Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" serves as an exemplar for a mini-activity on semicolons. Working alone or in small groups, class members first circle all the semicolons in the letter, and then consider how...

Take an in-depth look at the historical events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in this 69-slide PowerPoint. Photos, facts, and transcripts are outlined in this presentation in order to answer the stated essential question in slide 2: "What...

Although designed for those new to teaching phonemic awareness, the strategies and activities included in this 25-page packet are sure to engage kids and help them develop these essential skills.

Do the ends justify the means? Getting a drug approved in the US is a long and involved process. But at some point out, it involves testing on humans. The ethics of such testing is the focus of a resource that uses Dr. Albert...

Tener, the Spanish word meaning to have, is an essential vocabulary word for beginning Spanish speakers. Provide them with these five questions to assess their understanding of the verb in context. Consider having them translate each...

Sixth graders create a powerpoint presentation about a research topic of their choice. They brainstorm several topics to identify an essential question that they would like to research. Using traditional and technological resources, 6th...

How did the struggle for Civil Rights during the 1950s transform American society and politics? Why are American schools integrated today? Class members explore these essential questions by examining a series of primary and secondary...

What makes an effective team? Scholars explore the question with fun teambuilding activities. Additionally, they learn about the common characteristics of effective teams. Pupils also participate in a think-pair-share to understand the...

Young scholars engage in scientifically oriented questions. They give priority to evidence, draw conclusions/formulate explanations and connect/evaluate explanations with scientific knowledge. Students communicate and justify proposed...

Even though they may not be tested on standardized assessments, social skills are vital for students to develop during their years in school. Through a series of discussions, activities, and role-playing exercises,...

A thorough and well-designed resource for older students, this lesson focuses on Chaucer's character the Wife of Bath from his classic novel, The Canterbury Tales. As a way of understanding Chaucer's complex characterization and...

How do artists affect and how are artists affected by the time periods in which they live? Learners examine the life and work of controversial and influential cultural artist Patti Smith as they seek answers to this essential question....

From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...

Students will investigate the Greek Mythology of gods and goddesses. This is a large unit and a mind map will be developed. An essential question will be answered to encourage students to develop higher thinking skills.

For this online interactive literature worksheet, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. Students may check some of their answers online.

Students discuss what causes conflicts amongst groups especially pertaining to Native American tribes. In this conflicts lesson plan, students have discussion questions that they verbally answer and write in a journal.

Agriculture, deforestation, and urbanization. How have human's changed the planet and how might we mitigate the effects of human activity on the planet? To answer these questions class members research the changes in human land use from...

What are the essentials needed for a backpacking trip? What does minimum impact mean? What are some general safety tips? These are the things to think about when planning a backpacking trip. This lesson has handouts included for...

Students discover that some of the influences ancient myths have had on the way of life still practiced today in a Spanish speaking country they have chosen. They work in small groups to devise their own essential question, research...