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 research one aspect of either hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV). Students will use what they learn during their research to produce a public service announcement in the form of a brochure, poster, radio announcement or television commercial. This lesson is for use after students have covered the basics of viruses, viral infection, and immunology. Students should know what a virus is, the basic methods of transmission, and how the human immune system reacts to infection by a virus.
Students will conduct research, organize information, and make a presentation on a satellite.
The Stapleless Book is designed to allow users to create with ease an eight-page book simply by folding and cutting. No tape or staples are required. Students and teachers alike can use the Stapleless Book for taking notes while reading, making picture books, collecting facts, or creating vocabulary booklets. Students can choose from seven different layouts for the pages of their books
Students examine the state of the print newspaper industry, then debate its future.
In this lesson, students examine the state of the print newspaper industry, then debate its future.
In this lesson, students are introduced to the genre of American tall tales. Students are exposed to several traditional tall tales, then prompted to write an original tall tale set in contemporary America. The tall tale must address a current event or issue and must feature a "larger-than-life" main character. The students use exaggeration and hyperbole to portray the way in which the main character resolves the issue or problem. Students then dramatize their tall tales for the class.
A teacher's guide to Aldous Huxley's, A Brave New World. Included are chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, writing prompts, and activities.
A comprehensive teacher's guide to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Included are chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, writing prompts, and activities.
A teaching guide for Harper Lee's classic To Kill A Mockingbird. Includes discussion questions, vocabulary, writing and discussion prompts and activities.
Many factors contributed to the eventual success of the American colonies as they revolted against British rule. American leadership, the timely support of international allies, and international respect and recognition played major roles in the struggle for independence. Several documents and engravings held by the National Archives help to illustrate these important factors that led to the founding of the United States.
This lesson focuses on the American Revolution, which encouraged the founding fathers' desire to create a government that would, as stated in the Preamble, insure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense.
In this lesson, students use word processors during a writing workshop to draft and edit a piece of writing.
Students are asked the question, "What do we need to do to prevent or control an outbreak of yellow fever at our school if it occurred today?" Students will work in small collaborative groups to examine the problem of epidemics in past and modern times. Students will develop their own public health policy that reflects the challenges of a modern day outbreak of yellow fever at school. Students will present their findings in the form of a written letter/report and multimedia presentation to the class and to the Principal. This lesson utilizes documents from the North Carolina State Government Publications Collection.
Students are invited to explore the cultural offerings around them "” from architecture to books, dance, fashion, film, food, music, theater, TV and video games "” and write reviews about what they experience. The New York Times models along with advice from current Times critics to help them through the process.
This lesson focuses on the importance of geographic features and the abundance of natural resources that helped ancient Egypt become the world's first superpower. Students will learn about the geography and resources available to the ancient Egyptians and create a multimedia tour that demonstrates this learning to others.
The Researching to Deepen Understanding units lay out an inquiry process through which students learn how to deepen their understanding of topics. Students pose and refine inquiry questions, exploring areas they wish to investigate. They find and assess sources and organize researched material in ways that will support their analysis and integration of information. As their inquiry progresses, they evaluate and extend their research, synthesize their information, and eventually express their evolving evidence-based perspective.
Making Evidence-Based Claims ELA/Literacy Units empower students with a critical reading and writing skill at the heart of the Common Core: making evidence-based claims about complex texts. These units are part of the Developing Core Proficiencies Curriculum.
This English Language Arts /Literacy Unit empowers students with a critical reading and writing skill at the heart of the Common Core: Reading complex texts closely to analyze textual details and deepen understanding.
This unit develops students’ abilities to read closely for textual details and compare authors’ perspectives through an examination of a series of texts about immigration through Ellis Island.
These English Language Arts/Literacy Units empower students with critical reading and writing skills at the heart of the Common Core: analyzing and writing evidence-based arguments.
This unit develops students’ abilities to analyze arguments from a range of perspectives on immigration policy in the United States. Students also learn to develop, write and revise their own evidence-based arguments.
In this lesson, students will write a short autobiographical sketch and produce an author page to be used with their writing throughout the year.