Seventh graders examine American policies to relocate Native Americans. For this Native American history lesson, 7th graders determine why Native Americans were relocated and investigate their response to the policies as they analyze...

Learners explore how different people interpret the separation of church and state and how these different interpretations affect their actions. They develop group speeches for a town hall meeting and participate in town hall meeting.

Third graders develop multi-paragraph compositions. They include an introduction, first and second level support, and a conclusion. They use a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound/complex) and sentence types (i.e.,...

Students select a Colorado animal, develop a Directed Web page, and research their animal. Each member of the group combine their research and develop a Newsletter.

Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the reform movements of the mid-1800's in the U.S. They participate in an Internet scavenger hunt, analyze primary source documents, and develop and perform a simulation of a mid-19th century...

Students read and discuss a news article about a memorial being built in honor of Dr. King in Washington D.C. They develop a list of facts about Dr. King, complete a fill-in-the blank activity, answer article comprehension questions,...

In this presidential election worksheet, students research the 2008 presidential candidates and create a booklet of candidate profiles that clearly differentiate each one. They also assume the identity of one of the candidates and hold a...

Seventh graders examine the implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In this slavery lesson, 7th graders examine a map of 1820 America and discuss the balance of power implied by the map. Students then read Stephen Douglas's speech on...

Learners use the newspaper as a tool to make connections about what the five freedoms guarantee in the First Amendment. In this first amendment lesson plan, students analyze events in the newspaper to form conclusions about the freedoms...

Class members select a science fiction novel for independent study. To verify they have completed the reading, they write a summary, a critique, and an outline of the plot for a sequel or prequel. They then deliver a five-minute...

High schoolers participate in a simulation that asks them to work as staffers for a candidate running for office. They are assigned to design, administer, and analyze a simple poll on an important community issue. Students develop a...

Students use different types and lengths of sentences. They write with an insight of the stylistic aspects of composition. Students use precise language including adjectives, adverbs, action verbs and specific details that convey the...

Learners practice combining sentences using the conjunction handout provided. They search magazines and newspapers to identify combined sentences that use conjunctions. Finally, these are rewritten again as two separate sentences.

Give your young grammarians practice with nouns. With this five-question worksheet, they read the sentence, select the noun to the right that completes the sentence the best, and write the word in the blank. 

Descriptive writing is a must for students to understand. Using adverbs and adjectives, they turn simple sentences into works of art. Each simple sentence gets a descriptive make-over. This lesson suggests using Laptops and SMART board...

Translate transition words for your class with this handout and brief exercise. Fairly straightforward and informative, it includes sample sentences and a working link to a more complete list of transition words. There are two different...

Use fables as a fun way for English Language Learners to gain confidence and fluency in their reading and speaking skills. After reading a fable in class, they retell their story to a group of their peers. When this jigsaw activity is...

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...

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.

Students use their knowledge of verbs to write poems about the wind.

Learners examine the history of Spanish in what is now the United States. They examine the current language status of the Hispanic population. Students are able to characterize Spanglish and Chicano English. They examine some features...

Students read selections from the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Wilmot Proviso of 1846. They contrast the maps of 1820 and 1854 to analyze developments in the national debate over slavery. They...

Have you ever studied historical words and found that they were deeply rooted in racism or prejudice? Select a long list of these words to have your class examine. What familiar roots do they have? Do they know when this word originally...

Twelfth graders discuss current suffering, population, and food concerns in a poor area of the world. Next, 12th graders pretend that they are the leader of a country and are concerned about the future of the people. Students work in...