Childbirth has never been easy and is not without risk, even in the 21st century. Young historians gain insight into the travails of 18th-century childbirth as they read letters between Abigail Adams and her husband about their loss of a...

Help your learners gain meaningful understanding of dividing fractions using fraction models. The activity includes nine problems which are sequenced to show how the fraction division algorithm evolves. Have students use graph paper or...

How closely are animals related? Check their phylogenetic trees! The use of DNA sequencing altered our understanding of these relationships. Individuals explore and gain a better understanding of how scientists sort, align, and determine...

Roy John Britten easily earned a PhD in nuclear physics—but he found painting with water colors too difficult. Young scientists learn about Britten's life, career, and research with an online interactive. They read a biography, view...

This writing pre-assessment has minimal instruction but maximum support and encouragement. It begins with a review of the book, Rain School, through a think-pair-share and small group discussion. The discussion...

Working in pairs, class members use the provided narrative writing rubric to assess the effectiveness of dialogue, pacing, and description in two model paragraphs with similar content. Writers then use the insights they have gained from...

Learners solve complex radical equations. Solutions vary from one, two, and none, allowing pupils to gain experience solving a variety of problems.

Sample pennies to gain an understanding of their ages. The 16th installment of a 25-part series requires groups to collect samples from a jar of pennies. Pupils compare the distribution of their samples with the distribution of the...

Class members continue examining how writers develop and support their ideas by comparing two texts about globalization. Alongside chapters from Sugar Changed the World, young scholars read an article by the World Bank entitled...

Help readers go deeper and gain an understanding of purpose and justification while analyzing a letter written by Martin Luther King, Jr. Literature lovers discuss the letter in a variety of settings, including in pairs, groups, and...

Readers take all the information they gained from the last 19 lessons and complete an essay describing how King develops his purpose and claim in "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Pupils use a rubric and checklist to help guide their...

Science over humanity? Scholars analyze an excerpt from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. They must consider if the experimentation of Henrietta's cells without her consent was worth the information gained about cancer. They discuss...

Have you had a change of heart? Scholars consider whether their views change after gaining new information about tissue ownership. They read John Moore's court hearings and respond to a quick write prompt, noting if the new information...

Is that your final answer? As part of the last instructional activity, scholars finalize their research portfolios. They review all of their claim tools and gain the perspective of others as they discuss their work with a group. To...

Can budding writers accept constructive criticism? Learners work with their peers to gain feedback about their argumentative essay drafts. Peers give one another constructive criticism to revise their work better. Using a Peer Review...

Leave the past in the past. Scholars read paragraph 12 of the chapter "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" to analyze Du Bois's development of gaining liberty and leaving the ideas of the past. Pupils then carry out a three to five-minute...

Time for intermission! Scholars take an intermission break from learning in the unit to work on a mid-unit assessment independently. Readers answer questions about Lyndon Johnson's Speech "The Great Society" to demonstrate the knowledge...

This is just the beginning. Learners take the first step toward their end-of-unit assessments of Unbroken. They use their tools and knowledge gained from the unit to create first drafts of their informational essays. Writers then respond...

Scholars gain interest in the case of Brown v. Board of Education by watching a video clip and completing a quick write. They then independently read excerpts from Brown v. Board of Education and work through a Steps for Getting the Gist...

Focusing on the consequences of the hunter-gatherer food chain that Michael Pollan discusses in The Omnivore's Dilemma, teams work together to create hunter-gatherer food chain consequences charts. Next, scholars view other groups'...

Weigh the pros and cons. Class members continue sharing their thoughts on media and events by watching the video John Chancellor Reports on the Integration at Central High School. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of gaining...

How do authors play to people's moods? After briefly reviewing mood using a Conditional and Subjunctive Mood handout, learners practice identifying conditional and subjunctive sentences in the Montgomery Bus Boycott speech before reading...

What makes a good advocate? An informative lesson plan teaches class members how to advocate persuasively. They participate in a fishbowl activity and listen to the teacher model advocating persuasively. They then practice independently,...

Copy that! Writers carefully analyze a model essay to gain a better understanding of their upcoming essays about A Long Walk to Water. They begin by circling unfamiliar words in the model as teachers read it aloud. They then pinpoint...