In this extensive 9th grade ELA resource, students will explore analyzing literature and informational text by using close reading and evidence based discussion and writing.

In this lesson, students learn about the transition from the ancient Roman polytheistic religion to Christianity. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students discuss laws and governments acts concerning church and state. Then, students will research at least five different religions in their current community and make a report on one of the five, concluding the report with a paragraph on why religious tolerance is important.

In this activity, students will create a poster to demonstrate the unique reproductive strategy of an assigned organism.

In this lesson and resource, students build research skills such as skimming and summarizing.

Students consider a novel approach to conservation biology in which the goal is not to preserve a particular organism or even a habitat, but to actively promote the reestablishment of the late Pleistocent environment. Once introduced to the topic, students will take on the role of a conservation biology advisory group and conduct research to gather more information and assess the overall impact of re-wilding, including environmental, social, and economic concerns. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will present their recommendation to reintroduce the organism or not.

In this lesson, students examine how forensic testing, including DNA fingerprinting, was used to identify bodies found buried in a Russian forest as members of the Romanov family. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students will research how DNA testing and other modern forensic techniques have been used in investigations of other historical mysteries.

In this lesson, students learn how to use supporting details to support claims made in writing. It also provides a list of information about what makes for a quality supporting detail.

In this assignment students will use the online version of the Pennsylvania Gazette to build a database of information about runaways, those who sought freedom. Using this collected information, they will then try to draw useful conclusions about the people on whose labor the revolution depended. Students will write a three page analysis of the data.

In this lesson, students consider the historical context that framed and stirred public interest in the Scopes trial. They watch a short introductory movie, read eight documents, answer guiding questions, and prepare to complete the final essay assignment using their notes. Students listen to a historian think aloud about excerpts from the documents to see analytical reading in action. They use a graphic organizer to guide their note taking. Finally, students write an essay using evidence from these documents to craft an argument that considers the historical context of the Scopes trial.

In this lesson students use a statement from the American Federation of Teachers and an editorial from the Chicago Defender to expand upon the textbook’s depiction of the Scopes trial as a clash between “creationists” and “evolutionists.” First, students read and analyze a passage from a selected textbook. Then they read documents showing different perspectives on the Scopes trial. Finally, each student writes a letter to the textbook publisher suggesting ways to edit the textbook using evidence from these primary documents.

Students employ the screenwriter's craft to gain a fresh perspective on historical research, learning how filmmakers combine scholarship and imagination to bring historical figures to life and how the demands of cinematic storytelling can shape our view of the past.

In this lesson, students explore the historical and social significance of animals as cultural symbols in various countries around the world, as well as the impact that humans have made on the population and natural habitats of these animals.

This resource is a guideline to basic steps in selecting a research paper topic with a break-out lessons on focusing your topic and moving foward.

In this lesson, students review, evaluate, and synthesize information through individual and group projects after reading George Orwell's "1984"

In this lesson, students research the Triangle Shirtwaist factory using primary and secondary sources. Students will synthesize and interpret a wide array of information using argument, narrative or informative writing skills.

In this lesson, students use the internet to define the types of automobile insurance they will need to purchase in order to legally drive in their state.

In this lesson, students use primary source documents to compare perspectives on helping the poor during the Great Depression. Students will examine different approaches to relief presented in two primary documents, answer questions relating to the documents, and explain which approach they think best and why.

In this lesson, students engage in an inquiry focused upon different historical interpretations of Social Security and the New Deal. They examine the different ways that historians Carl Degler, Barton Bernstein, and Anthony Badger have addressed the question: Did the Social Security Act and the New Deal fundamentally change the role of American government in the economy? Students learn elements of historiography—in particular that interpretations of history may differ, in part, due to the evidence used by historians and their particular perspectives. Finally, students answer the inquiry question themselves and support their arguments with evidence from both primary and secondary documents.

In this lesson, students will learn the impact that wildlife has on society and the impact that society has on wildlife. Students will learn the relationship between wildlife and economics and society and how this is in the form of conflict and resolution.