Before learning the format and features of The Constitution, the students  have a chapter that relates the challenges to governing post Revolutionary War and subsequent failure of our first form of government (The Articles of Confederation) during Shays's Rebellion.  During this chapter they represent historical characters present at the convention and have a series of debates to settle the pressing issues of the time (how states should be represented in government, how slaves should be counted, and how to elect a president).

After learning about how a community functions and looking at how our local community works on a day to day basis.  Students work together to create an imaginative community including all the elements that make a community run smooth.  Students will use Google Draw to learn how to "draw" a house on a chromebook for the mural as well as using Kahoot! to take a survey about the naming the community, what materials to use, and what would students want to include to take the community complete.

For this lesson students will learn how to create a Works Cited page in MLA. They will watch a video, play games, and read a handbook to learn the many steps and processes required in a Works Cited page.

Students will learn why it is important to cite when writing. They will watch a video and look through a Prezi to learn how to cite their sources in APA. After they know the correct way to format their citations, they will work through a worksheets to identify sources that are formatted correctly. They will end the lesson by writing their own reference page for their research paper.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Ukraine has been an independent democratic nation. Given its location between Europe and Russia, it often must balance the political tensions between Russia and the West. This tension came to a peak in late 2013, when the president of the Ukraine chose not to sign an economic agreement with the European Union and instead pursued closer ties to Russia. This upset many people living in Ukraine who took to the streets in extended protests resulting in the eventual removal of the Ukrainian president and several other high-level officials of the government. Shortly thereafter, a new pro-Europe leadership was installed by parliament. Amidst all this uncertainty and political change in Ukraine, Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March of 2014, taking control of airports, naval bases, and key bridges. Within weeks, Russia claimed Crimea as their own. Successful students will be able to ask questions to define how the cultural and ethnic diversity of this area might contribute to the current conflict.

This activity shows how the expansion of the Japanese Empire resulted in the United States' involvement in World War II.

GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.

Explore water pollution and its impact on ocean life in aquatic dead zones.

GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.

This unit takes teachers and administrators through the steps of the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions developed by Dr. Ross Greene.  It is a new and innovotaive approach to discipline in our schools.

Students will explore how not all distances are equally distant.

GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.

Khan Academy video describing using coordinate plane to divide a line segment into a 3:1 ratio. Interactive drag and drop for estimating point, and button for additional explanation regarding ratio is added.

Explore the impact of human activities on water resources.

GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.

Explore the Dust Bowl region using population change, agriculture, and precipitation data.

GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.

Before students read Out of the Dust or another novel that takes place during the Dust Bowl, students will gain background information on the Dust Bowl, Dust Bowl Migration, Mass Exodus, and Black Sunday. They will experience the Dust Bowl through a short video and pictures.

As part of their ELA coursework, students are reading an autobiography to study author's craft.  In particular, students are exploring how authors use dialogue, transitional phrases/clauses, and sensory details to tell a personal story. The unit will culminate with students writing their own memoirs. The bulk of the unit takes place in the ELA classroom. In the ESL support block, students will receive support with reading an autobiography of their choice, noting examples of author's craft in the autobiography, and integrating this craft into their own writing.

In this first lesson of the unit, students choose from two memoirs 15 on the Road to Freedom and the Big Lie. Students participate in a F2F mini-lesson in how dialogue can develop characters in an autobiography. Students then transition to technology for a book introduction with historical context and a chapter 1 book preview (guided reading). Students in 15 on the Road to Freedom then continue to receive support via Ed Puzzle for identifying dialogue and documenting in a graphic organizer, while students in The Big Lie meet with the teacher for the support. While students in The Big Lie transition to continue completing the graphic organizer independently, students in the 15 on the Road to Freedom meet with the teacher F2F to discuss their completed graphic organizers. Students then return to their autobiographies (written on google docs and organized in google classroom) to include additional dialogue in their stories and peer-review a partnerÅ› story. Students then participate in a full group F2F wrap up/reflection where they share out examples of dialogue their partner included in their writing as a result of the lesson.

Online Lesson for Books: Historical Context/Chapter 1 Intro/Graphic Organizer Support

15 on the Road to Freedom: Book Introduction, Chapter 1 Preview, and Support with Graphic Organizer Task
The Big Lie: Book Introduction, Chapter 1 Preview (Note that support with graphic organizer is given F2F for this group)

Graphic Organizers

I can identify how authors use dialogue to develop characters
I can identify precise language authors use to introduce dialogue
I can identify how authors use sensory details to develop experiences
I can identify how authors use transitional words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence shifts

Assignment Sheet

ELA Autobiography Assignment Sheet (Created by Julia Koli, Connie Ray, and Elliot Willis-Begley at Scarlett Middle School, Ann Arbor MI)

F2F Mini-Lesson #1

Mini-Lesson on Character Development Through Dialogue

Please email daughertye@aaps.k12.mi.us if you would like me to send you the additional resources I created for the remaining mini-lessons and book chapters!

Students will view this slideshow online as the first activity in a blended unit. The activity is meant to introduce the author and some of his works, including several that the students will read as part of the unit. It is primarily intended to spark student interest in the unit. However, it will also aid the students in that they will be better poristioned to read the author's works if they have some sense of what to expect in terms of themes.

     The choice to include such as introductory tool into the unit was based upon prior observations regarding the difficulty of getting students engaged in any lesson when nothing had been done to sprak their interest beforehand.

This activity explores patterns and characteristics of El Niño and effects on global climate.

GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.

For this lesson students will learn the different parts of the elements of a story. They will be able to watch a catchy movie explaining the parts and apply their knowledge to an interactive website.

Equation of a line with image, equations of parallel lines with image, equations of perpendicular lines with image.

This lesson focuses on the use of elevation maps with a focus on Michigan's Muskegon River Watershed. Students are introduced to an elevation profile tool and expected to produce a profile of two other Michigan rivers and examine their watersheds. Success with this lesson will include drawing a simplified profile of one of the rivers as well as labeling two watershed boundaries and the river.