Students complete a works cited page, make revisions on their writing, and improve their writing skills.  In this writing a research paper activity, students create a bibliography using MLA format and peer evaluate the papers of...

Young environmentalists learn how to craft a persuasive essay about an environmental issue they consider important. After studying the components of a persuasive essay and examining a student model, writers brainstorm possible topics and...

Take note. Scholars receive their claim drafts back to revise and write their claims and three pieces of evidence on notecards. They save the notecards to use when the verbally present their claims to the class. At the end, individuals...

What evidence supports the big bang theory? Individuals analyze scholarly resources about the the theory and develop arguments backed by evidence. They brainstorm, share ideas, watch a video, and read articles to complete a graphic...

Students create journal entries on-line as part of a "Kidlink Day" activity. Entries are compared and evaluated by their peers. The writing process is practiced in this lesson.

The third and final instructional activity in the Reporting series tests young journalists' ability to be objective in reporting contentious topics. After brainstorming a list of contentious topics that interest them, the class selects...

Have your pupils just finished reading biographies? Extend their study by having them craft a biography newsletter about the subject of their biography.  Using a word processor, they create, revise and edit their report, and add...

Bring the fun and creativity of children's stories to your language arts class. Middle schoolers write, revise, and publish an original student book which incorporates the elements of a short story. They put their story in the form of a...

Can you put that in writing? Scholars work with a partner to write a practice claim before writing their own claims. After writing their claims, learners share with class using a Concentric Circles activity.

Get the word out about friendship, support, and a safe school community with a media literacy lesson about bullying. Young journalists investigate instances of bullying and take descriptive pictures as they compile a magazine to fight...

Eleventh graders, in groups, pre-write, draft, edit and revise a murder mystery short story to hone their skills in short story drafting, editing and revision, group collaboration and computer usage. They also evaluate writing for both...

Students create websites for their school. They work in groups as a web team and devise a self-management plan. As they work on projects reflecting school life, the team edits what may appear online as the school's web site. Writing...

Young scholars investigate new vocabulary words with a fun, collaborative activity. Given a deck of word cards, pairs of students flip over one at a time and independently look up the term in a dictionary. They then take turns rolling a...

Lesson ten in this unit for the book Bullfrogs at Magnolia Circle, prepares third graders to begin writing an informational paragraph about the adaptations of bullfrogs. First, young writers work either independently or in pairs to...

Grab any two topics, some index cards, and a couple of kids, and you're ready to compare and contrast! The resource provides instructions for this method and three graphic organizers in addition to or in place of the index cards.

Using technology, learners create and deliver a multimedia autobiographical presentation to present to the class. This ambitious lesson has learners use a variety of sources both old and new; magazines, poster board, the Internet, and...

Research the lives of famous women in this social studies lesson. Middle schoolers use various sources to research a famous woman and create a presentation about the accomplishments of the woman. They can find the central idea throughout...

Present third grade writers with clear learning objectives using this Common Core checklist. By phrasing each standard as I can statements, this document serves as an excellent resource for helping children further develop their writing...

Use the Internet to expand the audience for portfolio writings and motivate young writers to edit their work. Have your class members select a piece of writing from their portfolios to be polished and published on the World Wide Web....

Learners use this WebQuest to be able to comprehend the natural history and biological diversity of the Mono Basin, an environment directly affected by the needs of humans. They explain what makes Mono Lake unique, including the extreme...

Students research their family's heritage. They follow a guide, document their family's history and put it together in report form.

Middle schoolers explore characteristics of the myth genre.  In this myth lesson plan, students become familiar with various myths and the cultures they were derived from. Middle schoolers compare in a graphic...

Students practice communication skills through brochure writing.  For this child safety brochure lesson, students gather important child safety information and rewrite it into a brochure.  Students must use correct language....

Seventh graders create a PowerPoint presentation. In this technology lesson, 7th graders use information they're learned in previous lessons to create a PowerPoint presentation.