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.
Read more
All resources
Filters
Grade
Subject
Resource type
Standard
Audience
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
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
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
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
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
Civil War Photography and Camp Life
Civil War Photography and Camp Life explores the use of photography during The Civil War and provides students in grades six through eight with first-person perspectives into the lives of the era’s soldiers. What do students see, hear, smell, taste and touch in their encampment? What do students think and feel when their sergeant tells them they will march to a major battle after having wintered three long months? Students compose a purpose statement setting a course for their learning, engage a
6th - 8th
U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.10
, WHST.6-8.4
US Match And Discuss Cards Sets 3 and 4: The Declaration and Constitution
Print, cut, and teach-- these 62 Match and Discuss Cards keep students moving and collaborating in high-order exercises like linking specific British actions to grievances in the United States' Declaration of Independence.
Suitable for classes of up to 30 preadolescent or adolescent students, these sets of Match and Discuss Cards can be used for warm-ups, class and partnered discussion activities, and collaborative note-taking question/answer activities connected to The United States Declarati
8th - 11th
Civics, Government, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
US Match And Discuss Cards Combo (Sets 1-4): Path To Revolution To Constitution
Get all four sets of U.S. Match and Discuss Cards for a discounted price-- save $1.00!
Print, cut, and teach-- these 124 Match and Discuss Cards keep students moving and collaborating in high-order exercises like connecting King George III's Proclamation of 1763 to the rise of the American Revolution.
Suitable for classes of up to 30 preadolescent or adolescent students, these sets of Match and Discuss Cards can be used for warm-ups, class and partnered discussion activities, and collaborative
8th - 11th
Civics, Government, U.S. History
DBQ & Persuasive Writing Prompt: Thomas Jefferson’s Views On Education
Thomas Jefferson called for a public-supported education system in 1779 through “A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge” as part of a greater plan to create an ideal republic. Few people question the need for education, but growing numbers question the close relationship between education and government. These activities provide opportunities for students to examine Jefferson’s 18th Century call for public education and to choose sides in the public education debate:
1) a think/pa
8th - 10th
Informational Text, U.S. History, Writing-Expository
CCSS
RI.8.1
, RI.8.8
, RI.9-10.1
+7
Previewing Textbooks: Three Ways To Introduce Students To Their Books
Every textbook has a distinctive structure, and each of these fifteen to twenty-minute ready-to-use activities can help students learn how their textbook’s author(s) organize information and present it in meaningful ways:
1) a chart to identify important textbook features and determine how these features will be helpful when using the book;
2) an information-hierarchy triangle helping students analyze a portion of their textbooks to learn how the author categorizes and relates facts and concep
7th - 10th
For All Subjects
The Three Branches Memory Game
“The Three Branches Memory Game” is an easy-to-prepare and fun activity reinforcing the purposes, compositions, and law-making roles of the United States Federal Government’s Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches. This variation of a traditional memory game challenges players to match cards based upon information—not by matching identical images or text—requiring all cards to be read and comprehended fully. Students use correctly matched information cards to complete corresponding quest
7th - 10th
Civics, Government, U.S. History
A Word Waterfall and Four More Academic Vocabulary Activities
These five ready-to-use activities tackle the challenges of teaching academic vocabulary, particularly challenges related to common-usage words used in content-specific ways. Use “A Word Waterfall” to examine a particularly difficult word's versatility and fundamental meaning. “Vocabulary in School and Daily Life” bridges day-to-day interactions with academic word use. A “Word Relationship Web” focuses upon a word’s connection to a specific academic topic, and “Growing Our Knowledge of Word Mea
4th - 7th
For All Subjects, Vocabulary
CCSS
RI.4.4
, RI.5.4
, RI.6.4
+1
US Match And Discuss Cards Sets 1 and 2: Path To Revolution and Revolution
Print, cut, and teach-- these 62 Match and Discuss Cards keep students moving and collaborating in high-order exercises like connecting King George III's Proclamation of 1763 to the rise of the United States' Revolution.
Suitable for classes of up to 30 preadolescent or adolescent students, these sets of Match and Discuss Cards can be used for warm-ups, class and partnered discussion activities, and collaborative note-taking question/answer activities connected to events leading to the United S
8th - 11th
Government, Informational Text, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
DBQ: Native American Perspectives On Relations With The British
This DBQ activity involves one of Captain John Smith’s conflicts with Virginia’s Native Americans in 1609 and a plea for justice and cultural understanding following a massacre in the colony of Maryland in 1633. Students use active-reading strategies to interpret and analyze the words of two Native Americans involved in these conflicts. Defining unknown terms, rewriting difficult phrases in modern language, and providing personal reactions assist students in their interpretations and enables th
7th - 9th
Social Studies, U.S. History
CCSS
RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.4
Showing 1-20 of 20 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.
TPT is the largest marketplace for PreK-12 resources, powered by a community of educators.
IXL family of brands