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

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...

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...

Students 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...

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...

Learners 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...

Learners improve speaking confidence when using difficult question forms. This lesson focuses on helping students explain how to engage in this kind of social conversation. A worksheet imbedded in this plan provides practice.

This resource outlines several general activities for a study of Ancient Rome, and includes guiding questions, a handout on the story of Romulus and Remus, and ideas for incorporating mapping and timeline activities into your review.

First graders compare their local area with the Belize landscape. They construct maps of the school area, adding descriptive information. They write haiku poems about their favorite outside places.

Students are able to use inquiry to answer the essential questions. They are able to predict and test configurations of a battery, bulb, and wire that make the complete circuit. Students craft a group and individual theory of a...

Give your math class a comprehensive understanding of bar graphs with this series of lessons. The resource is divided into three parts, and all of the accompanying worksheets are included. The class will study different bar graphs,...

Practice reading strategies using Elizabeti's Doll by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen. Readers utilize decoding and comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading the story. A detailed list of text features, high frequency words,...

Students write with a sharp, distinct focus identifying topic, task and audience. They discuss anticipatory statements with supporting details. Students create an essential question at the beginning of a composition, novel, or unit.

Seventh graders answer the following problem based lesson with the essential question, "Which city or town in Canada would adequately meet my family's needs for relocation?" They present their city and provide rationale for its...

Third graders create reports in the fashion of small books. They write brief descriptions for a variety of topics and answering a variety of questions. They create a picture book for their individual animals. They utilize basic computer...

Seventh graders explore stars. In this star lesson, 7th graders apply generalities about space objects to constellations and explore the differences between radio waves and light waves by answering essential questions in their research.