Hi, what do you want to do?
Curated OER
Middle School Here I Come!
Fifth graders engage in a activity that is concerned with the transition to middle school with the help of the school counselor. They are taught about the requirements of changing to different classes throughout the day and practice...
California Department of Education
Transitioning to High School
How do scholars prepare to take their next big step? The second in a series of six career and college readiness activities focuses on making a smooth transition from middle to high school. Groups research the resources available at their...
Curated OER
Preparing for High School and Beyond
Eighth graders might be intimidated about going to high school and they may not think they'll ever go to college. Ease those fears while making college readiness an eighth grade reality. In teams, pupils fill out several worksheets while...
Curated OER
Welcome to Our School
Students build a friendly environment for future students by creating a PowerPoint presentation. In this middle school introduction instructional activity, students utilize a camera to record important moments throughout the school...
Nancy Fetzer's Literacy Connections
Expository Paragraph
Upper elementary and middle school writers learn how to craft an expository paragraph by following the six steps detailed in a 48-page instructional guide. Learners learn how to write six different types of informational paragraphs:...
University of Chicago
Comparing Modern and Ancient Ideas of Ethnicity and Identity
Explore ethnicity and identity with a research and writing assignment. Class members conduct online research, looking in particular at images and carefully noting down their sources on notecards. They read about identity and compose...
Curated OER
Revive, Contemplate, Integrate
Learners recognize flags as a symbol through writing and imagery. In this artifact lesson, students investigate Tibetan prayer flags and their significance. Learners create personal prayer flags and write about their life experience of...
Curated OER
Give Yourself Some Credit
Eighth graders identify information and skills necessary to transition to high school. They complete a graphic organizer comparing middle school and high school. They discuss earning credits and specific requirements for graduation from...
Curated OER
Back To School Night iMovie
Learners work collaboratively to take and download digital images, use iMovie software, and create an iMovie to show at a Back To School Night event. They discuss how to organize the information into a clear and cohesive movie. Then,...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Interpreting Distance–Time Graphs
Pre-algebra protégés critique a graph depicting Tom's trip to the bus stop. They work together to match descriptive cards to distance-time graph cards and data table cards, all of which are provided for you so you can make copies for...
Curated OER
How to Write A+ Essays!
This lesson, which promises to improve the essays of your middle schoolers, contains a list of characteristics an essay should include. It breaks it down into the introduction, thesis statement, body, etc. There's also a list of things...
US Department of Energy
Rate of Coral Growth
Using the provided table of information, middle school marine biologists chart data on a graph to determine the impact of water depth on coral growth in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Then they answer questions that connect the data to...
University of Chicago
Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
Curated OER
Freshmen Mentor Program: Meeting My Mentor
Young scholars develop skills that address the transition from middle to high school. They take part in a series of activities that help them to become more comfortable in their new social setting.
National First Ladies' Library
Designing the Common School: The First Educational Reform
Middle schoolers perform preliminary research to explore education before public (common) education was in place. They design a public educational system of their own. Students construct a report outlining challenges and solutions for...
Curated OER
Roll the Tape! Roll the Tape!
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. For this service learning lesson, students use iMovie to create a video highlighting their middle school in order to share with incoming students.
Curated OER
Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
Curated OER
Mixed Breed Fantasy Animals
Ever seen a crockapeep or a giraffule? How about a catmel? Elementary school artists are encouraged to let their imaginations roam and create images of imaginary creatures by combining parts of two or more animals,
Mathalicious
On Your Mark
With many factors leading to a great athlete, does height make Usain Bolt unfairly fast? Middle schoolers conduct analysis to change the running distance of the Olympic races to be proportional to the height of the participants. They...
Curated OER
How Are Stars Like People?
A beautifully written lesson plan delves into a beautiful topic: stellar population. Engage aspiring astronomers with activities that examine human populations and then transition onto the stars of the universe. Data and photographs for...
Curated OER
New Kid on the Block
Learners become familiar with the problems of new students and interview new learners to understand their experiences when they first arrived. In this new students lesson, learners design informational packages to help a new...
Curated OER
The Photogingerbread Connection
Students draw pictures of themselves. They mail the picture of themself to the teacher prior to the start of the school year.
Curated OER
Post-Secondary Checklist
Twelfth graders answer the question what is next for them and identify how life is going to be different after high school. As a class, they share their life experiences in elementary and middle school and then predict how it might be...
Curated OER
Space Science:Wherever You Go, There You Are
Students explore navigation principles by observing, measuring, and interpreting data to determine locations. Using a compass, compass rose, and a transit, they plot courses and discover the workings of the Global Positioning System...