Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass provides the text for a study of how writers bring characters to life. Using the provided character mapping worksheets, readers respond to questions and then write a short character sketch.

This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...

Dig in deeper with Robert Frost's, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Learners will read and discuss poems by Robert Frost and learn the meaning of terms such as narrative and personal. They journal, collaborate, and present poetry...

Pupils share examples of good sportsmanship, then read a news article about a team helping an injured player score a home run. The teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students read the news...

As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...

The proper way to connect ideas in a sentence is covered in the comprehensive resource. First, learners discuss how to use and, but, and or to connect ideas. Then, they explore the use of other commonly used words. Finally, they look at...

Who says scientists are boring geeks? Certainly not the narrator of a short video who dishes up the scandals associated with Tycho Brahe, a Danish scientist and alchemist (now that's two labels you don't often see together) who used...

The threat posed by super volcanoes is explored in a short video that reviews the destruction caused by Mount Tambora in 1815 and by Peru's Huaynaputina in 1600. Think it can't happen again? The narrator contends that the explosive...

Students construct a mockup of a volcano by crumbling up newspapers and piling them into the shape of a volcano. They place a tarp over the newspapers making sure the tarp is large enough to simulate a flat area at the volcano's base....

In this probability activity, students solve eight math problems involving various scenarios enveloped with the concept of probability. Lastly analyze specific data frequencies to draw a histogram.

Zip through 13 physics problems with force! Equations are printed in large text in the upper-right corner of the page. Pupils change friction forces, deal directly with Newton's second and third laws of motion, and name fundamental...

Introduce the topic of water conservation with a little drama. Dressed as snowflakes, hail stones, or rain drops class members dramatize the events in a narration of the water cycle. The series of lessons that follow focus on...

Students identify the biomes of the Earth and their characteristics. They discuss their favorite seasons and the weather. They share their favorites with the class.

English learners practice using "because," "because of," "due to the fact that," and "due to" correctly. A brief explanation of the correct usage of these phrases is provided, as well as twenty-two questions for learners to practice.

As a review of poetry and literary terms, this resource would be a great addition in a middle school classroom. There are questions involving sonnets, similies, haikus, and more. An instructor could use this resource as is, or add...

It's raining! It's pouring! Your class will not be snoring when viewing this presentation. Cloud formation and types are explained in the first half. Forms of precipitation are detailed in the second half. Concepts are explained...

Extreme weather can be frightning and as young readers find out, deadly. They read the New York Times artcle Taken by Storm and then answer eight comprehension questions. Note: Learners can post their thoughts about the article on...

Can you tell which words rhyme? Choose a body part as a starting word (i.e. head) and begin saying words to see if learners can identify those that rhyme. Does red rhyme with head? Continue giving examples, some...

Access your senses with a worksheet on sensory language. Based on Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, the worksheet prompts kids to find examples of each of the five senses, as well as phrases for inner emotion. 

Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass serves as the anchor text for a lesson on symbolism. Readers use the provided worksheets to examine the symbols in the novel as well as in the world around them.

Adjectives can appear anywhere in a sentence, so spotting the nouns they describe can be tricky. Practice identifying parts of speech with a quick review worksheet in which learners circle the nouns in eight sentences that each adjective...

Students investigate the relationship of the steps in the water cycle, and create a simulation of the water cycle in a jar.

Simulated acid rain, a dilute sulfuric acid solution, needs to be prepared for this demonstration. After a condensed lecture on acid rain, you will apply the solution to a sample of granite and a sample of limestone. Your young...

Students read several fairy tales of Russian origin. They brainstorm common elements of a fairy tale and identify those elements in several examples. They retell a favorite fairy tale through a skit, oral storytelling, a sketch, or a...