Determine the author's purpose in writing a memoir. Eighth graders work in groups  to elicit author's purpose in memoirs, taking care to note how subtle the message can be hidden throughout the work. This lesson is a good way to...

Students review what author's purpose is by understanding that authors either persuade, inform, describe, or entertain with their story. In this language arts activity, students bring in junk mail and in small groups discuss what the...

Examine the power of persuasion and have learners consider how it influences events in their own lives. After reading and analyzing informational texts to understand the author's purpose, class members take a written test and craft a...

Students analyze 'Where I'm From' by George Ella Lyon. In this poetry lesson plan students examine the content and structure of the poem and mimic it to create a similar poem of their own.

Students read summaries of the books written by the author Mildred Taylor. In this summaries lesson plan, students read the summaries of 6 books and answer discussion questions about them after they read them.

Prompt your class to interact with Jack London's Call of the Wild. By analyzing the events in the novel, middle schoolers discover how human experiences create who a person becomes. They critique and analyze the reading, focusing on...

Practice nutritional cooking with a collection of fun meal preparation lessons. Each lesson includes a focus, objective, collaborative activity, and recipe to culminate what young cooks have learned about healthy eating.

Students analyze and identify elements of memoirs.  In this literature lesson students explore qualities to listen for while the teacher reads a memoir; they then break into groups and analyze a memoir independently.

Learners brainstorm possible causes for motor vehicle accidents involving teen drivers. In this biology lesson, students study national data regarding teen driving behaviors. They create awareness materials to help promote safe driving...

Students explore taxonomy and how birds are classified in this scientific system. They use this knowledge to create entries for a field guide to birds that can be used to identify different species.

Students examine the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They conduct research, participate in a discrimination simulation, write a poem, and create a collage.

Learners watch demonstrations on how to create a collage out of different materials. Using town paper, they create their self-portrait and view art by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. To end the lesson, they discuss a career in fashion...

Students summarize information from their research on to note-cards. In this technical writing lesson students examine examples of note-cards that contain main ideas from research previously conducted.  They will then compose their...

Students read a novel related to their geographical area and "Gone With The Wind". Using the first novel, they use the internet to research one aspect from it and relate it to their location today. They create a Hyperstudio or PowerPoint...