Scholars complete a mid-unit assessment by analyzing a narrative text, In the Middle of the Storm. Learners determine the gist of the text, identify synonyms, make inferences, and answer text-dependent questions to demonstrate...

How is sea coral like a thermometer? Part three of a six-part series from NOAA describes how oceanographers can use coral growth to estimate water temperature over time. Life science pupils manipulate data to determine the age of corals...

A cross-curricular instructional activity for middle schoolers that covers language arts, social studies, geography, and math, this is a great extension activity if your class is reading The Diary of Anne Frank or learning...

Why are the properties of the water important when exploring the ocean? Young scientists discover the tools and technology used in deep sea exploration in the fourth installment in a five-part series. Groups work together to...

Does jet lag affect a baseball team's performance in games? Read about how a baseball team's chance of winning a game can be affected by traveling over one, two, and three time zones. Readers then respond to five short answer questions...

Explore universal themes in literature with a literacy and multicultural awareness lesson. Elementary and middle schoolers make real world connections between themes in books from several cultures. They make inferences and locate text...

Unfamiliar words can make it difficult to understand what a piece of writing is trying to say. Practice using context clues to define words you don't know with a language arts worksheet, which features five sentences and enough space to...

For this scientific investigation worksheet, students observe a demonstration where paper is ignited and placed in a bottle with a hard-boiled egg at the opening. Students predict what will occur, they make observations and they make...

In this Just Let Me Draw worksheet, learners read a one-page story about a student who loves to draw. Next, students answer a question that checks for comprehension, one that connects the story to their lives, and another that requires...

In this scientific method learning exercise, students complete a crossword puzzle given 21 clues about the steps of the scientific method. Topics include observations, hypotheses, variables, inferences, results and conclusions.

Students perform three experiments to gain understanding of how pitch changes. In this sound lesson, students create a variety of sounds with different pitches. Students will record their data as the observe the differences in the sounds...

Paper folding, flu spreading in a school, bacteria growth, and continuously compounded interest all provide excellent models to study exponential functions. This is a comprehensive resource that looks at many different aspects of...

Every little penny counts, especially when it comes to saving for emergencies or long-term goals. Pupils evaluate different saving and investment strategies, such as a CD or money market account, through worksheets and by...

Teach pupils how veterans used art to deal with PTSD and shell-shock from trench warfare during World War I. Scholars use graphic organizers, a cartoon analysis sheet, and their own inferences to analyze primary source art work by veterans.

Student observe two cups, one slightly smaller and skinnier than the other, with one put inside the other. The cups are turned upside-down and the smaller one is caught as it falls out of the larger cup. The larger cup is filled up about...

Sixth graders make inferences while reading. In this inferences instructional activity, 6th graders read Esperanza Rising and ask questions about the text. 

Fifth graders describe the changes in King George III's policy toward the American colonies by sequencing key events between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. They explain the colonial reactions to command decisions...

How can you tell when a story takes place? Use context clues to infer the time of day and seasons of five short reading passages. Kids then note each passage's time period as daytime or nighttime, as well as winter or summer.

Here is a reading strategies lesson in which learners use post it notes to create a bulletin board. They post their new questions on the bulletin board and look back at questions they have already learned the answer to. A great idea,...

Scientists recently discovered several previously unknown species at the Bear Seamount off the coast of New England. Scholars research these new species — benthopelagic, benthic, and seamount fish — and find out what makes them...

It's that time of year to consider how Shakespeare selects his images and structures his Sonnet 73 to develop the meaning of the poem. Class members examine the rhyme scheme, the indented lines, the conceit, and the images used in each...

Here's a lab that may make you rethink that morning cup of coffee. Biology scholars test the effects of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine on the behavior of zebrafish through an intriguing experiment. Learners observe fish...

Young historians learn more about the history of Angel Island Immigration Station through their analysis of primary source images. Guided by a list of inferential questions, scholars learn how to make and record observations on a...

Say hi to the TV guy. Readers finish their mid unit assessments by reading The TV Guy and answering text-dependent questions. Learners complete multiple choice as well as short and long answer questions pertaining to comprehension,...