Middle schoolers write a nonfiction animal book. They research an animal to write about and use the templates provided to gather all sorts of information on their animal. Consider making a model book so your class has an idea of what it...

What exactly is a direct object? Use this resource to introduce direct objects to your middle and early high school classrooms. The section at the top explains the part of speech, and then there are 20 sentences below for learners to...

Not all technology is digital. Teach learners about the low-tech maker movement with a photo essay about six artisans from California and two articles about the local creator movement. After tackling the photo essay in small...

Are opioids the most abused drug after marijuana? How hard is it for young people to obtain painkillers without a prescription? Middle and high schoolers explore the growing epidemic of opioid addiction with a lesson that prompts them to...

If you are considering adding or expanding a unit on utopian and dystopian literature you simply must check out this fabulous resource. Packed with plans, activities, project-based and 21st century learning opportunities, the unit...

Clever! In order to compare indoor and outdoor dispersal rates for the movement of gases and particles through air, collaborators will participate in a classroom experiment. Set up a circular grid and set students on lines that are...

Here is a great way to explore language arts by completing a computer activity with classmates. Youngsters read a fairy tale in class and analyze where the beginning, middle and end are. They create their own story using clip art and...

This lesson, which promises to improve the essays of your middle schoolers, contains a list of characteristics an essay should include. It breaks it down into the introduction, thesis statement, body, etc. There's also a list of things...

Learners discuss, analyze, and interpret "Portrait of a Dutch Family" by Fans Hals and then create subject specific projects for assessment. This cross-curricular lesson is well-suited for Language Arts or Visual Arts classrooms and...

Students discover how to use a thesaurus. In this language arts lesson, students explore thesauruses as they look up words and write sentences for the new words they encounter.

Students view and create art in several styles. They view African Masks, Picasso's portraits and self-portraits. They compare the two, then create a self portrait. In the second instructional activity, they view landscape paintings by...

Second graders identify story elements in familiar stories from their lives. In this story elements lesson, 2nd graders act out familiar activities  by following directions. Students read a story and discuss the story elements....

Students work cooperatively to choose a theme, write a story, and produce a web site to display this story in this middle-level lesson on the career of a web designer. This excellent lesson ends with an organized, web site launch party.

Middle schoolers use a graphic organizer to brainstorm information about their lives. They utilize brainstorming techniques in a writing exercise, and create a graphic organizer describing their lives. They set personal goals for the...

Students write paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details. In this paragraph writing lesson, students fix sentences and paragraphs. Students also write a paragraph that includes an introduction, supporting details, and a...

Encourage your writers to use sob instead of cry loudly to trade in adverbs for strong verbs. Improve your middle and high schoolers' writing with this humorously written lesson plan which demonstrates how to remove excessive adverbs. 

Students identify contractions. In this phonics lesson, students define what a contraction is and give examples on the board. Students complete a worksheet as a follow-up.

Good endings are hard to find. And write. This, the final lesson in a six-part series devoted to study of the ingredients of a good story, focuses on crafting endings. Class members draft ideas about what should happen to each of their...

Middle and high schoolers check their writing for pronoun-antecedent agreement. After identifying the pronouns in their writing, they then complete a table with the pronouns and corresponding antecedents, making revisions as necessary.

Second graders read the story, The Bundle of Sticks, and discuss the story elements within the story; setting, plot, conflict resolution.  In this readers theater lesson, 2nd graders reenact the story in small...

Middle schoolers read one of the most important documents in our nation's history: The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. After everyone reads the proclamation, they set out to write a "You Were There" type of report on it. They pretend...

Students research and recognize work of several glass artists such as Chihuly, Tiffany, and Wright, define landscape and other relevant vocabulary terms, and create full fused glass plate/bowl using landscape and/or nature as subject...

Students identify characteristics of art of Ken Parker, create hand sculptures inspired by Ken Parker's work, develop skills related to working with paper mache, and create abstract versions of their hands.

Students create whimsical self portraits using watch parts and tin - recycling. They demonstrate safety in using tools. They use a variety of materials to create a work of art , and demonstrate understanding of the elements and...