Curated OER
Author's Purpose: Research Process/Narrative Writing Techniques
Determine the author's purpose in writing a memoir. Eighth graders work in groups to elicit author's purpose in memoirs, taking care to note how subtle the message can be hidden throughout the work. This lesson is a good way to...
Curated OER
The Purpose and Power of Persuasion
Examine the power of persuasion and have learners consider how it influences events in their own lives. After reading and analyzing informational texts to understand the author's purpose, class members take a written test and craft a...
Idaho State Department of Education
Lessons for Social Studies Educators
Point of view, purpose, and tone: three concepts readers of primary and secondary source materials must take into account when examining documents. Class members view a PowerPoint presentation and use the SOAPS strategy to identify an...
Random House
Focus On: Censorship & Banned Books
Billy Collins' "Rain" introduces the Random House 104-page magazine for educators that focuses on censorship and banned books. The resource is packed with teaching guides, articles by noted authors, and links to organizations against...
Curated OER
Gaining Perspective
Discuss race in the United States. Start by having each learner read a copy of Martin Luther King Jr's famous speech, "I Have a Dream." Then, have them read the article "Shared Prayers, Mixed Blessings" about a church in Atlanta,...
Folger Shakespeare Library
Julius Caesar Curriculum Guide
Julius Caesar need not be Greek to kids. The background information and suggestions for teachers, as well as the activities for learners, make this curriculum guide a must-have for your Shakespeare curriculum library.
Curated OER
Eating Over the Rainbow
Students examine their own diets, and then redesign the USDA's Food Pyramid to reflect nutrition experts' latest advice. They read and discuss The Color of Nutrition: Fruits and Vegetables, which is an article imbedded in this plan.
Teaching Matters
Welcome to Writing Poetry
Your pupils are poets, and now they'll be able to show it with the exercises in this packet. The lessons, designed for beginner, intermediate, and experienced poets, not only feature a variety of poetic forms, but take learners through...
Curated OER
Where I'm From: Imitative Poem
Students analyze 'Where I'm From' by George Ella Lyon. In this poetry lesson plan students examine the content and structure of the poem and mimic it to create a similar poem of their own.
Curated OER
An Ounce of Prevention...
Students discuss current H.I.V. prevention strategies and adapt these strategies to address the spread of H.I.V. in developing countries. They analyze the results of an international AIDS conference called "The Urgent Search for an AIDS...
Curated OER
Variety Is the Spice of Cellular Life
Do you need to review animal cell structure? Investigate the ways in which different types of cells interact in a common human reflex. Your students can explore the functions of stem cells, consider various illnesses and assess stem...
Curated OER
Call of The Wild
Prompt your class to interact with Jack London's Call of the Wild. By analyzing the events in the novel, middle schoolers discover how human experiences create who a person becomes. They critique and analyze the reading, focusing on...
Curated OER
Conventions - Punctuation Research
Study unusual punctuation marks in this punctuation lesson. Young grammarians work in small groups to research one of the unusual punctuation marks (semi-colon, colon, dash, comma, ellipses, or quotation marks) and discuss how the mark...
Curated OER
Analyzing Elements of a Memoir
Young scholars analyze and identify elements of memoirs. In this literature lesson students explore qualities to listen for while the teacher reads a memoir; they then break into groups and analyze a memoir independently.
Curated OER
In a Class of Their Own
Students explore taxonomy and how birds are classified in this scientific system. They use this knowledge to create entries for a field guide to birds that can be used to identify different species.
Curated OER
Changing Times, Changing Strategies
Students explore the C.D.C.'s efforts to become better equipped to battle bioterrorism; they then discuss surveillance, epidemiological, and communications issues related to their program.
Curated OER
Pranks With Paint
Young scholars consider what they already know about graffiti and explore the pranks and work of a graffiti artist. They research a famous painting and create original artwork by adding thoughtful graffiti to it.
Curated OER
Protect the Skin You're in
Students explore the importance of sun safety in relationship to skin cancer prevention. They test the effectiveness of various sunscreens and administer and analyze a simple survey to their peers. In addition, they implement a public...
Curated OER
Anatomy of a Book
Pupils reference books to become familiar with locating information necessary for citing resources in a research paper. In this technical writing lesson students work in groups to find the answers to prepared questions.
Curated OER
Torn Paper Collage Portrait
Young scholars watch demonstrations on how to create a collage out of different materials. Using town paper, they create their self-portrait and view art by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. To end the lesson, they discuss a career in...
Curated OER
Extreme Work Makeover
Students revise paragraphs for effective word choice. In this effective word choice lesson, students analyze a paragraph for purpose, audience, development, and conventions. Students identify commonly overused words and rewrite a...
Curated OER
Research and Technical Writing
Students summarize information from their research on to note-cards. In this technical writing lesson students examine examples of note-cards that contain main ideas from research previously conducted. They will then compose their own...
Curated OER
Moonwalking to Mars?
Students examine a quote from George W. Bush's recent speech on space exploration. They evaluate one writer's stance on Bush's space exploration goals by reading and discussing "Plea to Policy Makers: Let's Take Another Giant Step." In...
Curated OER
W.A.R. (Wars Are Real)
Eighth graders research America's involvement in wars and conflicts throughout its history. They are assigned a specific war or conflict and then research basic facts and what society was like in the era of their research. They present...