Taking Sides

The Jets and the Sharks are back! As you watch the film version of West Side Story, use this viewing guide to help keep your class on track and analyze important plot events. Each song's lyrics are presented here, along with a set of...

Relate policy decisions to classroom activities. In order to prepare for a writing activity in which they will need to choose a side, learners are first given a sample policy for which they must choose yes or no and walk to the side of...

In this math activity, students review the steps they were taught, to take correct notes in their math class. This activity can be used to teach students the correct process of note taking for just about any subject. There are 6...

Learners take on the roles of jurors in a civil case to evaluate evidence and determine a verdict in this engaging online interactive experience.

Do you know the setting of The Count of Monte Cristo? What about the main characters? Explore the elements of Alexandre Dumas' novel with a reading comprehension activity. Kids toss boxes with literary elements written on each side, and...

Begin a study of A Wizard of Earthsea by looking closely at biographical information about the author, Ursula K. Le Guin, and previewing the text. Pupils listen to an audio guide and take notes for discussion. Next, the class reads two...

Are we interested in crime stories because we either identify with the victims, or do we enjoy watching the rich suffer? Do we feel guilty and want someone to take our blame and let us feel innocent? Groups investigate how the author of...

Author's are often influenced by events in their own lives as they write. Use Edgar Allan Poe's poems "Ulalume" and "Annabel Lee" to take a look at how the death of Poe's wife affected his poetry. Ask learners to discuss and compare the...

Weird Al Yankovic might have made the parody popular but his name will probably not be familiar to your pupils; however, the songs and illustrations in Alan Katz’s Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs will certainly...

Young scholars take notes from oral readings and lectures to create a summary of the material. They use different sizes of post-it notes to complete the activity. They practice pulling the main ideas out of the given material.