Bring the vocabulary of film to life through the processes of filmmaking. Students learn terminology and techniques simultaneously as they plan, film, and edit a short video.

7th Grade Historical Literacy consists of two 43 minute class periods. Writing is one 43 minute block and reading is another. The teacher has picked themes based on social studies standards, and a read-aloud novel based on social studies serves as the mentor text for writing and reading skills. More social studies content is addressed in reading through teaching nonfiction reading skills and discussion.
Standards reflect CCSS ELA, Reading, and Social Studies Standards.

Students form literature circles, read "Esperanza Rising" or "Becoming Naomi Leon" by Pam MuĐoz Ryan, use a Critical Thinking Map to discuss social issues, and use a class wiki.

In this problem-based learning module, students will be asked to brainstorm ideas and think innovatively both independently and collaboratively in addressing a real-world problem that is relevant to their daily lives and  health.  Are students aware of their calorie intake and how it affects their overall health? Students will investigate the calories consumed in a typical day and how much physical activity is needed to stay healthy and fit.  Students/teams will be encouraged to use the internet for research purposes in their design phase. Students will utilize various online platforms to design an infographic that can be shared with relevant individuals in the community and others in the school building

The Cultivating Washington curriculum is intended to be a go-to resource for Washington state middle school educators seeking student-centered instructional materials that make learning about the history of the Pacific Northwest more relevant and meaningful for students.In addition, it is a resource for agricultural education teachers, parents, and community members interested in helping students discover the history and development of agriculture in the state of Washington.

Students learn about the controversial history of a mural in Anacortes, WA, and consider what it would take to create a more inclusive and accurate mural in Anacortes today. Then students learn about the tribes, immigrants, and settlers in the region where they live and how their stories are represented in local murals in public spaces. Students draw on what they have learned to respond to the unit driving question: What decisions and whose stories define Washington state? Then, drawing on local resources such as tribal members, historical societies, and museums, students work in teams to propose a new mural that tells an inclusive story of the people and place where they live.

In this problem-based learning module, students will investigate why is it important that students be careful what is posted for everyone to see. Students will investigate and discuss these questions during this module that directly relate to their daily life. Students will work cooperatively in groups to design an infomercial to be presented to elementary students and/or parents and community members. Key Learning Targets: I can use technology to produce and publish my work, and link to sources.I can include multimedia projects or visual displays when they will be helpful in clarifying and emphasizing information.I can actively participate and contribute to a discussion with my teacher and my peers. I can present my findings to a group or audience in a clear and concise way.I can create a storyboard to prepare a public service announcement. I can compare contrast trends of technology. I can write an explanatory paragraph to examine a topic (present and future digital footprint).

Musical Overtones is a four-week unit that connects music and history. Students research musical styles as it relates to the other arts and science. Students select a musician and analyze his or her work and its impact on history. A discussion of this impact is presented in an open forum during instructional time.

In this 8 eight-week module, students explore the experiences of people of Southern Sudan during and after the Second Sudanese Civil War. They build proficiency in using textual evidence to support ideas in their writing, both in shorter responses and in an extended essay. In Unit 1, students begin the novel A Long Walk to Water (720L) by Linda Sue Park. Students will read closely to practice citing evidence and drawing inferences from this compelling text as they begin to analyze and contrast the points of view of the two central characters, Salva and Nya. They also will read informational text to gather evidence on the perspectives of the Dinka and Nuer tribes of Southern Sudan. In Unit 2, students will read the remainder of the novel, focusing on the commonalities between Salva and Nya in relation to the novel’s theme: how individuals survive in challenging environments. (The main characters’ journeys are fraught with challenges imposed by the environment, including the lack of safe drinking water, threats posed by animals, and the constant scarcity of food. They are also challenged by political and social environments.). As in Unit 1, students will read this literature closely alongside complex informational texts (focusing on background on Sudan and factual accounts of the experiences of refugees from the Second Sudanese Civil War). Unit 2 culminates with a literary analysis essay about the theme of survival. Unit 3 brings students back to a deep exploration of character and point of view: students will combine their research about Sudan with specific quotes from A Long Walk to Water as they craft a two-voice poem, comparing and contrasting the points of view of the two main characters, Salva and Nya,. The two-voice poem gives students an opportunity to use both their analysis of the characters and theme in the novel and their research about the experiences of the people of Southern Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War.

Find the rest of the EngageNY ELA resources at https://archive.org/details/engageny-ela-archive .

Throughout this problem-based learning module students will address real world skills. Students will be asked to brainstorm ideas and think innovatively both independently and collaboratively in addressing a real-world problem that is relevant to their daily lives and surroundings.  Students/teams will be encouraged to use the internet for research purposes in their design phase. What components should be included for a modern, updated classroom? Students will utilize various online platforms to design an ideal, modern, 21st century “dream classroom”.  Students will incorporate components that would meet the needs of all learners and a classroom that would be able to integrate technology. These classrooms can be shared with relevant individuals in the community and others in the school building.

In this problem-based learning module, students will be given the chance to plan their idea of the perfect party.  They are given a budget of $2,500, this is the maximum amount of money they can use.  The goal is for students to plan a party that they think people would want to attend and would enjoy being a part of.  The students will need to come up with categories of what their party will need (food/drink, decorations, entertainment, location, etc).  These will then be the stations students will move at their own pace through to complete the party planning.  At each station they will need to identify what they are doing to have/do for the party and how much it will cost.  They will then have to figure out the unit cost (cost per person) for that category. The final station should allow for students to find the total cost of their part and total unit cost per person for the party.  If the total cost exceeds $2,500 students should make adjustments as needed.Students will then create an advertisement (commercial, flyer, poster etc.) to promote their party as the “PARTY OF THE YEAR!”Students will then present these advertisements to school staff, parents, administrators etc. to vote on the party they would want to throw for their own child. They should take into consideration cost per person, entertainment, and enjoyment of the party.

A possible way to use these sources:
* Build Ford Island using a large sheet, with battleships placed in battleship row formation.
* Write casualty statistics under each cardboard ship or airplane to generate discussion after the activity.
Possible Lesson Process:
* 5 paper planes per student
* Student sit around the map
* Primary source/eyewitness accounts given to students: A narrator of Timeline events; multiple readers for
eyewitness accounts
* Students are prompted to 'get into position' (on knees) ready for the first wave of attack.
* At a signal, in correlation to the narrative - students are signaled to throw 3 of their planes on the island.
* The narration of timeline and eye witness accounts continue.
* Students are prompted to stand up, be ready for second wave of attack.
* Students are signaled to throw the last couple paper planes.
* Wrap up with final narrative of timeline, statistic investigation, and listening to FDR's 'Day in Infamy' speech.

As part of Washington's Kip Tokuda Memorial Civil Liberties Public Education Program, which strives to educate the public regarding the history and the lessons of the World War II exclusion, removal, and detention of persons of Japanese ancestry, KSPS Public Television and Eastern Washington educators Starla Fey, Leslie Heffernan, and Morgen Larsen have produced Injustice at Home: the Japanese American experience of the World War II Era.

This educational resource--five educational videos and an inquiry-based unit of study--will help students understand Executive Order 9066 and the resulting internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the failure of political leadership to protect constitutional rights, the military experience of Japanese-Americans during WWII, and examples of discrimination and racial prejudice the Japanese-American community faced before, during and after WWII.

In addition, students will analyze the short and long term emotional effects on those who are incarcerated, identify the challenges that people living outside of the exclusion zone faced, examine how some Japanese Americans showed their loyalty during the period of incarceration, and learn about brave individuals who stood up for Japanese Americans during this time.

During this problem-based blended learning module students will be designing their dream bedroom as well as creating a scale drawing of the items they chose to be in their bedroom.  The launch activity introduces the students to Scale City, which is a video that explores scale models in the real world. Students are then given dimensions for a fictional bedroom to furnish with items of their choosing. Price is not considered in this module, but a budget could be introduced as an extension of the module.  Students will then spend time researching items that they would want to place in their bedroom with the area constraints given. Students will have the opportunity to provide each other peer feedback on their bedroom designs.  Once students have a rough idea of their bedroom design, they will spend some time creating a scale drawing of their bedroom on graph paper. This will give students the opportunity to use a scale factor to create a scale drawing. Students will again be provided feedback on their designs and be given time to reflect and redesign as needed.  If students need extra time to practice using a scale factor and creating scale models, a station rotation lesson has been included as an optional resource.

Throughout this unit on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, students practice the same six skills with greater scaffolding and modeling at the beginning, and more independence toward the middle and end. The tasks include: 1. writing to an essential question to access background knowledge; 2. using context clues and root words to determine word meaning; 3. close reading with the aid of a glossary; 4. taking notes one of two graphic organizers (sequence of events and/or empathy map); 5. re-reading to answer text dependent questions; and 6. summarizing the chapter.

Natural High is a non-profit organization that focuses on the power of storytelling to transform lives. They engage storytellers who kids admire and trust and work with these influencers to create free and impactful content for educators and parents.The activities are designed to develop student understanding about the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse and also to support students in learning and practicing strategies to make healthy decisions. The evidence-based program is used in all 50 states and makes use of current scientific findings on youth behavior, brain development, social norming, and substance abuse prevention.This resource highlights activities in the Understanding the Consequences of Drugs and Alcohol area of focus. Visit the Natural High website at https://www.naturalhigh.org/ for additional materials.

Sea level is rising due to climate changes that result from increased emissions of greenhouse gases. In this storyline, students will explore mechanisms of sea level rise and the impacts on Indigenous peoples along with other groups such as urban communities. Natural hazards such as erosion, storm surges, and flooding are intensified by sea level rise. The effects on natural resources, the economies built from those natural resources, and land usage in general can be predicted by utilizing current and historical data.

Coastal wetlands bring many benefits to ecosystems including their ability to sequester carbon and mitigate fluctuations in sea levels. Students will understand the ecosystem benefits of coastal wetlands with a focus on the potential of estuaries for climate related planning.

Playground Physics is an iPad and Progressive Web application (app) developed by the New York Hall of Science. The app is accompanied by a supplemental Teacher Guide for middle school teachers. The Playground Physics curriculum is a six-week supplemental physics curriculum, designed to be used alongside any existing science curricula in the middle grades. It includes a teacher guide and student work, and maps to the NGSS and NYSSLS. The curriculum is focused around three different units which each explore a major concept in physics (motion, force and energy) through a specific type of physical play (catching a ball, jumping, swinging).

Playground Physics is particularly well suited to supporting diverse learners because it leverages students’ abilities to playfully ask and answer their own questions to connect academic content to what they notice, describe and analyze about their own individual actions. Additionally, the multimodal nature of the program, which uses videos and images as well as kinesthetic exploration to build understanding, is less text-dependent than more traditional physics instructional materials.

Students learn about the efforts of Ida B. Wells and other Black female journalists who used investigative reporting to challenge ideas and people that perpetuated social and political injustices. Students look to Black female journalists today by learning about Natasha S. Alford’s feature stories on race in Puerto Rico, and draw on past and present examples of journalism to help them respond to the unit driving question: How can journalism challenge inequality and injustice? Students use the tenets of investigative reporting to explore the achievements and challenges of the era, then work to shine a light on the possibilities of racial equity by writing and publishing a feature story about an issue of injustice today.