This lesson sets the stage for high-interest reading with a purpose through a biography project. Students work together to generate questions they would like to answer about several well-known people, then each student chooses one of these and finds information by reading a biography from the library and doing Internet research. Students create a graphic organizer (a web) to organize the facts they have found and share what they have learned about their subjects through oral presentations. Students evaluate themselves and their classmates by using a rubric during the research and graphic organizer-creation process and by giving written feedback on one another's presentations.

In this lesson, students will analyze written documents for position of writer and content. They will then synthesize a historical position based upon document analysis and connect historical struggles for equality with current movements.

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. The opening segment describes the forces that motivated European exploration and colonization of the New World. Explorers and colonists encountered native peoples with agricultural lifestyles, strong communities, and respect for the land. These Indian communities saw themselves as part of nature, and they lived in harmony with the natural world. Their spiritual practices, such as the Green Corn Ceremony, reflected this worldview. The Europeans came to the New World primarily in search of land and riches. With two such different cultural viewpoints, clashes were inevitable. This teacher's guide includes a strictly social studies lesson and a complementary ELA lesson (writing assignment).

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. Act III of Birth of a Colony presents the story of England?s attempts to settle in the New World. Queen Elizabeth enlisted Sir Walter Raleigh to launch an expedition ?to inhabit and possess? any lands not already claimed by Spain or France. This was part of the global power struggle between Catholic Spain and Protestant England. Queen Elizabeth believed that if England could get a foothold in America, it would be possible to cut off the flow of gold, silver, and sugar that fueled Spain?s domination and threatened England?s security. This teacher's guide contains 2 SS lessons plans: The England of the Roanoke Colonies; The Art of John White. Additional suggested resources are also included. There are optional visual arts extension activities as well. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. Act II of Birth of a Colony focuses on the Spanish exploration and exploitation of the New World and the attempt to find a new route to Zacatecas. Vast wealth from silver enabled Spain to finance more exploration and expand its empire. In an effort to defend Spanish trade and protect Spain?s investment in the mines, King Philip II launched an attempt to establish a colony in North America. This teacher's guide contains 2 SS lessons plans: Finding a Lost Spanish Fort; Mapping Juan Pardo. Additional suggested resources are also included. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/ The referenced article can be accessed at the following link: http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/collateral/articles/F07.lost.spanish.fort.pdf

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. Act IV of Birth of a Colony is divided into three parts. The first part explores the development of permanent English settlements in North Carolina. The second part of this segment focuses on the establishment of a proprietary colony in Carolina. The The third part of this segment focuses on the journey of John Lawson from Charleston, through the interior sections of the Piedmont, to the Pamlico Sound. This teacher's guide includes 2 SS lessons: John Lawson, Surveyor; Teaching the Carolina Charter. Additional suggested resources and optional extension activities are also included. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. The final segment of Birth of a Colony discusses the Tuscarora War, the Barnwell Expedition, and the Moore Expedition. ELA extension activities included: writing letters, diary entries, oral histories. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/

In this lesson, students perform a close reading of an informational text to learn about the history of the Blackstone Canal.

This lesson provides an introduction to the use of factual information in creative writing. Students first examine texts to identify how a published author incorporates facts in fiction writing by reading and questioning the books Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, and Diary of a Fly (Cronin). After conducting inquiry on their own to gather facts on a topic decided upon by the class, students use their facts to write several diary entries collaboratively, entries which will contribute to a class book modeled on the mentor texts. Finally, students peer review each other’s work, and revise and edit their own writing before using the Multigenre Mapper interactive to publish their work.

In this lesson, students will continue their close read from the previous lesson to include background knowledge about the important archetype of the hero’s
journey by reading an article.

Through this lesson, the teacher will model the think-aloud strategy for students. Components of think-alouds will be introduced, as well as type of text interactions. Students will develop the ability to use think-alouds to aid in reading comprehension tasks.

This collection of primary resources and corresponding activities sheds light on the endurance of peaceful protesters in Montgomery, Ala., who overturned an unjust law.

In this 3 day, 4 activity lesson, students will read and analyze three related texts, learning how to summarize and explain what they have learned from their reading, questioning, and analysis of texts.

Who owns what you compose? Who controls what happens with the words, images, music, sounds, videos that you create? What rights do you have to use other people’s compositions? This unit plan focuses on helping students find answers to these questions. Students explore a range of resources on fair use and copyright then design their own audio public service announcements (PSAs), to be broadcast over the school’s public address system. Students begin by completing a survey about fair use. Students discuss their responses to the survey and then research facts about fair use and copyright. Next, students become familiar with PSAs before writing and producing their own announcements, which are shared with other students. Work can also be published as podcasts on the Internet.

This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to explore how words affect public opinion through an examination of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Students will investigate historical sources related to the novel and reactions of people in the North and South in order to address the compelling question "Can words lead to war?" The final summative assessment asks the to make an argument about the impact of the words in Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Students describe environmental and herditary factors that increase the chance of developing cancer.

Students examine books, selected from the American Library Association Challenged/Banned Books list, and write persuasive pieces expressing their views about what should be done with the books at their school.

This article describes scientists Ken and Molly Glander’s research on the eating habits of howler monkeys in Costa Rica. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

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

In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.