The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science created this resource as part of an online workshop series, but you are welcome to use or modify it for your classroom. It includes a video and written directions for creating nature journals and tips for incorporating them into your classroom. For information on taking any the Nature Neighborhood online workshops for CEUs or EE credit, visit: https://naturalsciences.org/learn/educators/online-workshops.

This lesson asks students to write a profile of a classmate, with a particular focus on a talent, interest, or passion of that classmate. As an introduction to the feature article, students compare the characteristics of a hard news story to those of a feature story. They then practice writing about the same event in the two different styles.

This speech, presented as an address in 1927 to the mayor of Chicago, William Hale Thompson, sought to reform the stereotypical image of American Indians in history textbooks and classes. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

Johnny, the narrator, and McDunn, the lighthouse keeper (Johnny's boss), are working in a lighthouse on a November evening. McDunn shares his experience of witnessing strange sea mysteries, including the sighting of a monster that appears at this time each year. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

In this personal essay by Isaac Asimov, the author relates his journey of becoming a science fiction writer. Asimov explains discovering science fiction through magazines despite his father’s objections. He also recounts publishing his first science fiction story at the age of eighteen and the challenges of being an immigrant. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This lesson will provide eighth grade students with an inquiry-based research project based on C.S. Lewis' classic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Students will determine the author's purpose in writing this story. This will be accomplished by researching material using the Alabama Virtual Library and Gale Resources.

Students will read scientific text about top predators in Arctic marine ecosystems and how they may be affected by global climate change. Students will work individually or collaboratively to write a report based on the scientific text they have read and participate in a large-group discussion session based on their analysis.

This selection provides an overview of two laws dealing with fugitives from slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 establishes monetary penalties for protecting fugitives. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 addresses the same topic but is more detailed. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This lesson is for 2, 50 minute, class periods. Students will begin research on a country of their choice and begin to explore how that country demonstrates patriotism and analyze the lyrics of that country's national anthem. Students will work to determine the meaning of the lyrics and think about why countries have a national anthem. By analyzing the lyrics of the coutry's anthem, the student will have to infer how that leads to patriotism in that given country. This lesson was developed by Megon Mancini as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

This resource contains a selection of different graphic organizers for students to use.

Harriet Tubman's first journey to Canada on the Underground Railroad is fraught with danger, harsh conditions, and uncertainty. In order to keep her disillusioned party of runaway slaves safe during the long journey, she bolsters their spirits by telling stories of freedom and singing spirituals. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This article explains how to model a range of prewriting techniques and introduces several mnemonics to help students organize their writing.

This resource includes two poems, eleven text-dependent questions (including one optional constructed-response prompt for students), and explanatory information for teachers regarding alignment to the CCSS.

These excerpts from Maya Angelou’s autobiography describe important points in her childhood. First Angelou describes the importance of her Grandmother’s store. Later, when she becomes withdrawn and unhappy, Mrs. Flowers takes an interest in her and encourages her to read aloud and share her thoughts. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This poem was written in letter format and was addressed to the U.S. authorities in response to Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066, dated February 19, 1942, authorized the internment of tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and resident aliens from Japan. The speaker of this poem is a fourteen-year-old girl, who stresses that she is an American. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this poem through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

In this autobiographical text, Gary Paulson narrates experiences he had in the bitter cold of the North which taught him to respect all animals. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

In this lesson, students work on narrowing a topic for an expository writing piece, conducting research, and creating source cards.

In this lesson, students explore, examine, and evaluate information for a research topic, and develop an organizational pattern for writing.

In this lesson, students test a variety of insulators and relate their knowledge to energy conservation. With teacher guidance, students design their own investigation. After all experiments are completed, the class looks across the data and draws evidence-based conclusions.