In this lesson and resource, students use a research platform to kick off a long-term class project on an issue relevant to the community.

Students read about the establishment of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument and discuss why it is important to preserve the Mariana Trench and surrounding area.

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.

Question-Answer relationship (QAR) is a strategy to be used after students have read. QAR teaches students how to decipher what types of questions they are being asked and where to find the answers to them. Four types of questions are examined in the QAR.

Reading Guides help students navigate reading material, especially difficult textbook chapters or technical reading. Students respond to a teacher-created written guide of prompts as they read an assigned text. Reading Guides help students to comprehend the main points of the reading and understand the organizational structure of a text.

In this lesson, students read informational pieces about whether or not schools should teach cursive writing. They will evaluate the arguments presented and then choose a side of the issue. Finally, they will write their own arguments expressing their points of view.

After reading narratives from former slaves that were recorded in the 1930's as part of the Federal Writers' Project, students conduct research on slavery and tell a story based on their findings. The lesson incorporates an exploration of storytelling techniques.

In this lesson, students will use text from Mandela's autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom" to connect with Mandela's life and words.

Students learn about the three ocean light zones, make predictions about deep-sea resources, and read about those resources and their value to science and businesses.

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

Students will learn about Roman architecture, technology, and medicine by becoming teachers for a day. Students will participate in a class discussion about Rome?s contributions in these areas and then work in small groups to become experts in one aspect of Roman technology or medicine. They will then share this knowledge with their classmates by teaching what they have learned and having their classmates participate in an activity where they will have to apply what they have learned. Students will then practice their evaluation skills by reviewing one another?s performance. A final class discussion about the technological and medical contributions of the ancient Romans will summarize the ideas learned. To access the video clips, go to resources and click on the link. It is NOT necessary to purchase the DVD.

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.

This activity compares a runaway slave ad and an abolitionist poster to explore the causes and effects of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. The law changed how many northerners viewed slavery and intensified conflicts that brought the nation closer to Civil War.

This template supports STEM teachers and librarians in working collaboratively to create lessons that build science practice and STEM inquiry skills in alignment with state and national science standards, and that address the Common Core literacy shifts around close reading and building textual evidence.

In this Random House teacher's guide to Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye, students will explore the life of Leroy "Satchel" Paige and the history of Jim Crow era America. The guide includes indepth discussion questions and activities designed to facilitate synthesis and connection through higher level discourse and writing prompts.

ThisTED video recounts the adventures of the Greek hero, Odysseus during his journey home from the Trojan War. Matt Kaplan explains why there might be more reality behind the "Odyssey" than many realize.

This resource is a nonfiction, Common Core aligned reading passage with textual analysis questions about main idea and textual support.