How do nineteenth-century texts by African American and Native American writers contribute to the country's ideals of freedom and individuality? Learners explore the topic by watching and discussing a video, reading biographies, writing...

Aspiring journalists learn about media literacy, journalism, and the press. Units come complete with handouts, assignment rubrics, notes, and extension suggestions. Each unit also comes with a list of vocabulary words and learning...

The world is a stage, and so is your classroom! Hone the skills of the next generation of Tony® award winners with a set of exercises, reference pages, writing prompts, and excerpts from famous plays.

What's going on in this picture? That's the question posed to viewers of a 40-image slide show of photos that accompanies stories from the New York Times. Without captions or context clues, individuals use their close readings skills and...

Join the newspaper business with a series of lessons and exercises focused on elements of journalism. The packet focuses on distinguishing fact from opinion, writing effective headlines, sequencing events, and editing and proofreading a...

A short story is only as strong as its characters, development, and conflicts. Encourage the young authors in your class to plan their stories based on the elements of narrative writing, all provided in brainstorming graphic organizers.

As a follow-up from the previous lesson, young environmentalists discuss the benefits of water filtration and whether or not it's the best option. Other alternatives including air stripping, bioremediation, and phytoremediation are...

In groups, young environmentalists investigate water samples that are contaminated with different types of pollutants. Each group presents their findings to the class and fills out the "Types of Pollutants Chart." This instructional...

A wrap-up to the unit, young environmentalists discuss and write about the difference in perspectives of a water keeper and water treatment engineer. 

Young readers can be exposed to the literary works of Mark Twain as they interact with challenging text and gain experience by reading the complex passages of chapter two "The Glorious Whitewasher" from his famous book, The Adventures of...

Take your middle schoolers back to the first Thanksgiving with an engaging cross-curricular unit that ties together topics in social studies and ELA. While learning about he settlement at Plymouth young scholars participate in a series...

Never again will you need to worry about coming up with a writing prompt! This packet contains, as it says, 501 prompts that are suitable for fourth graders on up. The prompts are paired into four categories (persuasive, expository,...

Explore the newspaper as a unique entity with a detailed and extended unit. The unit requires learners to consider the newspaper's role in democracy, think about ethics, practice writing and interviewing, and examine advertising and news...

Imagine everything you need to teach writing in one packet! Designed to augment instruction in language arts classes, the lessons, activities, and exercises contained in this packet employ AVID methodologies to help learners develop...

If you're looking to start a unit based around narrative writing, make sure to consider this resource while you're planning. This book covers five topics: writing personal narratives, writing narratives about others, writing narratives...

Middle school is a time of many changes and developments. Have your class reflect on their personalities during this tumultuous time with a portfolio full of autobiographical writing prompts. Kids write about the way they feel now, their...

An extensive portfolio project encourages your kids to reflect on their personalities with multiple writing assignments. From activities on extended metaphors to writing about an important day in their lives, kids explore the way they...

What is an emergency, why is preparing for one important, and how can your pupils help others prepare for an emergency? Answer these questions and more with a short unit. Learners will participate in a variety of collaborative,...

What can be learned from ancient art and artifacts? In the second of a series of lessons devoted to the history of Afghanistan, class members assume the role of archaeologists and investigate art found along the Silk Road. They observe,...

"There is something irresistible about popcorn" and about activities designed to accompany the reading of a really good book. The nine activities in this packet support the reading of Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery Award winning...

After reading "A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin, middle schoolers respond to the text through a fictional narrative. An informative video starts out by reviewing the steps of the writing process. The narrator then walks the...

Over the course of a week, the class will study how monsters are portrayed throughout literature. But why? Monsters in science fiction or horror often depict the darker side of human nature; they are described for their horrific physical...

It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...

After reading an informational text on the Agricultural Research Service, learners research the role of the ARS in Oklahoma. Using reputable online sources, they label a map of the state with relevant areas. Researchers focus on one of...