Lead your class in a discussion about how they believe money influences politics. After reading "Go Ahead, Try to Stop K Street" from the New York Times, they evaluate the claims in the article about the current lobbyist scandal in...

Do research projects at your school look like a class of eighth graders staring at a blank screen? Use the Big 6 research method to guide middle schoolers through the process of finding a topic, searching for and evaluating sources,...

Eighth grades can master the ELA Common Core standards! Show your learners the connection between classroom activities and assignments and the standards with this set of "I Can" statement posters. Each standard has been rewritten as an...

How close are your eighth graders to mastering the ELA Common Core standards? Keep an eye on progress with these charts, which include every eighth grade identifier and full standard text. As you move through the year and teach,...

A new form of standardized testing? Learners evaluate arguments for and against the use of computer-based standardized tests in schools. They express their views through discussion and explore the views of others through the creation and...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] Learn strategies for evaluating and revising an essay so that it contains relevant information and valid inferences.

Analyze the quality, relevance, and credibility of evidence that supports or opposes an argument.

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] Analyze the quality, relevance, and credibility of evidence that supports or opposes an argument.

Analysis of The Real Pocahontas shows how to distinguish between fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment. Provides a practice activity.