Nemours KidsHealth
Alcohol: Grades 6-8
To get the word out about the realities of teens and tweens drinking alcohol, class members engage in two activities. For the first, groups design highway billboards about the dangers of alcohol drinking. Class members then create a...
Nemours KidsHealth
Water Safety: Grades 6-8
Taking care of younger children is often the first job for many middle schoolers. Learning how to keep themselves and their young charges safe, especially around water, is essential. Two activities teach teens, and tweens water safety...
Nemours KidsHealth
Food Safety: Grades 6-8
The flu or food poisoning? Middle schoolers learn how to safely prepare, cook, clean up, and store food with a instructional activity that has them first read articles about food safety. Partners create a video that shows them modeling...
EngageNY
Introducing World without Fish
One fish, two fish, red fish, no fish. Scholars analyze World without Fish to determine the gist, identify vocabulary, and answer text-dependent questions. As learners read, they use sticky notes to annotate the text. They also work in...
EngageNY
Reading for Gist and Answering Text-Dependent Questions: Chapter 5 of World without Fish
Discover the rules of fishing. Pupils read chapter five of World without Fish to discover ideas about the rules and laws of fishing. They use sticky notes to annotate text as they read about fishing in other countries. They focus on the...
EngageNY
Tracing the Idea of Fish Depletion: Chapter 2
Scholars read chapter two of World without Fish to learn more about the fishing industry. Learners discuss in triads what it means for fishing to become an industry. They then write the gist of pages 28-33 on sticky notes and answer...
EngageNY
Introduction: The Ideas of Charles Darwin
Piece by piece ... Scholars read the text World without Fish by breaking the text into pieces. They identify challenging words and determine the gist of each section as they read. They then work together in triads to answer...
EngageNY
Reading for Gist and Answering Text-Dependent Questions: Chapter 4 of World without Fish
True or false? Scholars read chapter four of World without Fish and explore the idea of a myth. They discuss in triads the meaning of the myth of nature’s bounty. Learners annotate the text on sticky notes and then answer text-dependent...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Analyzing Idea Development in Chapter 3 of World without Fish
Half way there. Scholars work on the mid unit assessment for World without Fish. Learners work independently to complete the assessment. They then answer text-dependent questions and use sticky notes for annotating.
EngageNY
Tracing the Idea of Fish Depletion: Chapter 1
Would you, could you? Scholars read World without Fish and focus carefully on the use of the words could and would. They chunk the text into smaller sections and write annotations on sticky notes to help with comprehension. To finish,...
EngageNY
Introducing the Struggle for Survival in the Introduction of World without Fish
No fish? Catch a word. Scholars read World without Fish and record unfamiliar vocabulary in their word catchers. They discuss word meanings as well as root words. They answer text-dependent questions before discussing the importance of...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Analyzing the Author’s Point of View: Relief Camps
We're halfway there ... what a relief! Scholars read an excerpt from a primary source about the relief camps associated with the1906 San Francisco earthquake. Next, they complete a mid-unit assessment, answering short-answer and...
EngageNY
Finding the Gist of the Immediate Aftermath: Excerpt of “Comprehending the Calamity”
Brace for the aftershocks! Scholars read an excerpt from a primary source document about the immediate aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco fire and earthquake. Next, pupils complete an anchor chart, analyzing how the author introduces,...
EngageNY
Introducing “Comprehending the Calamity”
Some things are beyond comprehension. Scholars read an excerpt from "Comprehending the Calamity," a primary source text about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. After identifying the gist, pupils complete anchor charts to analyze how the...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Research
Middle assessment for the Middle Ages. Scholars complete a mid-unit assessment by reading and answering questions about three different text pertaining to the Middle Ages. Learners work independently on the assessment for the class period.
EngageNY
Reading for Gist: “Middle Ages” Excerpt 2
Read and repeat. Scholars repeat the strategies for digging deeper into text from lesson two. This time they focus on Middle Ages Excerpt 2. Learners write unfamiliar words in the word catcher and use details from the text to add to the...
EngageNY
Reading for Gist: “Middle Ages” Excerpt 1
Dig deep. Scholars dig deep for meaning while reading Middle Ages Excerpt 1. They begin by finding unfamiliar words and adding them to a word catcher. Pupils then take a close look at adversity in the text and complete an anchor chart.
EngageNY
Determining Theme: Reading Myths in “Expert Groups”
Leave it to the experts. Scholars work in expert groups to analyze new myths. Each group is assigned to become an expert on either The
Fates, The Story of Medusa and Athena, or Theseus and the Minotaur. They answer questions and discuss...
EngageNY
Exploring Allusions to Myths in The Lightning Thief: Close Reading Part 1 of “Prometheus”
It's all just an allusion. Scholars learn the meaning of allusion and read an allusion in The Lightning Thief. Learners gather in their triads and discuss questions from the text to take a close look at vocabulary words and choose an...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge About the Hero’s Journey, Part 2: Acts 2 and 3 Plus Focusing on Key Vocabulary in “The Hero’s Journey”
It's all in the details. Scholars read acts two and three of The Hero's Journey and collect important details from the text. They share their notes with their peers and listen for key words from the story. They then turn their attention...
EngageNY
The Hero’s Journey, Part 1: What is a Hero?
That was heroic! Scholars quickly look over What is a Hero to determine and discuss the structure of the text. They then read the introduction and Act 1 closely to find the gist and annotate the text. They circle unfamiliar words and...
Curated OER
Myth and Truth: The First Thanksgiving
Encourage learners to think critically about common myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in Colonial America. They discover that behind every myth are many possible explanations—and that learning more about American history helps them...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: 6th Grade Science
There are many interactions among living things and their surroundings. By completing a reading, scholars learn about the Earth, the moon, and the sun and how they relate to the solar system. They also investigate the basics of physical...
Echoes & Reflections
Contemporary Antisemitism
Despite the recognized atrocities of the Holocaust, anti-semitism continues. The 11th and final installment of the Teaching the Holocaust series explores the long-term effects of the Holocaust on modern anti-semitism, asking pupils to...