The Chinese Zodiac

Designed to encourage readers to consider both sides of of the question of whether Ender is responsible for the death of all the buggers, individuals search for examples from Orson Scott Card's popular science fiction novel, Ender's Game...

What does "freedom of speech" mean to your class, especially in the context of Internet communications? In round-table discussion format, middle and high schoolers address the issues discussed in "State Legislatures Across U.S. Plan to...

Study the importance of word choice in informational text. Middle and high schoolers locate unfamiliar words and phrases in newspaper articles of their choosing, and use online word sites to explore the definitions and histories of each....

Gadzooks! Where do new words come from? Who decides what a word means? What about memes? Young etymologists will be fascinated by a short video all about words, words, words.

Words matter, particularly in academic writing. Issues such as vague language, wordiness, and cliches make it difficult to get a point across. Part of a larger series to improve writing skills, the handout on word choice shows writers...

Curse words, vulgar words, swear words, bad words. Why are some words labeled as inappropriate? Check out this short history of taboo words and their significance.

Review myths and the characters therein, connecting them to vocabulary words in the English language today. Begin by searching online for myths and character names. With at least ten names that are familiar English words, students use...

Google, Wolfram/Alpha, Fact Monster? Kids may be familiar with these names, but have they heard of one of the original search tools? Here's a video that details one of the first encyclopedias and the controversies surrounding it.

Sentences made up of one word? Yes. Introduce kids to lexical ambiguity with a short video that shows how complete, grammatically correct sentences can be composed of one word used each time as a different part of speech.

Therefore! However! Furthermore! Explore the power of transition words and phrases. Signal your readers by suggesting the relationship between different thoughts or points. Help them demonstrate an understanding of word relationships.