Behind many of the apparently simple stories of Robert Frost's poems are unexpected questions and mysteries. In this lesson, students analyze what speakers include or omit from their narrative accounts, make inferences about speakers' motivations, and find evidence for their inferences in the words of the poem.

This is a lesson guide for "Cat!, Silver and Your World". In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

Poets achieve popular acclaim only when they express clear and widely shared emotions with a forceful, distinctive, and memorable voice. But what is meant by voice in poetry, and what qualities have made the voice of Langston Hughes a favorite for so many people?

In this lesson, students learn about point of view by rewriting an existing narrative paragraph (using a different point-of-view). Students expand this knowledge by writing an expository paragraph, then rewriting it to reflect a different point-of-view.

In this lesson, students compare how both George and Martha Washington felt about General Washington becoming the first President of the United States. Students should complete the George Washington's Letter to Henry Knox about the Presidency and Martha Washington's Letter about the Presidency worksheets prior to beginning this activity.

This activity can be adapted among grade levels, and involves students practicing describing objects by their properties.

This article discusses ways to use technology to guide students through brainstorming activities and organization of ideas.

In this lesson, students will read and discuss "The Hangman" by Maurice Ogden and answer questions about the poem.

Inclusion is an important concept in that it promotes equity and equality in the classroom. Students learn to work together despite their differences, capitalizing on their strengths and minimizing their deficits. Students within the school will be educated about the importance of inclusion, collaborating to complete activities and advocating for a school-wide inclusion program that involves all students, teachers and administrators.

In this lesson, students learn about proverbs: how they work, how they differ from cliches, how to interpret them, and how they can be culturally and personally significant. Students begin by talking about proverbs, interview family and friends to find proverbs that were not discussed in class, and figuring out the meaning of proverbs by creating a new definition of proverbs based on what they've learned.

In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

The story Raymond's Run is told through the eyes of Hazel Squeaky Parker, who is the fastest runner in her Harlem neighborhood. She spends the majority of her time practicing for upcoming races and taking care of her brother, Raymond, who is mentally challenged and to whom she is very devoted. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 6th Grade Math.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade ELA. 

In this lesson, students will examine the various social classes and learn about the critical role that slaves, freemen, and plebeians played in the day-to-day operations of the Roman Empire. Students will learn about the various social classes and the life experiences of people from these classes. As a final activity, students will complete a creative writing assignment that addresses how the Roman class system and the use of slavery may have ultimately contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire. Video link: http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/index.html - Go to For Educators and follow links to free video clips. The Slaves and Freemen link is broken. Use this: http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/slaves_freemen.html

In this lesson, students produce a classroom documentary about important historical figures from the Roman Empire. They will also create posters to be part of a classroom timeline showing when each of these people lived and their impact on the empire. As a final activity, students will apply what they have learned by discussing how these ancient Romans have impacted world history and continue to influence us today. Video link: http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/index.html. Go to For Educators and follow links to free video clips. Includes extension activities.

In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this play through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

Students will use scaffolding to research and organize information for writing a research paper. A research paper scaffold provides students with clear support for writing expository papers that include a question (problem), literature review, analysis, methodology for original research, results, conclusion, and references. Students examine informational text, use an inquiry-based approach, and practice genre-specific strategies for expository writing.

“The Secret” tells the story of Henry Cooper, a reporter, returning for the second time to report on the colonies now existing on the Moon. Based on a hunch, he becomes suspicious of a “secret” that may be looming on the Moon. Cooper sets out on a mission to confirm his suspicions, which leads him to discover that life on the moon can be as long as 200 years. Cooper must then decide if this “secret” should be kept or shared with those back on Earth. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.