Build the writing skills of your junior high wordsmiths with activities that introduce many essential skills of writing.  As a class, they develop working definitions of formal vs. informal writing, explore different categories of...

Don't give your classes the third degree when working with polynomials! Teach them to recognize the successive differences and identify the degree of the polynomial. The lesson leads learners through a process to develop an understanding...

Is your opinion significant? Help your class discover the influence their opinions hold and encourage them to make a positive change in their community. To start, they get in teams and brainstorm why their school should have more healthy...

Do your classes truly understand the distributive property? Use a demonstrative lesson to represent the distributive property in various ways. Learners solidify understanding by creating a geometric pattern for distributive...

How do you solve an equation like trigonometry? Learners apply their understanding of trigonometric ratios to find unknown angles in right triangles. They learn the meaning of arcsine, arccosine, and arctangent. Problems include...

Use everything you know about quadratic equations to solve polynomial equations! Learners apply the Zero Product Property to factor and solve polynomial equations. They make a direct connection to methods they have used with quadratic...

Math class is full of drama—there are so many problems to work out! Pupils work out factoring problems. They use quadratic methods of factoring higher degree polynomials, in addition to factoring the sum and difference of two...

"Four legs good, two legs bad..." Focusing on the themes from George Orwell's Animal Farm, this reading comprehension worksheet prompts middle schoolers to respond to several short answer and essay questions. They may also complete...

After having a class discussion on the three states of matter, young scientists utilize the wonderful substance, Oobleck in order to experience something that changes states of matter. They also create "sparkle jars" which...

Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...

Students study the process for outreach and distribution of films. They design outreach and distribution plans for films which they create.

As an introduction to literary criticism, class members recreate I.A. Richards' close reading experiment. Individuals select a poem, paraphrase the story, focus on the imagery used, consider what the imagery adds to the tale, and...

Poll your scholars about their choices on food they eat, or don't eat, and on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Topic statements such as "I ate breakfast this morning" start a discussion on what are healthy choices and what are unhealthy...

Is 0.56 stronger than -0.78? Interpret the correlation coefficient as the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. An algebra lesson introduces the correlation coefficient by estimating and then...

Describing a line using an algebraic equation is an essential skill in mathematics. The previous lesson in the series challenged learners to determine if segments are perpendicular with a formula. Now they use the formula to...

Right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles, central angles, inscribed angles: how many types of angles are there? Learners first investigate definitions of inscribed angles, central angles, and intercepted arcs. The majority of the...

Build the skills your budding authors need to develop to compose well-structured paragraphs. Give them the topic sheet (included here), and have them write a cohesive paragraph using the ideas listed. Consider having them include two...

Readers identify main ideas and supporting details using informational texts. In this literacy lesson plan, they make predictions and read the text to find the main ideas. They use a table diagram to define the main idea and supporting...

Should researchers be able to excavate, examine, and remove Native American artifacts from historic sites? Should companies be permitted to build on sacred Native American land? After watching West of the West's documentary, The Lone...

Students identify what puberty is and what changes they can expect during this period of time. Students discuss the challenging aspects of puberty and celebrate the best and most exciting aspects. Students record the best/easiest things...

A unit plan uses short texts to teach literary elements such as theme and characterization. Included are passages by authors such as Walter Dean Myers and Sandra Cisneros. Activities include quick writes, filling in graphic organizers,...

Students write an expository paragraph about the uses of the Nashua River for the Native Americans and the European Colonists. For this river uses lesson plan, students determine the causes and effects of both parties using the river.

Students effectively research using the internet, encylopedias, magazines and newspapers. They desegregate into needed and un-needed information based on their research findings. Pupils recognize and appropriately site sources using a...

Sstudents discuss disciplinary options when parenting. They compare and contrast what was acceptable in their native country with what is acceptable in America. They list courses that are available to parents. They write one paragraph...