Minnesota Literacy Council
Grapes of Wrath and Pronouns
Many regard John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as the great American novel. The lesson plan combines a variety of strategies, including partner work, independent practice, creative writing, grammar instruction, and small group...
National Wildlife Federation
An Inconvenient Truth in the Classroom
Global warming — what a hot topic! A thorough unit challenges learners to research, read, explore, and write about carbon, its role and increasing nature in our atmosphere, and how global warming is affecting lives and environments...
Read Write Think
Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot!
Have you ever looked for a new way to teach an old concept? Scholars thinking about the rising action of a story in a whole new perspective. However, Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot! challenges readers and allows for much...
Curated OER
Subject/ Predicate
It's your basic subject/ predicate identification learning exercise here. Perfect for middle schoolers reviewing the subject and predicate,. This 13-question learning exercise is straightforward and simple.
Curated OER
Writing a How-To Paper
Students discover that when writing a how-to paper, they are telling readers how to do something such as cook a particular recipe. They then choose one of the provided topics and write their own how-to paper.
Curated OER
Poetry Explication and Analysis Using "In Her Shoes"
Students explore language arts by viewing movie clips in class. In this poetry analysis lesson, students view scenes from the movie "In Her Shoes" and define what poetry is. Students read the poem "One Art" and identify its rhymes and...
Curated OER
I Highly Recommend It
Sixth graders read, "The Watsons Go to Birmingham", and submit a critical review to Amazon Website online by copying and pasting their text onto the site.
Curated OER
Mixed Plate
Young scholars locate a sample restaurant review in a newspaper or magazine. They examine the review to find the opinion of the reviewer and discuss reviews that convey mixed opinions. They compose an original review in a similar style...
Curated OER
Tales From The Tummy
Learners use creative writing in order to review the digestive system and other various parts of the human body. They write a creative story about a hamburger and the journey it takes during digestion. The lesson includes key words that...
Curated OER
Disco - Voices of a New Generation
Students analyze lyrics of selected Disco songs for content, theme and vocabulary. They write an extended response citing specific lyrics in response to three general themes.
Curated OER
Review of the Five Senses
Students investigate the five senses. In this human biology lesson, students are given five items and identify which items match best with each of the senses. Students use objects such as a rock, hard candy, and a flower.
Curated OER
Proportionally Speaking!
Pupils are introduced to the concept of proportions. In groups, they practice solving equations and identify the fraction and ratio as well. They complete a worksheet following the steps outlined to them to review the concept.
Curated OER
Movie Metaphors of Canadian Prime Ministers
Students research the life and public service record of various prime ministers and assign a movie title to each prime minister. Groups must agree on the movie assigned to each PM, and explain their reasoning for choice.
Curated OER
Lesson 25: The Great Chicago Fire Must Become a Movie
Students write a persuasive letter asking James Cameron to choose their disaster for his next movie.
Curated OER
All Clause Review
In this clause instructional activity, students write an "I'm thinking of..." statement and other students try to guess what it is the student is thinking of. There are 9 written out on the instructional activity.
Curated OER
How To Read A Movie
Ninth graders respond to films they have seen using literary, dramatic, and cinematic terms. They reevaluate their role as a moviegoer. Students analyze their favorite film in order to discover what good films have in common.
John F. Kennedy Center
Comparing Cultural Holidays
A lesson examines the holidays, Día de los Muertos and Halloween. After an exciting clip from the movie Coco, class members review vocabulary and discuss what they know about Halloween. The conversation leads into the history of Día de...
Curated OER
Gift of the Magi Lesson Plan 3
Explore the literary concept of theme through the The Gift of the Magi. Starting with a class discussion, the concept of theme is explored through examples from famous stories and movies. Next, the class analyzes the possible themes of...
Curated OER
War Story Documentary
Students research and create an aspect of a war. They practice on writing a bibliography and essays.
Curated OER
Troublesome Word Pairs
This worksheet helps to understand when to use commonly confused words. It includes definitions, writing exercises, and questions that require paraphrasing the meaning of sentences. A good exercise for middle schoolers, or review for...
Curated OER
Guided Journal
Students complete Dossier handouts that define qualities of fictional journal characters, and then write journal entries with specific grammar requirements, while assuming identity of fictional adults.
University of North Carolina
Blogs
The blogosphere may be overwhelmed with content, but there's still room for unique points of view. Creating a blog that stands out, however, is the bigger challenge. A handout on blogs, part of a series of handouts on specific writing...
Curated OER
Volcanoes A-Z
Students examine terminology related to the study of volcanoes, geology, or the ecosystems that surround them. They make note of key words while reading exhibits, interpretive signs, or labels, or hearing them from each other, their...
Curated OER
Other Interrogative Words
Review how to use interrogative words correctly in sentences. Middle schoolers read a short section of instructions and examples, and ask a question about the underlined words in seven sentences. Answers are provided at the bottom of the...