A three-lesson unit teaches fifth and sixth graders about the importance of participation in a democratic society. The first lesson focuses on the purpose of and importance of civic duty. The second lesson looks at the justice system and...

A seven-lesson unit module offers high schoolers an opportunity to investigate the role diplomats play in an interconnected world. Acting as Early Modern era (1450-1750) diplomats, groups negotiate treaties to further the interests of...

There are upstanders, bystanders, and whistle-blowers when it comes to dealing with dilemmas. The four lessons in this unit module ask young scholars to think about injustice and how to resolve difficult situations. Learners research...

For Native Americans, the connection between themselves and the land on which they live runs deep and is apparent throughout their different cultures. During a series of three lessons, young scholars explore the culture of the Hopi...

In Module 4, sixth-graders research the question of whether the benefits of DDT outweigh its harmful consequences. Unit 1 challenges investigators to read a novel, informational text, and watch videos to gather evidence about DDT’s uses,...

The study of the benefits and harmful effects of using DDT ends in Module 4, with class members drafting, revising, editing, and publishing a research-based position paper in which they use the evidence they have collected to support...

The search is on for information about DDT, its benefits, and harmful effects. Over 15 units In Module 4, young researchers conduct a WebQuest to find informational texts about the pesticide, learn how to paraphrase information, cite...

The first unit in Module 4 introduces sixth graders to the central question of the module; do the benefits of DDT outweigh its harmful consequences? Jean Craighead George’s novel, Frightful’s Mountain, is the module's anchor text and...

The topic of ocean conservation and the impact of human activities on ocean life is the focus of three units in Module 3B. The first unit challenges sixth graders to read Mark Kurlansky’s illustrated book, World without Fish: How Kids...

Module 3B ends with class members diving into case studies to learn more about overfishing methods. The goal is to discover information about sustainable fishing practices and a consumer guide for buying fish.

The three units in the “Water is Life: The Earth’s Hydrosphere and Its Impact on Living Systems” are designed to teach middle schoolers about the role water plays in all life. Unit 1 builds background knowledge. In Unit 2, scholars...

How does an author’s culture influence their perspective and point of view? Moreover, how does an author’s purpose affect their point of view? These are the questions middle schoolers investigate in a three-unit module that uses works by...

Challenge young programmers to save the world! An engaging  10-episode video series of programming puzzles provides tweens and teens with an opportunity to practice their coding skills, foster problem-solving abilities, and develop a...

The 12 lessons in the second module unit examine how an author’s point of view and perspective is influenced by his or her geographic location. Florida resident Carl Hiassens’s young adult novel, Flush, about a young man whose father...

The first unit in this three-unit module has sixth-graders read Mark Kurlansky’s illustrated book, World without Fish: How Kids Can Help Save the Oceans. They study how Kurlansky introduces, illustrates, and develops his ideas to convey...

To conclude the module, sixth-graders research factual information about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire to make connections to literary texts about the disaster. After learning about the features of a newspaper article, young...

In the second unit in the 3A module, scholars examine how an author’s purpose affects point of view. They compare excerpts from “Comprehending the Calamity,” Emma Burke’s informational text about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, to...

The first unit in this three-module set introduces sixth-graders to a study of how authors’ culture influences and is evident in their writing. Laurence Yep’s novel, Dragonwings, and his biography The Lost Garden serve as the core texts....

Introduce middle schoolers to the basic principles of chemistry with a curriculum set packed with activities and experiments that let learners explore the attractions and motion of atoms and molecules, the state changes of water,...

Rick Riordan’s, The Lightning Thief is the anchor text in a three-unit module that explores the archetypal storyline of the hero’s journey. Sixth graders examine the many mythical illusions in Riordan’s tale. Additionally, they read...

A seven-resource curriculum set presents primary source materials that permits young historians to examine the programs and initiatives advanced by Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt,...

Were things really harder back in the day? That is the question sixth graders research in a three-unit module. They read information articles and literature about the adversities of medieval life, and then draft an essay in which they...

John Grandits’s concrete poems in the collections Blue Lipstick and Technically, It’s Not My Fault provide learners with modern voices struggling with adversities. After close reading of the poems and discussions, for the final...

Former president, Thomas Jefferson, is the focus of seven lessons that challenge pupils to analyze primary source documents associated with his presidency. Pupils perform a close reading of several messages to Congress and an excerpt of...