High schoolers participate in a simulation activity where they must decide whether or not to preserve an untouched forest. During the role play, students attend public hearings, discuss the pros and cons of nature development, create...

Fifth graders get critical and political while they begin thinking about human and animal rights in relation to the US Constitution. This hand out includes answers to several questions regarding Cesar Chavez and his work to secure rights...

Use this helpful resource to review the parts of speech. This is a motivating and interesting way to discuss nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and interjections. This could be used in a...

Who knew there were so many fun educational opportunities featuring pasta? Scholars read a brief informational text about the history of pasta (note that "macaroni" is spelled two different ways, so address this if kids are reading...

Stories contain very specific elements; plot, characters, and key events. Learners use pantomime to retell a key event from the beginning, middle, and end of a story. They discuss setting and character as each group discusses and then...

When mathematical errors happen, part of the learning is to figure out how it affects the rest of your calculations. The activity has your mathematicians solving for the area of a circular pipe and taking into consideration any errors...

When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...

Young scholars show what they know about Rosa Parks and the incident on one of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Groups discuss and identify where they receive most of their information. They examine the importance of having a complete...

Compute fuel economy and gas mileage. Why? So you can teach rates and ratios, of course! Middle schoolers calculate the rate of miles per gallon for various vehicles. They research each vehicle, its mileage per gallon, and cost per...

Young historians explore the reason American colonists were unhappy under British rule. Class members complete hands-on activities and participate in a group discussions to understand why colonists drafted the Declaration of Independence.

Distinguish between textual features of non-fiction in the book The Lewis and Clark Expedition and in the non-fiction story "Ta-Na-e-Ka." Third graders create posters and participate in group discussions to show their...

The actual lesson itself is not unique; groups discuss and rank different sources of energy in order of their cumulative greenhouse gas emissions. They compare their prediction to real data. What makes this resource valuable, is that it...

Get on those thinking caps, because your class is going to analyze a political cartoon related to the 2008 presidential elections. Included is a large image of the cartoon, background information, and three guiding questions which can be...

Upper graders listen to a podcast on the EconTalk website featuring economist Keith Hennessey. The podcast focuses on the Budget Control Act of 2011, the national debt, and government spending. They read specifics about the BCA, then...

Planning a short story unit? Consider including this worksheet early in your plan. "Remains of a Marriage" provides the text that could be used as the basis of a lesson on close reading, on comprehension strategies, and/or group...

Imagine a sentence completion worksheet that includes a detailed explanation for how to determine the correct response! Here it is. The resource can be used for independent practice, as a warm-up, for group discussion, or as part of a...

Part of a series of exercises, this sentence completion worksheet could be used as an assessment, as extra practice, as the basis of small group discussion, or as homework. The extensive answer key explains how to approach problems of...

If your class has finish reading Edgar Allan Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" here's a great post-reading worksheet. Whether used as a reading assessment, as the basis of group discussion, or for whole class response, the fact-based,...

Readers must go beyond the surface level of Guy de Maupassant's story, "The False Gems," to answer the questions on this instructional activity. They must draw inferences, evaluate character's actions, and analyze how irony and symbolism...

Excerpts from Jane Eyre are used in a reading assessment that asks readers to identify, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the passages from Charlotte Bronte’s novel. Could be used as a reading assessment or as the basis of a group...

Why is Birmingham known as the magic city? A comprehensive lesson plan provides hands-on activities, group discussion, and writing exercises to teach young historians about the importance of the city of Birmingham. Scholars learn the...

Planes, trains, and automobiles. How many ways to travel are there? Scholars learn about modes of transportation in the past and how they have changed over time. Budding historians view a timeline, participate in group discussion, and...

What makes a cartoon political? The lesson plan provides learners with political cartoons and teaches how to analyze them using a five-step process. Scholars also complete a hands-on activity and participate in group discussions to...

Many organizations put on barbecues in order to make money. In a real-world math problem, the money allotted to purchase steak and chicken at this barbecue is only one hundred dollars. It is up to your potential chefs to figure out how...