Following a review of how to research and take notes, scholars define the term paraphrase and identify ways to organize information and finish reports. To put their newfound knowledge to the test, learners interview a peer, take notes,...

How do scientists know they're right? Truth be told, they don't always know. Explore the scientific process using mystery tubes in an insightful activity. Young scientists discover how to approach and solve problems in science, how ideas...

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,...

Help learners build trust and develop verbal and non-verbal communication skills with a variety of interactive activities outlined in this resource.

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 site offers a phenomenal plan for assembling a culturally diverse journalism team to work on a story (or series of stories) of social significance. This extensive guideline provides step by step instructions. (Note: some links may...

This Skillswise site focuses on listening for specifics. Included are a video about why learning how to do this, fact sheets and worksheets for instruction, quizzes on the information presented, and games to practice the skill. The...

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...

Comprehensive guide with 17 areas of suggestions and tips for delivering a successful class presentation. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4, SL.11-12.4 Presentation

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, young scholars can learn great interview skills that can be helpful in future college and job interviews.

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.

An article about public speaking that presents various strategies for recovering when one forgets what to say.

Over 20 useful tips on technical writing and public speaking. Many different categories within each topic are discussed. For public speaking tips, CLICK on the highlighted CLICK HERE at the end of paragraph 1.