteristics of the...

Young scholars understand a variety of poems listening for sound letter correspondence, rhyme scheme, assonance, and alliteration. In this language arts lesson, students practice listening and reading skills to complete patterns in...

Young scholars culminate a study of the water cycle by following step-by-step directions to make a three dimensional cloud. On the model, they draw a diagram of the water cycle and label it, and add a written report they completed in a...

Pupils explore human migration. In this human migration lesson, students investigate multiple factors contributing to the growth of major Arizona cities.  Pupils discover the processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.

Students study the World War in the Pacific.  In this Geography lesson, students develop an awareness of key issues and events from the conflict.  Students write a well-organized essay describing this event. 

Sixth graders discuss how people, society, and technology change over time through a unit of integrated lessons. In these changes in society lessons, 6th graders discuss the answers to many questions about how changes effect the...

Students participate in hands-on activities to explore the endocrine system. Students research and write about the endocrine system to demonstrate their knowledge. Handouts and worksheets are included in the lesson.

Students explore the ways in which voice quality and intonation can convey meaning.

Second graders, through the following 10 lessons, develop an understanding of what life was like in Ancient Greece.

Second graders create stratified soil levels using pictures. In this earth science lesson, 2nd graders identify "artifacts" from 3 historic eras and divide them into 3 soil levels. Then they draw their own multi-level soil profile and...

In this grade 2 writing prompt worksheet, students are give a writing prompt from the book The Polar Express about using their senses to write about going on a trip around the world with Santa Claus. Pages include a rubric and teacher...

First graders study how to complete activities in sequential steps. They participate in various activities describing each step needed to complete the tasks. They work in pairs to type the list of steps necessary in making a sandwich. ...

Let's get creative! With the fun resource, pupils continue working on their graphic novelettes about an invention, adding text and images to each section. When finished, they engage in a peer critique process, giving and receiving...

Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...

Use essential elements cards to help lesson plan! Each card contains an informational text common core standard for grade levels six through eight and suggestions for activities and supports. Cards address skills such as citing textual...

Create a linear equation for a problem when the intercept information is not given. The two-day lesson introduces the class to the point-slope form, which can be used for problems when the initial conditions are not provided. Pupils...

The documentary, The Legendary King of San Miguel Island, introduces the fascinating tale of Herb Lester, his family, and their life on San Miguel Island. Viewers have an opportunity to expand their study of the island and of...

Develop concepts on how to change your improving wordsmiths' writing from blah to wow with the activities and ideas in this resource. The instructor provides the class with examples of writing that lacks detail and precision, and then...

Get the most out of your guided reading lessons with this collection of literacy materials. Offering a system for using color-coded tags to mark pages while reading books, as well as an assortment of comprehension and grammar...