Life is full of ups and downs. Scholars read George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant," which describes a meaningful event from the author's own life. Then, after answering text questions and participating in a Socratic discussion,...

What ideas and philosophies guided the Transcendentalist movement in America? Scholars explore the topic, reading texts by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Additionally, they write essays comparing the authors' structural...

Integrity and selflessness are not always rewarded as they should be in our modern world. Victor Hugo put the spotlight on the weaknesses of society—as well as the strength of the human spirit—in his novel Les Misérables, which is the...

Modern readers apply classic themes to Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Les Miserables. After they discuss tricky vocabulary and plot elements from the novel, class members compare Hugo's written work to a stage or film adaptation of the musical.

Is screen time dangerous time? Scholars take a close look at the facts surrounding video games and violence. Pros give evidence connecting violence to video games while cons suggest there is no relationship.

High school writers take part in peer review of their end-of-unit tasks. They begin by discussing their thought process in pairs and then edit their work. Finally, learners take part in a class discussion on the use of the semicolon and...

It's time to tie it all together. Scholars reflect on the past five lessons about Death of the Pig in the series. They examine how E.B. White develops a central idea throughout the entire essay before responding to a writing prompt.

Learners prepare for the end-of-unit task by evaluating previous homework and writing sentences with parallel structure and various phrases. Scholars do this by taking a close look at E.B. White's Death of a Pig. They examine the...

High schoolers read the final section of E. B. White’s Death of a Pig and take a close look at the impact of the words and tone he used. Learners discuss in pairs their homework from the previous night, answer questions about the text,...

Are authors also designers? Scholars take a close look at how E.B. White designs a section in Death of a Pig. They determine how the structure of sentences and paragraphs, the order of events, and the placement of dialogue all contribute...

Class members analyze the details of a section of E. B. White’s Death of a Pig to determine a central idea. Learners use turn and talk to discuss the details and ideas they identified. They then work in groups to annotate the text,...

Scholars evaluate E.B. White's tone in his personal narrative. Lessons use turn and talk strategies to discuss details of a personal narrative essay, respond to guided questions, and work in pairs to analyze word choice. Learners...

Is that your final answer? As part of the last lesson, scholars finalize their research portfolios. They review all of their claim tools and gain the perspective of others as they discuss their work with a group. To finish, they write...

Opposites attract. Scholars choose one of their claims from the previous lesson. They then must think about the opposite view of that claim and create a counterclaim, discussing them with classmates. To help guide the discussion, they...

It's time to prove it! Scholars now must ensure that all claims are based on evidence. Using several evidence-based claims tools, learners write detailed claims for each inquiry path. At the end of the lesson plan, pupils respond to a...

What's the verdict? After finding sources and gathering information, scholars must now make a claim. Learners narrow their focus and refine their inquiry paths before analyzing the information and making a claim about their questioning....