Frost Middle School
Write Your Own Greek Myth
Invite your pupils to create original Greek characters and myths for their characters to star in. Similar to a traditional Greek myth, the story must explain a natural phenomenon, depict a struggle between good and evil characters, and...
Curated OER
Dealing with Peer Influence: What Are Bullying and Harassment? Lesson 1 of 2
Fifth graders review definitions of bullying and harassment, respond to real-life bullying scenario from news, television, or movie, brainstorm possible solutions and consequences for negative behavior, and discuss how their peers...
PACER Center
The Peer Advocacy Guide
Teasing, mocking, and disrespect can be the hallmarks in the life of those with disabilities. Disrupt the cycle of abuse with a toolkit designed to turn peers into advocates for all those who are bullied. Everything needed to create a...
Curated OER
Writing Folktales
Young scholars consider the structure of folktales. In this writing skills lesson, students list the attributes of folktales that they read in class. Young scholars then complete handouts based on the elements of the tales as well as...
Virginia Department of Education
Writing for Workplace and Postsecondary Correspondence
Create or expand your college essay and career unit with a business and postsecondary writing activity. The exercise works for college-bound or job-hunting junior or senior learners. They bring their research concerning a college or...
Curated OER
Changing Seasons
Explore expository writing and using precise language in this descriptive paragraph writing lesson. Learners brainstorm prior knowledge about the changing seasons in Ohio. They describe seasonal items, view seasonal pictures from...
National History Day
Heroes Who Made a Difference: Memorializing a Distinguished Service Cross Award Recipient
Ever wonder how to memorialize World War I heroes in the classroom? Activities in a high-quality social studies resource prompt middle schoolers to research Internet sources, complete a graphic organizer, and write an editorial feature...
Curated OER
The Civil War: Learning from Our Peers
Fifth graders discover the Civil War as taught by their peers. In this Civil War lesson plan, 5th graders create their own lesson plans to teach the class about the Civil War. The students are monitored by the teacher but are given...
Curated OER
Honesty in Writing
Eighth graders analyze the conveyance of honesty in written products. In this writing skills instructional activity, 8th graders discuss bias and fabrication in writing. Students practice sincere writing as they write statements...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights
In groups, learners review one of four selected Supreme Court cases. The whole class watches a video introducing the four cases, and then small groups dive into Internet research in an attempt to write a two-paragraph summary of the...
Committee for Children
Students Learn to Stop Rumors Before They Start
Two activities look at how rumors are spread and ways class members can stop them. The first activity brings forth an in-depth conversation about how reporters gather information to write articles and how students can implement the same...
Curated OER
Writing the Position Paper
Students write position papers on a form of alternative energy production. They use several class periods to develop and write their paper and them participate in an extensive peer review session.
Curated OER
Out of Old England in the 1630s-Flat Me Project
Learners write letters to penpals. In this geography/literacy lesson, students become penpals with a classroom in England to learn about customs and society across the ocean. Flat Stanley by Will Holton is read aloud, and learners...
Curated OER
Creative Writing/Historical Journals
Students write series of journal entries, from the perspective of an immigrant traveling to America via Ellis Island.
Polk Bros Foundation
This Week's Social Studies Journal
This worksheet is ideal for a bell-ringer/writing warm-up in your class to review what was learned in a previous lesson, and includes identifying important terms and facts associated with a historical topic. Encourage learners to...
Curated OER
Biopoem
Reinforce the actions, emotions, and characteristics that determine what a character is like by having your middle schoolers create a biopoem using the model presented here. You could engage them first by having them write a poem about...
John F. Kennedy Center
Comparing Cultural Holidays
A lesson plan 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...
Curated OER
Editing
Fourth graders edit their previously written essay rough drafts with a partner in this instructional activity. They apply the revision process using a revision checklist, then revise independently. They conference with the teacher...
Curated OER
Duking It Out
Young scholars read and discuss 'Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra: Mixing Treasures by Duke Ellington and Edvard Grieg,' exploring how jazz transformed European music and the influence jazz has had on modern music. They write musical reviews.
EngageNY
Researching and Note-Taking: Becoming an Expert on a Colonial Trade
Fourth graders work in small groups to become experts on different colonial trades in the eighth instructional activity of this unit. Working toward the long-term goal of writing a piece of historical fiction, young scholars read...
Peace Corps
Introducing Culture
Growing up within a culture leaves a lot of ideas and values unspoken. Take a closer look at the cultures in which your learners live with a discussion activity that addresses cultural identity and traits of those living within the...
Curated OER
All About Me
Students complete various biographical and autobiographical writing activities. They write an autobiographical essay, biopoem, biographical essay, and design and decorate a bag presenting character traits.
Curated OER
Winter Wonderland: Internet Literature Project
Students, using the Internet, communicate with peers around the world about winter-themed books. They study authors, write book reviews, re-write endings, interview book characters, create scene dioramas, paint murals, and write...
Curated OER
Conflict and Cooperation
After reviewing this ten-slide PowerPoint, students will be able to "distinguish between conflict and cooperation" amongst their peers. The presentation outlines the differences with pictures which students are asked to observe and...