After viewing The Last Roundup, a documentary that examines the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately owned island to a National Park, class members adopt the point of view of Tim Vail, a member of the family that once owned the...

Sometimes it's hard to escape bad information! Pupils learn the E.S.C.A.P.E. method for evaluating news sources and complete a worksheet to assess a news article using their new skills.

With great advancements come great changes! Young historians examine economic and social change occurring after the start of the Industrial Revolution. They respond to three questions regarding the beginning of the Revolution, the impact...

Learners take a critical look at the economic and social changes that stemmed from the industrial revolution. There are three short essay questions for them to answer regarding suffrage, changes in women's rights, and urbanization as a...

Any revolution is going to impact both society and economy. The class works to grasp the effect of industrialization on the environment, government, and politics. They respond to three critical thinking questions which require them to...

Focus on the numbers 15 and 16 with young counters as they explore number value and printing. First, they trace each number before printing it on their own. Next, scholars examine sets of objects and circle the...

As Nick wanders the grounds of Gatsby's mansion, he observes the behaviors of the rowdy guests and listens to the music pouring over the lawn. Bring the music of the jazz age into the classroom with Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues,"...

What is a Leap Year and why do we have it? Find out with this Leap Day/Leap Year response to reading learning exercise in which scholars read a short passage and use their new-found knowledge to answer five questions with short...

"First Appearance," Mark Twain's tale about overcoming stage fright, serves as a model of a personal narrative and gets young writers thinking about milestones in their own lives. After examining student models and considering the...

If anyone suffers from metrophobia—the fear of poetry—the PowerPoint on the elements of poetry may help alleviate their worries. The presentation introduces learners to poetic elements, including simile, metaphor, and personification....

Just how long did it take the framers to write the Constitution? What role did the drafting process play? Scholars examine various drafts from the Constitutional Convention to gain a better understanding of its formation. Interactive...

Sometimes the interview process includes negotiating for what you want. Here's an activity that guides job seekers to achieve The Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). Participants take on the role of job seekers and...

What is stereotyping, and how do we handle stereotyping in our daily interactions? Your young historians will not only have the opportunity to learn about the first African American woman to publish a short story–Frances Ellen...

Create a picture dictionary for one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. After readers finish The Tempest, they assign each letter of the alphabet to a concept or character, and add a description and evidence from...

Three lessons stress the importance of fire safety. Lesson one presents several articles listing fire safety do's and don'ts; using their newly-found knowledge, learners rewrite a newspaper article about a fire incident so that...

Activate higher-level thinking and reading comprehension skills with these questions about act 2 of Taming of the Shrew. Literary analysts respond briefly in writing to 5 questions about plot, characters, motivation, and personal...

Review the components of a well-written paragraph with your class. Be sure your writers include a topic sentence supported with main ideas and followed by a conclusion. Unity, coherence, and transition words are emphasized. Experiment...

What are the three most important items for survival? Readers of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, ponder this question individually and share their list with a group, that must then reach consensus on the three most...

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. 

To understand how the Homestead Act of 1862 changed the US and the lives of the people during that time, class members examine primary source materials including letters, broadsides, and images. They then assume the voice of a...

Give scholars the opportunity to show what they know about ordering fractions, decimals, and percents with a five-page, eight-problem independent practice. With clear instructions and supportive advice, learners are bound for a...

How much do you really know about our planet? Middle schoolers build up their prior knowledge about Earth, its placement in the solar system, its composition, and important geological vocabulary with an introductory earth science lesson.

Eighth graders explore exponents and look for patterns that help to determine the ones place when the base is raised to any power. They use trial and error and seek general solutions. Also, identify patterns in a number sequence.

What are the most prominent symbols of the United States? Learn about the bald eagle, the American flag, and the Statue of Liberty in a reading comprehension activity that includes a short passage and five reflective questions.