Railways are an integral part of the history of California. Using a timeline format, class members connect major historical events to the rise of the railroads and their impact on the state. Activities include a mix of independent and...

How can you tell if a prompt is expository or narrative? Help your learners identify key words in writing prompts to determine how they should craft their essays.

Why would a banana use suntan lotion? Find the solution to the riddle by completing a math worksheet. Kids convert fractions to equivalent fractions and match letters at the bottom of the page.

Learners research information about the Mayflower, Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony, the Wampanoags, and the first Thanksgiving. They take an online tour of the Mayflower, interpret timelines, create a postcard, and compare and...

Students complete a variety of writing and yearbook activities to complete the school year. They write a letter to the student that will sit in their desk the next school year, and a letter to their next year's teacher. As a culminating...

Students research the pilgrims in terms of why they left England, their voyage to America, the challenges they faced when they arrived, and their relationship with the American Indians. To conclude this unit, the students have a...

Learn about mosses and ferns through slideshows and quiz found on this interactive site.

"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle is a Newbery Winning book. The BookFiles offers a excellent reading guide with thoughtful questions. It includes information on the author, vocabulary, as well as summaries on character, setting,...

This is a comprehensive aid to leading research projects about military operations in World War II.

Students can use this page as a jumping off page to do research on Spanish missions in California. There are numerous links to Scholastic articles and to other websites on subtopics such as missionaries, Franciscans and places in...

Life is very different for students in urban and rural communities. Find out how these differences impact their everyday lives and experiences in the classroom.

An interactive site that has students follow the Lewis and Clark's expedition. As they travel west, they are able to collect objects on their journey and put them in their specimen box. They also take notes on their specimens so they can...

Peruse this general history of the philosophy of Confucianism.

Read about the need for a Bill of Rights to be added to the Constitution. Find out what each of the first ten amendments means.

Newbery Award Winner, "Sounder", by William H. Armstrong, is about a sharecropping family and their hunting dog, Sounder. Overarching themes of this novel are courage, family, racial injustice, the importance of education, and hope. Make...

"My Side of the Mountain", is a Newbery Honor, by Jean Craighead George. This book is about Sam Gribley's adventure in the Catskill Mountains. The novel's themes are nature, independence, survival, and adventure. Make the smart choice by...

"Out of the Dust", a Newbery Award Winning, poetic book by Karen Hesse. The heroine, Billie Joe, faces issues of forgiveness and healing during the Dust Bowl. The story is set in Oklahoma, during the Great Depression. Make a smart choice...

Lois Lowry's, "The Giver", is an Newbery Award novel. Themes of "The Giver" are diversity, freedom, connections, choice, individuality, honesty, and family. Make the smart choice by reading the novel with a BookFiles reading guide. The...

Patricia MacLachlan's "Sarah, Plain and Tall" takes place on a prairie during the late 1800s. Sarah arrives to live with a family and brings them new life. Make a smart choice by reading your favorite novel with a BookFiles reading...

"Holes" by Louis Sachar, is a Newbery winner. Trouble seems to follow Stanley Yelnats and his family. Can Stanley "fulfill" the void/hole that exist? Make the smart choice by enjoying the novel with a BookFiles reading guide. The file...

Read about the issues that motivated Lucretia Mott to become an abolitionist and fighter for women's rights.

This workshop helps students increase their skills in descriptive writing by following tips and suggestions from writer Virginia Hamilton. After reading about Hamilton, students write their descriptive pieces and publish them online. A...

This article describes how scientists connected the minds of two rats using electronic sensors.

This article is about the election of the new Pope, who is the first Pope from South America.