The seventh lesson plan in this unit on colonial trade assesses fourth graders' ability to use details from an informational text to make inferences and create a piece of informative writing. The included assessment begins with learners...

Search a variety of sources to create a multimedia or book project about Japan. Learners use the independent investigation method to plan and conduct research about Japan. They use the information they discover to create a computer book...

One only has to watch MSMBC and FOX News to realize that media can present the same story in very different ways. Middle schoolers have an opportunity to test their ability to determine the validity and trustworthiness of information by...

The fabulous four. Scholars learn the four key components for creating an excellent journal entry. They then work to create a journal entry rubric and participate in a mini lesson about organizing and outlining journal entries. 

Let's ask an expert. Scholars divide into groups to research and become experts on either ants or butterflies. Learners use task cards and text on their topic to complete a note catcher. At the end, they share their information with a...

Come explore with me. Scholars complete an end of the unit assessment in which they write an essay describing how Meg Lowman explored the rainforest canopy. Pupils fill in an outline organizer before beginning their writing.

Primary and secondary sources are the focus of a lesson that showcases the important role women played during the American Revolution. Pairs review sources and discuss their findings. A close-reading of an informational text leads the...

Could you go without your cell phone for 48 hours? Pose this question to your class and then read the article provided here. Pupils mark the text and and complete a graphic organizer that requires the use of textual evidence.

Support a class reading of the novel Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor with this series of discussion questions. Covering a variety of topics from character and setting to historical accuracy and symbolism, these questions...

Considering a research paper for freshman and sophomores? Here's a template designed to meet the W.9-10.7 and 8 Common Core writing standards. Writers outline their research question, claims, counterarguments, support, commentary, and...

"How can a magazine reflect a particular time and culture?" Using this prompt, your class explores the Victorian Era as it relates to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. They can also play the "Victorian Women's Rights" game for the year 1840...

Do you have a lot of different reading levels in your class? Pair kids up by level and have them choose a book to read independently. They will make predictions, ask questions, make connections, etc. Consider creating a general reading...

How do different themes and motifs develop in Shakespeare's Macbeth? As your class begins reading Act Two, have them use the provided document to track themes such as ambition, conscience, and reality (among others). On the second page,...

 A directive on how to use evidence to support an argument, the text-heavy slides in this presentation define salient terms but offer few specific examples to illustrate concepts.

In what ways does serological evidence help solve a crime? This comprehensive learning tutorial explores what information can be determined from a drop of blood and how blood typing is done. Learn what information we get from blood stain...

How is DNA evidence analyzed? What makes DNA evidence unique? This comprehensive interactive tutorial explores how old or degraded samples can be analyzed for DNA as well as how DNA profiles are stored.

In this comprehensive interactive tutorial you will investigate the area of forensic science and how the various types of evidence differ. Learn what types of crimes involve glass and soil and what ways these types of evidence are...

Students analyze and evaluate an author's use of reasoning and evidence to support his or her claims in order to convince others to agree and to support the cause the author supports.

In this activity, Students can use colorimetry to determine the concentration of a colored species in a solution and use a linear relationship to model Beer's law. They use Beer's law to determine the concentration of...

In this unit, students will gain background information on historic wars. Student will compare different media forms about these events, attend to different perspectives, research the unit's essential question, and then write an...

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