Students write about the origin of their name and explore the names that Malcolm X used during this life.
Malcolm X was born in Nebraska in 1925.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in 1803.
Students visit a quotation attributed to Emerson and identify the definition of success. Students then use the Postcard Creator to write a note to a person that they feel is successful.
Star Wars creator George Lucas was born in 1944.
Students use the Hero's Journey interactive to describe how Luke Skywalker meets each stage of his journey, and then brainstorm other works that use the formula.
Teacher Appreciation Week honors our teachers.
In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, students read a book about a teacher and follow up with an activity related to the book using the Venn Diagram, Letter Generator, Story Map, or Essay Map.
Author Lois Duncan was born on this date in 1934.
Mysteries are shared with students for them to solve and brainstorm the attributes of a good mystery. Small groups then compose short mysteries using the Mystery Cube.
In 1928, Maya Angelou was born.
After hearing Maya Angelou's poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," students infer information about the speaker and her feelings about America and reflect on how one's life and experiences can influence one's writing.
Author Joel Chandler Harris was born in 1848.
Students study how regional dialect is written phonetically by reading a segment of Harris' story, as well as two others, and compare them using the Interactive Venn Diagram.
The United States celebrates Thanksgiving Day today.
On this day, instead of teaching about a single day of Thanksgiving, use this as an opportunity to the concept of giving thanks.
Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832.
Students brainstorm important events and people that might serve as the beginning of an interesting piece of writing. They then use the Bio-Cube to plan their writing and write an essay about a memorable person.
Poet William Blake was born in 1757.
As a class, students brainstorm abstract concepts and personify that concept through a drawing or story told about the character who personifies that concept.
Today is World Hello Day!
Students study a letter written by a famous author to determine purpose, and words and phrases that make the letter meaningful. They can use the Letter Generator to write their own letter promoting peace.
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863.
Students practice the Pre-AP strategy called SOAPSTone, identifying important parts of the Gettysburg Address and comparing it with John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech.
On this day in 1918, the United States passed the U.S. Standard Time Act.
A video conference with a class from a different country or time zone is planned. Students brainstorm questions to ask and figure out how many time zones they would have to travel through to have the conference.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.
Students look at Kenneth Holder's paintings of the Lewis and Clark trail and transform their notes into a descriptive paragraph as if they were a member of the expedition.
Veterans Day is celebrated in the United States today.
Students write biographical poems about a soldier.
Kristallnacht occurred in 1938.
To help understand the thinking of German leaders during the Holocaust, students write about a time when they failed to come to the assistance of someone who needed help.
In 1847, Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula was born.
Students brainstorm the superstitions they know and small groups research one of the superstitions to determine its origin and meaning or purpose. Students can write about the superstition using the Mystery Cube interactive.
Susan B. Anthony voted on this date in 1872, leading to her arrest.
After assigning special privileges to an arbitrarily designated group, students write about how they felt during the simulation and consider what they might be willing to do to change an unjust law.
Artist Pablo Picasso was born on this day in 1881.
Students view a Picasso piece, write their impressions, and share. Students can create their own Picasso-style art using the interactive Picassohead.
Ursula K. LeGuin was born on this day in 1929.
Students examine realistic and non-realistic elements of a familiar fantasy story of their choice.