Learn about the destruction of the rainforest by analyzing statistics. Young learners make an original line graph showing destruction in the rainforest. Additional activities include making a collage, sequencing Dr. Seuss' The...

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,...

Motivate young scientists to stand up and take action with this environmental science lesson. To begin, the class works in small groups brainstorming actions that support the conservation of the earth before creating and implementing an...

Develop a system of classroom rules created by the kids, for the kids with this three-part lesson series on the US Constitution. After learning about the structure of the Constitution and the government it established, young...

Practice public speaking in this oral presentation lesson. Middle schoolers list the characteristics of a powerful speaker. They watch a video of two speakers, compare them and discuss the qualities of a good speech. Afterwards, they...

Peers discuss cyberbullying and how they can defend their friends that may be bullied online and offline. They discover the value in showing empathy for those who have been cyberbullied. Class members then generate multiple...

Use a Huffington Post article focused on false pictures of Hurricane Sandy to launch a discussion about the reliability of online information. Groups compare and contrast how print and broadcast media regulate...

This Michigan State University site suggests three question-answer relationships strategies, rather than four, leaving out "author and you." Includes examples of each relationship, steps for teaching, and assessment.

How can we use questioning to create lead sentences and details in order to create a purposeful paragraph? This PDF lesson offers an organization technique that asks learners to pre-plan paragraphs by brainstorming interesting questions...

An interesting approach to how to analyze a speech. Presents a rhetorical pentangle as well as a rhetorical triangle, where each of the vertices represents an item to analyze. There is also an outline of the different areas to examine in...

An effective use of rubrics that encourages the student storyteller how to determine if his/her audience is listening. Learn about the different listening skill rubrics, storytelling rubrics and a self-assessment guide that asks the...

This is an article that discusses the importance of phone interviewing skills. It gives some brief advice on things to avoid during such an interview.

Explore effective interview questions. By choosing questions that are open-ended and important to them, students can learn great interview skills that can be helpful in future college and job interviews.

If you need help working with your students on questioning a text or if you are working on higher-level questioning skills, this is a simple and helpful site. Printable resources available from site.

Two rubrics to assess a listener's attention during a storytelling session. The first is used to record frequency of audience reactions. The second is used to access the listener's level of comprehension.

As part of a revision and writing section of BBC Bitesize, this site goes over several tips of general advice to keep in mind when writing about observations (as part of descriptive writing).