June 8th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In this activity:
- Students will learn about the major world biomes.
- Students will develop travel brochures to countries within the biomes.
- Students will gain an awareness of careers associated with travel.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.3.11, W.4.11, W.5.11, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
June 1st, 2022
Middle School Resource
This video, from History.com’s archives, focuses on what citizens believe it means to be an American.
Related NY State Academic Standards: SS.8.2.a.1, SS.SSP.5.3.2, SS.SSP.6.3.2, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
May 25th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In this exercise, search through favorite magazines, newspapers, or the Internet for a photograph that is appealing. The photo should be of two or three people. Choose a photo based not only on the number of people, but also on the photo’s appeal and the activity going on in the photo.
After choosing a photo, brainstorm about what is going on in the picture. Think about and write down what part each person plays in the picture and why they are doing what they are doing. When the brainstorming part of this exercise is complete write a short dialogue, approximately four lines for each person, communicating what each person is doing, feeling, and thinking. This exercise is most effective if dialogue is the only communicative writing being done. There should not be any fluff added to communicate what is going on in the picture.
Extension: Teachers/Parents: This exercise can be incorporated easily into social studies by having students study pictures from war, immigrants on the boat sailing toward America, slaves, etc. It is an excellent way for students to reinforce first-person writing skills. The exercise can easily be expanded into a full essay of the thoughts of one person in the picture without the use of quotation marks.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.5.2.d, W.5.3, W.6.2.d, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
May 18th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In this lesson, students will understand the following:
- Identical twins are genetically identical.
- For this reason, twins separated at birth and later reunited have been subjects for scientific researchers investigating the influence of heredity and environment on human personality.
Related NY State Academic Standards: S.MS.LS.2.4, S.MS.LS.1.5, S.MS.LS.3.1, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
May 11th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In this activity, students write letters and exchange information with a pen pal from a school in a country that speaks the language they are studying.
Activity:
- Teacher secures information on schools in other countries and obtains the names and addresses of students in that school interested in being pen pals.
- Students select one of the pen pals and engage in an ongoing exchange of information about:
- Themselves
- Their families
- Their friends
- Everyday activities
- Interests at home, school, and community
- Using e-mail, digital cameras, scanners, and a webcam, students maintain an interactive communication with the pen pals.
- Teacher arranges video conferencing between the two classrooms so that the students have an opportunity for direct communication.
- Students should alternate between speaking in English and the foreign language so that the students in both countries have an opportunity to practice speaking.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.5.4, L.5.1, L.5.2, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
May 4th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In this lesson idea video, students construct an understanding of surface area.
Related NY State Academic Standards: 6.G.4!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
April 27th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In the United States, the nineteenth century was a time of tremendous growth and change. The new nation experienced a shift from a farming economy to an industrial one, major westward expansion, displacement of native peoples, rapid advances in technology and transportation, and a civil war. In these lessons, works of art from the nineteenth century are paired with written documents to be used as primary sources for students to reconstruct the influence of technology, geography, economics, and politics on daily life.
Related NY State Academic Standards: ARTS.VA.I.1.1.B, ARTS.VA.I.1.1.D, and ARTS.VA.I.1.1.E!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
April 20th, 2022
Middle School Resource
This page describes how organisms get food from their environment, either by consuming other organisms or making their own food. A nice graphic illustrates these relationships. Ideal for all children as well as teachers and parents.
Related NY State Academic Standards: S.2.LS.2.2, S.3.LS.2.1,S.4.LS.1.1, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
April 13th, 2022
Middle School Resource
The objective of the lesson in this video is for students to work as a mock community to see how choices impact the environment.
Related NY State Academic Standards: SL.5.1.c and SL.5.1.d!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
April 6th, 2022
Middle School Resource
In this activity, give students a couple of minutes to make an airplane and one minute to test them. Divide the students into two teams and have the teams stand at the back of the room. Ask a student a question and if the answer is correct that student gets a throw. Assign points to different objects in the room (white board = 10pts., far wall = 15pts., etc.). Each student should be asked a question and teammates can help if needed.
Related NY State Academic Standards: ESL.E.PK-1.4.1.3, ESL.E.PK-1.4.1.4, ESL.E.PK-1.5.1.1, and more!
Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!
