Making choices can be scary, especially for middle schoolers. With so many pressures it's hard sometimes to know what to do. Here's a collection of unit and lesson plans, activities and projects, videos and worksheets designed to help...

Election season is a great opportunity to hone critical thinking skills in the classroom. Teach young citizens about the ins and outs of the American political system, provide information about current and historical presidential...

What is newsworthy? Who decides? How do video reports differ from printed news? What makes a good video report? What about journalism ethics? Learn all about it in this extra special collection of materials about video news production.

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...

Water may be everywhere but supplies of freshwater are dwindling. An eight-week, three-unit module takes up the topic of water sustainability and freshwater management. In Unit 1, seventh graders read Barbara Kingsolver’s article, “Water...

What makes stories powerful? That’s the question seventh-graders consider in a three-unit, eight-week module. Scholars analyze how Frederick Douglas, in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, uses figurative language and word...

The three units in Module 2A present seventh-graders with literary and informational texts—Katherine Paterson’s novel Lyddie and a speech by Cesar Chavez—that examine historical and present-day working conditions. Pupils learn how to...

Six lesson plans in the Black History Month collection introduce middle and high schoolers to nonviolent actions as a means to resist oppression and encourage reform. Lessons look at the Children’s March, music, and citizenship schools...

The 17 lessons in Module 4B, Unit 2 continue to focus on sustainable water management. Seventh graders research ways industry and agriculture currently use freshwater resources to ways sustainable water management could be improved. They...

The internet as well as the popularity of and availability of personal electronic devices equipped with social media has changed journalism forever. Here's a collection of resources that provide student journalists the tools they need to...

 In the 19 lessons that make up the Module 4A, Unit 2 collection, seventh graders continue their research into the affects of screen time on the adolescent brain. They conduct independent research, analyze the credibility of sources,...

Tell it like it is with a collection filled with resources that focus on expository writing skills. Seventh graders work on comparing and contrasting texts, analyzing current events, and structuring their essays in clear and...

The 16 lessons in the Module 3, Unit 2 collection continue the study of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and the language Douglass uses to develop his purpose in writing. Both the mid-unit and final assessments require...

Unit 3 of Module 3 collection of eleven lessons has seventh graders crafting their own children’s picture book. Patterned after Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery, the illustrated children's book they read in Unit 2, writers...

An awareness of historical context and author’s purpose are key to understanding informational text. The 15 lessons in the Module 3, Unit 1 collection provide seventh graders with background information about slavery and the debate over...

The final unit in Module 3A focuses on research skills. The 10 lessons in the collection have students examining how businesses can impact working conditions. Using a case study of the garment industry, class members learn to gather...

The 19 lessons that make up the second unit in the 2B Module collection continue the study of identity. George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, serves as the anchor text and readers track the development of Eliza's character. The unit...

Unit 2 of Module 2A shifts the focus from the working conditions in the American factories of  the industrial era to the plight of  migrant agricultural workers. The eight lessons in the collection ask learners to examine two speeches by...

The 20 lessons that make up the Module 2a Unit 1 collection focus on building background knowledge of working conditions in American factories during the industrial era. Using their knowledge of these conditions, Class members read...

A collection of 12 instructional activities helps young people develop the five core social and emotional learning competencies identified by CASEL. Videos, slides, activities, games, news articles, and discussions target life skills. In...

The second unit in a three-unit module introduces readers to the skills they need to determine the theme of a novel. Through close reading, discussion of related informational text, and evidence collection, students analyze how Linda Sue...

To prepare for a study of George Bernard Shaws' play, Pygmalion, students examine informational texts that explore the concept of personal identity. Pupils perform a close reading focusing on text-dependent questions, make inferences,...

The 21st century has brought many changes. Helping middle schoolers develop the relationship skills they need to be successful at home, in school, in their communities, and in the workplace is the focus of this collection of lesson and...

Fifteen resources make up a collection designed for middle school scholars. Here, pupils take part in lesson plans, activities, worksheets, and entire units that thoroughly examine the topic of self-awareness. Sub-topics include...