Curated OER
Propaganda of War
Students examine examples of war propaganda. For this historical literature lesson, students research the elements of propaganda in relation to various wars of the past. They discuss different types of propaganda, and the...
Curated OER
Women of the Twenties and The Great Gatsby
Students research social elements of the 1920s. In this persuasive writing lesson, students make comparisons between women of the 1920s and women in the 21st century. They work in small groups to discuss the women in The...
Curated OER
A Separate Peace Bingo Teacher's Guide
Students complete an activity with the book A Separate Peace. In this vocabulary lesson, students get a list of vocabulary words to find the definitions of. They make a bingo card with the words and the teacher reads the...
Curated OER
He's Donating $100 Million to a University
Students explore the concept of social philanthropy. In this social philanthropy lesson, students read an article about billionaires donating money to universities. Students discuss social entrepreneurship and how billionaires are...
Curated OER
Hic-Hic-Hooray!
What is really the best way to get rid of hiccups? Investigate some old wives' tales and folk remedies related to health. Middle schoolers explore the science behind why people might believe these myths to be true and find the real...
Curated OER
www.Me.Com
Create a graphic autobiography integrating images and text. Working within the structure of the programs Comic Life and Photoshop, pupils integrate the Principles of Design. They focus on balance, rhythm, proportion, and text structure....
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students participate in a class discussion about jazz music, compare improvisation with regular conversion, listen to various jazz musicians and compare and contrast their individual sounds.
Curated OER
Civil Rights in America
Seventh graders visit the Smithsonian and are shown different exhibits. They are to make their own drawing about one of the exhibits and write about the experience.
Curated OER
Exploring Race Through Literature
Provide your class with an opportunity to examine race through a variety of literary works. They read and analyze a chosen poem, interview, speech, or story describing race in America. They then use key words from the original work to...
Student Achievement Partners
"The Glorious Whitewasher" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Mini-Assessment
It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
I Need a Superhero
Once the class learns about the hero's journey, they'll find it in every story and movie they see! Take characters from their humble beginnings to their atonement and apotheosis with a set of lessons about the hero's journey...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell
The depth of Nineteen Eighty Four is in the details. Encourage a close reading of Orwell's dystopian classic with resource sheets that focus attention on the author's stylistic choices that lead to the betrayals that make Big Brother's...
Curated OER
Moral Development in Camus' The Stranger
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” Readers of The Stranger rate Mersault’s moral development (or lack thereof) using Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development scale. Using...
Curated OER
Keeping students engaged after standardized testing
Instructional strategies and lesson ideas to keep students excited about learning, while reviewing and preparing for the next grade level.
Curated OER
Great Expectations: Group Writing
Examine the differences between totalitarianism and democracy in this writing lesson. Using the same format and theme from Great Expectations, young writers work in pairs to compose their own short stories. They follow guidelines for the...
Curated OER
Screen Play
High schoolers examine the New York Times review of the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and explore the elements of scriptwriting. They read the article about the film adaptation screenplay and examine a...
Curated OER
Grammar Practice: Restrictive vs. Non-Restrictive Clauses
Go over the basics of restrictive and non-restrictive clauses with this grammar worksheet. After reviewing the concepts, as well as the definitions of parentheticals and appositives, young learners label ten sentences as restrictive or...
Curated OER
The Gift of Gatsby
A reading of “Gatsby’s Green Light Beckons a New Set of Strivers,” a New York Times article by Sara Rimer, triggers a discussion of the American Dream and what it means to strive for something. Following the discussion, class members...
Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 19: Synthesis
Wrap up your unit on The Cay with an engaging argumentative writing assignment. Writers must decide if they believe The Cay should be banned. The resource includes links to several articles, which have been addressed and examined in...
Curated OER
Finding the Main Idea
Thar she blows! An excerpt from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick provides the text for an exercise in finding the main idea. After recording the main idea of the passage, readers also provide two supporting ideas. An answer key is provided.
Curated OER
Pros and Cons: A Childcare Debate
Young scholars research prevailing attitudes and Rousseau's position on child rearing in the 18th century. They consider attitudes toward motherhood and childcare in our own culture through interviews with peers and family members.
Curated OER
A New Point of View
Analyze point of view and how it affects a literary work with this lesson plan. Middle schoolers create a written piece that focuses on point of view. They review the literary term "point of view," and explore examples of the term in...
Curated OER
What Makes Good Literary Writing?
Students conduct a literature study of John Steinbeck's classic "Of Mice And Men". They write in reflection of the author's influence upon 20th century literature. Students take apart the story to focus class discussion upon major themes...
Curated OER
Jazz In America
Students gain a fundamental understanding of the role of jazz in the Harlem Renaissance. They explain its historical significance and cultural implications.