“This was the best money I have ever spent on a teaching tool.” ~ a teacher in Wisconsin

TEKS ELA Standard: 2.6.A

establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts

Holiday Worksheets

Holiday Worksheets

Writing prompts, non-fiction analysis, and science topics related to Christmas and Hanukkah.

A Character’s Challenges and Changes

A Character’s Challenges and Changes

Your 1st and 2nd graders will analyze how a character responded to a challenge.

Founding The Colonies

Founding The Colonies

13 colonies activities including a word search and task cards packed with facts. Plus, students will create their own colony with a name, story, and map!

Hero or Not A Hero?

Hero or Not A Hero?

Students will determine what makes a hero a hero.

Earth Day Worksheets

Earth Day Worksheets

Worksheets for Earth Day! Featuring reading, writing, and math… with a pinch of Depth and Complexity.

Two Animals Switch Biomes

Two Animals Switch Biomes

What if a capybara and a kangaroo rat switched homes? Would their adaptations be helpful at all?

Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two

Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two

Once students know the prompts of Depth and Complexity, let’s take them much higher up Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Van Gogh Self-Portrait Tournament

Van Gogh Self-Portrait Tournament

Who will win the tournament of Van Gogh self-portraits!?

Robot Writing: Acropolis

Robot Writing: Acropolis

One painting of ruins. Three robots. Three pieces of writing. Who wrote it best?

Zig Zag Cipher (Codes Part 3)

Zig Zag Cipher (Codes Part 3)

Let’s try a cipher that doesn’t substitute new letters or shapes. We just mix things up.

Pig Pen Cipher (Codes Part 2)

Pig Pen Cipher (Codes Part 2)

Let’s encode some secret messages with a cipher that was actually used during the American Civil War!

Think Like An Author: Hemingway vs Dickens

Think Like An Author: Hemingway vs Dickens

What if your students rewrote Dickens in the style of Hemingway and vice versa?

Analyze Paragraphs: Tomatoes

Analyze Paragraphs: Tomatoes

Three paragraphs about tomatoes. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Writing Sample: Moby Dick

Writing Sample: Moby Dick

A passage from Moby Dick to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Writing Sample: The Fall of the House of Usher

Writing Sample: The Fall of the House of Usher

A passage from “The Fall of the House of Usher” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Academic Love Letters

Academic Love Letters

What if Kylo Ren wrote a love letter to Abe Lincoln or the Sahara Desert wrote one to the Moon?

Create A Civilization: From Hunter Gatherers to Farmers

Create A Civilization: From Hunter Gatherers to Farmers

What happens when your civilization suddenly has a surplus of food? Think of the possibilities!

Content Imperatives: Origin

Content Imperatives: Origin

Take students back to the beginning by using the Content Imperative ⏺️ Origin.

Creating A Realistic Flower and Pollinator

Creating A Realistic Flower and Pollinator

Your students will create a new flower, designed to attract a specific pollinator.

An App For A Historical Figure

An App For A Historical Figure

What kind of an app could have helped Abe Lincoln accomplish his goals?

Motivation and Moral Development

Motivation and Moral Development

Can someone do the right thing, but for the wrong reason?

Hamlet Summary

Hamlet Summary

It’s Hamlet in just about five minutes!

Think Like An Economist

Think Like An Economist

How would an economist read Goldilocks? How would they see a rainforest? How would they study the American Revolution?