You'll be over the moon about finding a useful resource for describing patterns. Aspiring mathematicians drag moon and star shapes to complete a shape pattern. Additionally, they must write an algebraic equation to describe the pattern.

Can your class describe the roles Porfirio Diaz, Benito Juarez, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata played in the Mexican Revolution? Can they explain why many Latin American economies depend on a single cash crop? If they can, then...

What role did Chiang Kai-shek play in the Chinese Communist Revolution? Young analysts compose three responses to three prompts related to Marxist Theory, the Chinese Communist Revolution, and Chiang Kai-shek.

Learners will explore the collapse of European imperialism. They'll respond to three critical thinking questions in essay form. Topics include Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, South African apartheid, and the role Nelson Mandela,...

The postwar Jewish migration to Israel, the difficulties achieving peace in the Middle East, and the role the Middle East plays in global economics are the questions your clever class can answer. They'll show what they know as they...

Lead your class in a discussion about how they believe money influences politics. After reading "Go Ahead, Try to Stop K Street" from the New York Times, they evaluate the claims in the article about the current lobbyist scandal in...

Here is an inventive, and easy-to-implement lesson plan on the writing of topic sentences. Learners review what a topic sentence is, practice identifying topic sentences in an informational article, then play a really cool game. All of...

It's time to make a movie! Kids follow 15 steps to take their movie ideas from concept to script, following clear examples. The resource includes creative ways to guide learners into developing a few words and concepts into fully...

Refuse to alienate your scientific-minded young scholars during your creative writing unit. Learners explore how literary writing can reflect observable fact, and be based in actual science. The links include examples of fiction and...

Help your writers get started with these hooks! Twenty-five opening lines from the "Lives" column in the New York Times Magazine act as prompts for creative writing. Have your learners choose one prompt and write an original essay....

"A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come."  The withered and wild witches of Shakespeare’s Scottish play launch an examination of the fantastical elements in Act I, scene iii, paying particular attention to the action, imagery,...

A repetition poem is the focus of a lesson that challenges scholars to compose an original piece. To add meaning to their poem, authors choose words to repeat at the start of most lines.  

Students compare two paintings, depicting urban life in America in the 1940's, answering a series of questions, then create a short story about the paintings' characters. They compare 'Nighthawks' and 'Nightlife.'

The beginning, a very good place to start, is also a very difficult thing to craft. Provide your writers with this handout that identifies, and provides examples of, six different types of narrative leads.

Scholars begin working on the end-of-unit writing prompt for Pygmalion. They must analyze their collected text evidence to determine what information is compelling enough to include in their argumentative essays. The teacher...

Use your tablets to participate in a culture-sharing project with a class in a foreign country. Your class can communicate and share ideas with a class in another country, swapping information regarding language and culture. Together you...

A fabulous presentation of poetry awaits your students. This rich, 14-slide PowerPoint presents many excellent ways for your pupils to compose poems. The presentation encourages them to play with words when composing poems, to analyze...

Looking for a good social media lesson for your class? Then, this lesson is for you! They study various written reviews, then must choose an item to review of their choice. They can choose from: a book, restaurant, CD/musical...

Practice writing paragraphs with this scaffolded worksheet. The "hamburger" model is used on the second page, following some examples and guided practice on the first page. Give beginning writers concrete, tangible support as they embark...

Many educators focus on the civil rights movement as it occurred after Rosa Parks incited the bus boycott. Extend the understanding of the fight for civil rights in the United States with this post-WWII lesson. Learners examine and...

Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older...

Third graders learn the importance of letter writing for communication. In this letter writing lesson, 3rd graders identify how letter writing was important in the life of Abigail Adams. Students understand what a primary source is and...