Make it Middle School

Inspired by Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl, this math content bundle encourages your students to think creatively and collectively.  The tasks in this bundle are designed to have your students working together in a vertical learning format.  All 171 problems focus on the standards and expectations in a middle school math class.  These problems, although designed for group work, can also be used for assessment and individual practice.

If you are a middle school teacher, the following list of comments is a must have. The comments are grouped by subject, strand, and level. The Learning Skills section comes with a variety of paragraphs based on skill level and behaviour. Simply copy and paste these comments into your report cards and change the name. These comments are specifically written for students in grade 7 and grade 8.

Although Paul Fisher has bad eyesight, he certainly sees things quite clearly. When his family takes up residence in Tangerine, it does not take Paul too long to know what’s going on, even though the things that happen around him are nothing short of bizarre. The following questions are clustered into 8 different activity pages. Each activity page roughly covers around 30-35 pages in the book. The page numbers at the top of each activity sheet identify the amount of reading students are resp

Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and to a certain degree, we all believe in them. This small unit examines some of the issues related to our belief in various conspiracy theories, whether it be the Kennedy Assasination, 9/11, or the more recent QAnon phenomenon. Students are asked to examine their own beliefs to understand some of the reasons why belief in a particular conspiracy theory is held on to so tightly!

Social Justice and Global Citizenship are extremely important topics that students from grades 5-8 need to learn about. In a language arts program, a great deal of time can easily be spent on topics related to social justice such as refugees, charities, aboriginal people, and citizens from developing countries. The following unit has a broad range of activities that I have compiled over the years to help my students understand the importance of being a good global citizen. I would use this un

The following is a compilation of the high interest, non-fiction units I have developed and used in my classroom over the last five years. Each unit comes with a variety of readings that will provoke debate and discussion in your classroom. Each reading also has questions that allow your students to look beyond the text while working on important skills such as connecting, inferring, questioning, summarizing, and synthesizing. Combined with any fiction you introduce in your class, there is enoug

You cannot move too far without being inundated with social media. Whether it’s our connection to Facebook or the use of every new and improving Smart Phones, Social Media is here to stay and needs to be understood. This unit of study focuses on a key question: What are some of the positive and negative impacts that social media has on young people? Readings have been included to help students examine and debate the issues. A list of reading from the Nelson Literacy series has also been incl

Problem Solving is the cornerstone of a successful math program. The following 25 problems can be used individually or with groups. A problem solving rubric is included to help assess a student's ability to communicate their understanding and mathematical processes. I have used these problems successfully in my 20 years as a middle school teacher, and I have grouped them according to strand. Enjoy!

One thing I have noticed teaching middle school for over 20 years: kids love a good debate, and the vaccine debate is something that most kids find incredibly interesting. This unit digs deep into the reasons for vaccinations and why some people choose not to have their children vaccinated. Students look closely at school district vaccine policy, and they also examine the case study of Ethan Lindenberger who went against his parents wishes and got himself vaccinated. A variety of different rubri

The following is a compilation of the high interest, non-fiction units I have developed and used in my classroom over the last five years. Each unit comes with a variety of readings that will provoke debate and discussion in your classroom. Each reading also has questions that allow your students to look beyond the text while working on important skills such as connecting, inferring, and synthesizing. Combined with any fiction you introduce in your class, there is enough content here for two yea

If you are a middle school teacher, the following list of comments is a must have. The comments are grouped by subject, strand, and level. The Learning Skills section comes with a variety of paragraphs based on skill level and behaviour. Simply copy and paste these comments into your report cards and change the name. These comments are specifically written for students in grade 7 and grade 8 but they can be modified for other grades. Some of the learning skills paragraphs are also written with t

Recently, the issue of fake news has become front and center in public discourse. This unit has selected non-fiction readings which allow students to examine the problem of fake news in great detail. This literacy unit has different activities, such as summary writing, online research of fake news, connecting to personal experience, creating fake news headlines, and using success criteria to write a fake news story.

Smart phones, computers, ipads, and other screens are a simple fact of life. They are as much a part of the landscape of the modern world as the appliances in your kitchen or the car in your driveway. But is there a saturation point with screens where too much is simply “too much”? This unit examines the issue of screen time with youth, looking into the topics of brain development, physical activity, and digital detox.

As a teacher, your job is no easy feat. From developing lesson plans and evaluating student progress to participating in extra-curricular activities and communicating with parents, you have a full plate of responsibilities. And when report card time comes around, it's yet another task to add to the list. To help lighten the load, this database of report card comments provides a head start on your writing. All 4 levels are written with appropriate qualifiers and next steps, and the comments are f

Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, an airship that commonly travels across the Pacificus Ocean. On one such crossing, Matt helps to recover an unconscious pilot just before he dies, and the ensuing adventure leads him into a band of pirates, a shipwreck, the possible discovery of a new species, and the stubborn determination of Miss Kate de Vries.The following novel study gives students the opportunity to examine some of the more important themes of this award-winning book. You can use t

The following unit gives a sample of extreme sports that give people the adrenaline rush they need. The readings and activities are varied, and they give students the opportunity to connect with activities they have already tried or hope to try in the future. The idea is to have fun with this unit. The final assignment is inquiry based, where students have the chance to research an extreme activity that they are also interested in. A number of critical literacy skills are needed to be succes

With the increase of technology in almost ever aspect of daily life, it’s important to take a step back and critically reflect on how automation (robotification) has impacted our daily lives. The following unit has articles which attempt to examine this issue in greater depth. Looking at robotification from different perspectives (i.e., automation in food, automation in flying), students will think more deeply about how automation impacts their lives now, and what things will look like in the fu

The following 2 units go very well together. Dark Tourism looks at some of the more disturbing locations people like to visit; conversely, extreme activities deals with more fun, albeit dangerous, activities that some people choose to do in their spare time. Both units have engaging readings and activities designed to assess students ability to infer, connect, summarize, and synthesize. further, students will have the opportunity to explore their own ideas and projects.

Sometimes, it’s important to take a stand when you see an injustice. The right to protest is so important in the face of inequality and persecution. This unit takes a deep look at the power of protest. The hope is that this unit will lead to rich discussions about issues related to global citizenship and human rights. Students should have many questions as they explore the politics, individuals, and art behind different protest movements. This unit incorporates both literacy and geography, and i

Nothing on the internet is free. If you are not being sold a product, then you are the product. This literacy unit explores online activity so that students can truly understand how much their online data is worth!! An answer key is provided. Literacy skills such as summarizing, inferring, and synthesizing are built into this study! This unit has been updated to include an article on social media and the security issues behind TikTok.