Curated OER
X-ray Spectroscopy and the Chemistry of Supernova Remnants
This link takes you to a comprehensive unit that delves into emission spectra and supernovas. There are four parts: How and where elements are created, electromagnetic radiation, spectroscopy, and the newest technology for studying our...
The New York Times
Stress Less: Understanding How Your Mind and Body Respond to Anxiety
What could be more relevant to teens and preteens than experiencing stress? Use an article from the New York Times website to practice valuable Common Core skills for informational text reading, and also get a discussion going in your...
Curated OER
Foreshadowing and Making Predictions
"What happens next?" Using real-life scenarios, movies, images, and other prompts, pupils practice making predictions based on inferences from clues. A SMART board activity takes them from making predictions to writing a prediction...
Curated OER
Analyzing the Use of Irony in a Short Story
Ninth graders examine how literature connects to real-life and see how irony aids in the development of theme. They read Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and discuss elements of foreshadowing and situational irony. Then learners will write...
Curated OER
Photosynethsis....How do we know it's really happening? - Biology Teaching Thesis
Students think of one way to detect photosynthesis in plants besides those ways shown in class. They identify the reaction that occurs during photosynthesis. Students define the difference between an acid and a base. They identify acidic...
Reed Novel Studies
The One and Only Ivan: Novel Study
A new friend, a new perspective, and a new light are all found in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan. Ivan, a gorilla, was content with his life until a baby elephant befriended him. Readers find synonyms, answer...
Leadership Challenge
Serving the Stakeholders' Interests
When school and community leaders are at odds, what's a young person to do? Grouped pupils examine the details of a difficult situation during the 10th in a series of 12 leadership activities. Presented with a decline in community...
Carnegie Library
Creative Writing: Middle School Lesson Plan
Enhance a unit on historical fiction with an engaging writing lesson. Learners bring the Industrial Era to life as they compose their own historical fiction pieces based on primary source images of Pittsburgh steel workers.
Lakeshore Learning
Winter Bear Warm-Up
Don't be left out in the cold, ensure young learners are prepared for the winter weather with this clothing activity. After introducing them to different clothing items using the provided picture cards, young scholars sing a song before...
Practical Money Skills
Making Money
Prepare your class for a life of financial literacy and stability with a unit about making money. Three lessons guides learners through the process of preparing a resume, interviewing for a job, and reading a pay stub.
Federal Reserve Bank
Worth!
Before loaning a friend money, what factors would you consider and why would you lend it? Your young economists will face questions like these in a lesson plan on banking, profit, risk, and reward, which includes the reading of the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Running Around a Track II
On your mark, get set, GO! The class sprints toward the conclusions in a race analysis activity. The staggered start of the 400-m foot race is taken apart in detail, and then learners step back and develop some overall race strategy...
Curated OER
Maximize Your Product
Students complete multiplication problems in real life situations. In this multiplication lesson plan, students complete 2 digit problems in a "Carnival Candy" problem.
Curated OER
Youth Dealing With Homophobia:Stories From Real Life
Students read testimonials of real gay and lesbian teenagers dealing with homophobia. They discuss how to create an environment that respects all persons regardless of sexual orientation. They discuss a variety of emotions that these...
Curated OER
Real Life Challenge
Ninth graders read and examine narratives, review chronologies, consider ideas, and analyze trends in order to understand the past and present. In this American History instructional activity, 9th graders examine cause and effect,...
Curated OER
Discussion Director
In this discussion activity worksheet, students read the descriptions of several individual roles for book discussion groups. Students then complete specific activities based on the role they take.
Curated OER
Virtual Field Trip
This hands-on resource has future trip planners analyze graphs of mileage, gasoline costs, and travel time on different routes. While this was originally designed for a problem-solving exercise using a Michigan map, it could be used as a...
Curated OER
Ordering Integers
Sixth and seventh graders compare and order integers. After locating integers in a newspaper, they describe examples of negative and positive integers. They draw a thermometer and locate positive and negative integers on the scale. In...
Curated OER
Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe: What is Beautiful?
Learners consider the notion of beauty and what impact the media and popular culture have on it. In this cross curricular lesson, students examine print ads, write down and share their thoughts on them. Then learners form literary groups...
Curated OER
Dandelion Wine: Socratic Seminar
There are “a million things to talk about. . .” in Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine; however, the focus of this socratic seminar is the issue of living and dying. Class members prepare for the discussion by writing about their own views of...
Academy of American Poets
We Sing America
Pair the famous poems "I Hear America Singing," by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes, with a more recent poem by Elizabeth Alexander called "Praise Song for the Day" to demonstrate a theme and introduce your...
Do2Learn
Responding to Questions
Why is it important to answer a question? Assist learners with their growing communication skills with an information sheet that explains how questions are meant to gather information.
Science Matters
That’s An Otter Story
Young scientists discover how sea otters' habitats have changed due to human impact. Through conversation, video observation, and story reading, scholars identify how human interactions change a specific ecosystem in both positive and...
Curated OER
Literary Comparison
Compare and contrast two pieces of literature with this lesson. With the use of a Venn diagram, pupils make connections between literature and real-life situations. They practice skills of surveying a text looking for important details,...