Description:  This lesson was created for a 9th grade integrated biology/English classroom with a focus on out door learning.  In this lesson, students will practice their scientific observation skills and reflect on their experience in this out door observation activity.   Students will also take these initial observations and extend them in their writing as they explore various forms of figurative language.  Finally, the reflections will be posted on their blog for their classmates to view and respond to as we begin to practice feedback on each other's writing.

Note:  Before beginning this unit, decide on where students will house their blog posts to allow for feedback from peers.  Keep in mind the time students might need to spend developing and working with the blog before actually posting to it.   A Google Classroom discussion post may work as well, or even better.  Additionally, this lesson also addresses the NGSS Science & Engineering Practices.

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 these lessons from Historical Thinking Matters, students learn to read more analytically as they investigate the causes of the Spanish-American War. After hypothesizing causes for the war, they test their hypotheses using successive sets of documents. They answer the notebook questions for these documents and consider how each informs the inquiry question. Using historian think-alouds from the site, the teacher can model a historical read of particular passages. Finally, students practice these new ways of reading with a document they find in a directed webquest. *The lessons are made available in 3 options: 1 Day, 3 Day or 5 Day. The 5 Day version includes an essay assignment with instructions on thesis writing.

 In this lesson, students will practice analyzing rhetorical devices using various commercials. Students will also watch a TedTalk and analyze the use of rhetorical devices in the speech. 

In this lesson, students will continue to analyze Sherry Turkle’s op-ed, and write a clear thesis statement explaining how Turkle builds her argument in “The Flight from Conversation”

In this lesson, students will continue to analyze Sherry Turkle’s op-ed, and write a clear thesis statement explaining how Turkle builds her argument in “The Flight from Conversation”

 In this lesson, students will create a presentation arguing whether the use of robots and other hands-on technology is a helpful tool to use in the classroom.

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 plan, students summarize a recently completed writing assignment using a haiku poem. Haiku are well-suited to this task becuase they force students to carefully consider the value of each word, since they are so strictly limited.

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.

This lesson provides a guide for instructors to assist students with vocabulary acquisition and usage. Included within the resource are directions for extending this lesson for usage with multiple videos and various vocabulary lists. A rubric for grading and directions for peer evaluation are also provided.

In this recurring lesson, students watch an artistic video clip and use the words in their current vocabulary lesson to process the content through several types of creative writing. This gives students a chance to write in a unique voice and to understand the meaning of their vocabulary words in a new context. They also have the opportunity to analyze their peers' use of the vocabulary when they read and discuss each other's stories.

In this lesson, high school students work in groups to explore the issue of civil liberties by conducting Internet research on related court cases of their choosing. Working in heterogeneous groups allows for social interaction and fun in the learning process, while also promoting positive interdependence and practicing of research skills. To summarize their findings, groups create PowerPoint presentations to share with the class.

In this lesson, students read a current science article, write a summary of it, edit it, and type it into a word processing program.

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.

In this lesson, students conduct research using various websites in order to develop a cohesive argument about the benefits or disadvantages of the Three Gorges dam.