David Cooper
108 Followers
East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, United States
About the store
Thank you for visiting me at Teachers Pay Teachers! My resources draw upon thirty years of teaching middle school Social Studies and a long-time love for writing. I work hard to provide practical, creative, and thoughtful resources for history, civics, geography, writing across the content areas, social-emotional learning, and so much more. I earned a Masters of Teaching and Curriculum from Penn State and a BA of Secondary Education Social Studies from York College of PA. In addition to teaching Social Studies for 30 years, I served as a martial arts instructor for 29 and have written compulsively since my second-grade teacher read my Star Trek story to the class.
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Gold Rush Fortunes and Heartbreak: Texts, Activities, Role-Plays, and Assessment
Gold Rush Fortunes and Heartbreaks provides 6th through 8th graders with the thought-provoking content and activities necessary to experience the thrills, risks, and dreams of the California Gold Rush. These materials can be used as stand-alone lessons complementing your existing curriculum or as a complete seven-day mini-unit. Gold Rush Fortunes and Heartbreaks consists of the following resources and learning experiences: a primary-source activity involving the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mi
6th - 8th
Economics , Informational Text, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
, RH.6-8.10
+1
Washington, D.C. and The Five Themes of Geography
The seat of the Unites States’ Federal Government is a location rich in geography and history. This ready-to-use activity package includes an informational text, reading strategy, reinforcement activity, and scaffolded writing task, which provide students in grades six through nine with a Five-Themes-of-Geography-driven overview of Washington, D.C. and its importance as a capital. Students complete a “before, during, and after” reading strategy aiding them with independent note-taking and the c
6th - 9th
Geography, Informational Text, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
, RH.6-8.7
+3
Agribusiness And Geography: Building A Farming Supply Store
Student groups take control of an agribusiness and use map resources to choose locations to build new stores within the United States-- locations with access to transportation, work forces, and ready markets for products. Through research, information organization, and decision-making, each group writes a business proposal placing a farm and tractor store at an absolute location. Connections between geography, agriculture, and business emerge through their justifications. Agribusiness And Geogra
7th - 9th
Economics , Geography
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
, RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
+4
Investigating The Past Through Primary and Secondary Sources
Investigating The Past Through Primary and Secondary Sources is a five-day mini-unit for students in grades 8 through 10 addressing the effective use of primary and secondary sources when conducting research. The zip archive includes pdf and modifiable Word versions of the following resources:
1) a 2500-word informational text;
2) a corresponding graphic-organizer-based reading strategy and answer key;
3) a 12-slide Power-Point activity calling upon students to identify excerpts from histori
8th - 10th
Social Studies, U.S. History, Writing-Expository
Life and Works of Thomas Paine: Text, Reading Strategy, and Two DBQ Activities
Common Sense and The American Crisis author Thomas Paine presented a variety of faces during the United States' early history: patriot, propagandist, hero, conspirator, criminal, and villain. This copy-ready ebook includes a 1,600-word informational text framing Paine’s literary works within the complexities and controversies of his personal experiences, a complementary reading strategy, two document-based-question activities based upon Common Sense and The American Crisis, and complete answer
8th - 10th
Informational Text, Reading Strategies, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
, RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
+5
Prioritizing-- What Should I Do First? An Exercise For Executive Functioning
To-do lists overwhelm us from time-to-time, and prioritizing tasks can be difficult even for adults with excellent executive functioning skills— just imagine how an overwhelmed young person feels trying to prioritize schoolwork. Prioritizing—What Should I Do First? provides seventh through ninth grade students with a process of ordering assignments and assessments based upon timeliness, importance, benefits of completion, and perceived challenges. All students require guidance and support to de
7th - 9th
Not Subject Specific
Analyzing The U.S. Declaration of Independence
Richard Henry Lee’s decisive resolution for independence approved on July 2nd, 1776 marked a dramatic turning point in the American colonies’ conflict with Great Britain. Colonial leaders would settle for nothing less than freedom and for the world to know why. Congress, now a group of outlaws, approved and signed “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America” in July and early August of 1776. This collection of materials includes the following items: 1) background readin
7th - 10th
Informational Text, Reading Strategies, U.S. History
Resources For Mentoring Student Teachers and Teaching Interns
Mentors provide guidance, feedback, and safety nets during the student teaching experience. This ebook presents tools in pdf and modifiable Word formats for mentors and student teachers to facilitate meaningful communication, record ideas and reflections quickly, and for student teachers to organize resources they will rely upon when managing classrooms of their own. Practical FAQ lists provide a framework for creating and managing a comprehensive student teaching experience and explain how to u
Not Specific
For All Subjects
Adventure On The Nile Word Problems
How long will it take your students to canoe over 4000 miles of one of the world's most dangerous rivers? Will they be able to carry enough supplies in their canoes? This lesson integrating reading, geography, and word problems by David Cooper will help your students become legendary adventurers!
Adventure On The Nile addresses the following Mathematics and Literacy In History/Social Studies Common Core Standards: 6.EE.2, 6.EE.6, 6.EE.7, 6-8.RH.2, 6-8RH.4, and 6-8RH.10.
This activity is suit
6th - 8th
Geography, Other (Math), Reading
CCSS
6.EE.A.2a
, 6.EE.B.6
, 6.EE.B.7
+3
Academic Intervention— Getting Back on Track
All students get derailed at some point in their school careers. Derailments can become important life lessons and opportunities to strengthen executive functioning skills if students receive guidance, support, and hope. Academic Intervention—Getting Back on Track is a positively-framed resource to help students in grades four through nine improve grades, regain self-confidence, and realize everyone experiences challenging times. Prompts and recommendations provide teachers and staff with tools
5th - 9th
For All Subjects, Not Subject Specific
The United States Federal Government's Three Branches
Tackle the "Three Branches" concept with these easy-to-prepare information-rich social and tactile learning activities!
This ebook’s 575-word informational text, reading strategy, tactile "puzzle flowchart" activity, primary-source enrichment activity, and writing-based assessment use the traditional tree-branches analogy to convey the U.S. Federal Government’s structure to students in grades 4 through 6.
The reading strategy engages prior knowledge as part of a pre-read, helps students collec
4th - 6th
Government, Informational Text, U.S. History
CCSS
RI.4.1
, RI.4.10
, RI.5.10
+15
The Industrial Revolution: Cottage Industries To Factories
This 850-word informational text, reading strategy, social vocabulary activity connecting key terms with thematic concepts, reinforcement activity, and a quiz-based assessment provide students with active and high-order ways to engage the revolution's economic, technological, and social impacts. Teacher answer keys for all activities and assessments are provided along with three quiz versions-- one accommodated for special needs students.
The zip archive contains pdf and modifiable Word versio
7th - 9th
Reading Strategies, Social Studies, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.3
, RH.6-8.4
+1
Federalism And The U.S. Government Reading And Reading Strategy
The United States’ founding fathers embraced federalism as a guiding principle. They knew sharing power between state-level and centralized governments would result in a system able to address region-specific and collective needs without consolidating too much power into one governing body.
This activity focusing upon federalism and fundamentals of the United States Government includes a two-page informational text and an activity based upon the traditional “before, during, and after” three-par
7th - 9th
Government, Informational Text, Reading Strategies
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.3
, RH.6-8.10
Dr. Gesundheit and the Mystery of Snake Valley: An Archeology Mini-unit
Thick forest and tall grasses hide tantalizing clues about the people once calling Snake Valley home, and world-renowned archeologist Dr. Gesundheit needs your students’ help to unravel the region’s mysteries. Equipped with rich content, new skills, and a drawstring bag of tools, your students travel to Snake Valley’s dark interior where they collect, organize, and analyze archeological evidence-- everything from eroded burial mounds to sediment-filled post holes. Students follow Dr. Gesundheit
6th - 8th
English Language Arts, Reading, Social Studies
CCSS
W.6.2
, W.7.2
, RH.6-8.2
+4
Two Reading Strategies To Engage Students In Current Events Problem Solving
Ten minutes reading the morning paper or your favorite news.com, one of these strategies, and five minutes at the copier yields a relevant high-order thinking activity.
News bombards students constantly. They need ways to engage current events and to consider how events can impact their lives. These B-D-A and PACE activities join traditional reading strategy formats with problem solving to foster nonfiction text reading skills and high-order thinking. You will find in this product detailed t
7th - 10th
For All Subjects, Informational Text, Reading Strategies
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
, RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
+4
A Profile of The Nile River: An Informational Text & Comprehension Questions
The Nile River is an intriguing feature rich in history, geography, and history. Use this brief geographic overview and reading strategy as a Geography warm-up activity, an introduction to Egypt (past or present), or an introduction to the region of North Africa. The reading and connected activity address Common Core Standard RH6-8.10. A Profile of The Nile River is an excerpt from a larger word-problem-based activity entitled Adventure On The Nile, which is also available from Teachers Pay Tea
6th - 8th
Geography, Informational Text, World History
CCSS
RH.6-8.10
A New and Uneasy U.S.: Political Parties and Crises in the Late 18th Century
Political intrigue and drama fill this content-rich ebook of copy-ready resources covering the United States’ Constitutional Convention’s political infighting, the contempt between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, George Washington’s struggle to hold together a nation in perpetual crisis, and the birth of the world’s first political parties. This ten-day comprehensive resource includes the following items: 1) a 3,600-word informational text; 2) an extensive BDA reading strategy and notes
8th - 10th
Government, Informational Text, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
, RH.6-8.10
+13
Writing Nature Haiku
Watch fourth through sixth-graders build connections between nature, thoughts, and the creative use of language with this copy-ready resource entitled "Writing Nature Haiku." Haiku is a three-line form of Japanese poetry following a syllable pattern (often five-seven-five). Students use a six-step process to collect observations and impressions of natural scenes then turn their observations and impressions into traditional haiku. Three graphic organizers reinforce the understanding and use of
4th - 6th
Asian Studies, Creative Writing, Poetry
CCSS
W.5.3d
, W.6.3d
, W.4.3d
Teaching Writing With Portfolios Across The Subject Areas
Creating and maintaining classroom portfolios encourages intrinsic motivation, personal investment in work, and provides long-term opportunities for reflection. This teaching resource by David Cooper provides the handouts and instructions necessary to create and manage student portfolios and to use these portfolios as ongoing teaching tools through the school year in multiple subject areas. The resources in Teaching Writing With Portfolios are most appropriate for use with students in grades s
7th - 12th
English Language Arts, For All Subjects, Writing
CCSS
WHST.6-8.10
Saving The Mississippi Word Problems
As reliance upon the Mississippi grows, so do environmental pressures, and your students must devise plans to secure the river’s future. Students run a fictional conservation group, identify ecological problems facing the Mississippi, calculate costs involved in proposed conservation projects, explain their mathematical thinking, and create an educational flier with the goal of encouraging donations and participation in conservation. Save The Mississippi addresses the following Mathematics and
6th - 8th
Geography, Informational Text, Other (Math)
CCSS
6.EE.A.2a
, 6.EE.B.6
, 6.EE.B.7
+6
Showing 1-20 of 42 results
About the store
Experience
Thank you for visiting me at Teachers Pay Teachers! My resources draw upon thirty years of teaching middle school Social Studies and a long-time love for writing. I work hard to provide practical, creative, and thoughtful resources for history, civics, geography, writing across the content areas, social-emotional learning, and so much more. I earned a Masters of Teaching and Curriculum from Penn State and a BA of Secondary Education Social Studies from York College of PA. In addition to teaching Social Studies for 30 years, I served as a martial arts instructor for 29 and have written compulsively since my second-grade teacher read my Star Trek story to the class.
Teaching style
Challenging students with new ways to examine history, to express ideas and discoveries through multiple media, and to value learning beyond letter grades is an approach to teaching I have clung to and continue to develop with the help of colleagues, and, most importantly, my students.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Dave received the first place award for Literary Short Fiction at the 2012 Philadelphia Writers' Conference. He received the Outstanding Graduate Student In Teaching and Curriculum Award from the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State Harrisburg in 2001. He also received Departmental Recognition For Contributions To The Field Of Education from York College of Pennsylvania in 1995.
My own education history
Dave graduated from York College Of Pennsylvania in 1995 with a degree in Secondary Education-- Social Studies. He completed his Master's Degree in Teaching and Curriculum through Penn State University in 2001.
Additional biographical information
Visit Dave’s website and blog at davidcooperwriting.com for more teaching resources and information about his writing projects.
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