Free Resources

1. Science/Social Studies Enrichment Room - Grades 6-8

2. Sunken Slave Ship - How are artifacts and stories of past lives uncovered, and how do they impact communities? Find out all about the artifact on sunken slave ships in this unit.

3. Salem Witch Trials - This unit includes inquiry into life in the 1690's in the United States, recreating a trial from that time, comparing and contrasting trials then and now, and finding alternative solutions to the problems the Puritans faced. Typically takes 12-15 class periods (45 mins to 1 hour each). Recommended for grades 5-8.

4. Ancient Greek Mythology

   • Edsitement It Came From Greek Mythology Unit

   • MENSA Introduction to Greek Mythology

5. Texas PSP

• Grade 6 Everyone’s a Winner: A Study of Conflict and Mediation

• Grade 6 Culture Shock

• Grade 7 Looking at the Past with Eyes on the Future

• Grade 7 Rites of Passage

• Grade 7 Tell a Tale of a Trail

• Grade 8 Sudden Impact

Purchase Curriculum

1. Black Death - A unit on the bubonic plague for grades 5-8. For gifted, I like this best for grades 5-6. Typically takes about 15 class session (1 hour each)

2. ThinkLaw - Analyze real court cases. Great for ELA, social studies, and critical thinking! Have about a dozen free resources to try before you buy! Or, you can join the ThinkLaw Facebook group to see more free resources.

3. Jury Trials in the Classroom - Grades 5-8. Includes six trials (3 criminal and 3 civil) that mimic fairy tales, nursery rhymes, literature, and history. Students get to take on roles as attorneys, witnesses, courtroom personnel and more!

• Slideshow for guiding students (free)

4. Blind Justice - Grade 7-12. Includes four different real court cases, reimagined to challenge students. Students get to take on roles as attorneys, witnesses, courtroom personnel and more!

• Slideshow for guiding students (free)

5. Fit to Print - From their site: "Students assume the role of newspaper editors during the late 1800s who work for the struggling New York Times, which is in fierce competition with the New York Journal. In order to boost sales, the Journal has descended into publishing the attention-grabbing headlines of yellow journalism, which the owner of the Times, Adolph Ochs, refuses to allow. Students must decide how to cover the news without sensationalizing it and yet still maintain enough of an audience to keep the paper solvent."

• Recommended for grades 6-12, I like it best for gifted 7-8. Also focuses heavily on ELA standards, if you want to cover both. Typically takes 15-20 class sessions (1 hour each)

• This USS Maine Hyperdoc on this that my students really enjoyed and could be its own stand alone piece.