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Grades 6–8

Books and classroom materials for grades 6, 7 and 8: the Grades 6–8 edition.

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Educator edition

Open on screenDownload PDF, 436 pages (8.5 MB)

Student edition

Open on screenDownload fillable PDF, 364 pages (6.8 MB)

Student pages have the same page numbers in both books on screen.

Cases and tasks for grades 6–8

For each case: the task for this band, what students make, how long the task takes and the professional codes of ethics or federal rules the case uses.

CaseTaskStudents makeTimeProfessional standardsOpen
Lesson 1 Is the screening canceled?A cropped clip in the group chat seems to cancel the crew’s screening, so you check the original documents and write an update.Talk it through, then write a three-sentence group-chat update telling friends whether to come on Friday and which door to use.Group-chat message, 3–4 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 90 minutesSPJ Code of Ethics, RTDNA Code of Ethics, PRSSA Ethical Principles for PR Students & ProfessionalsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 2 Does the worksheet show what Dec knows?Dec can explain a circuit out loud but gets lost on a crowded worksheet, so the crew asks what the task measures.Redesign Dec’s practice sheet so it still checks circuit understanding, then explain your changes to a partner.Annotated sketch plus 3–5 sentence explanation45 minutes. Full chapter: 80 minutesCEC Ethical Principles and Practice Standards, Code of Ethics of the Education ProfessionEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 3 What should a group do after a public mistake?The crew’s recap caption blamed younger neighbors for a late start, but the event log shows the projector failed.Fix Gia’s apology using a four-line template, then read it aloud as Anika would hear it.Four-sentence correction45 minutes. Full chapter: 79 minutesPRSA Code of Ethics, RTDNA Code of Ethics, Credo for Ethical CommunicationEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 4 Who gets a say when a shared room changes?The Common Room’s board is weighing paid rentals on two free evenings, so the crew prepares a comment before the meeting.Make a people map of who uses the room, then write a short note to the board asking one budget question and one access question.People map plus a 4–6 sentence note45 minutes. Full chapter: 76 minutesASPA Code of Ethics, ALA Code of EthicsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 5 Why is my deposit smaller than what I earned?Gia’s bank deposit is smaller than the pay she worked out, so she reads her pay statement line by line before asking payroll.Label a practice pay statement and explain to a partner where the money went.Labeled statement plus 3–4 sentence explanation45 minutes. Full chapter: 69 minutesPayrollOrg Code of Ethics, IABC Code of Ethics for Professional CommunicatorsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 6 What can your family see in your college records?Rafa’s parents help pay his college bill, and a family-access form asks whether they should also get information about his grades.Make a “my records, my family” card explaining who holds FERPA rights for a middle-school student and what changes at 18.Illustrated card, 4–6 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 69 minutesAACRAO Ethics and Practice, Credo for Ethical CommunicationEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 7 Did one complaint get the novel banned?A group chat says one parent’s complaint got a novel banned, so Mari and Gia check what the school library’s notice says.Draw the steps of a book review and write a message correcting the group chat.Flowchart plus 3–4 sentence message45 minutes. Full chapter: 69 minutesALA Code of Ethics, Code of Ethics of the Education Profession, Credo for Ethical CommunicationEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 8 Is it a recommendation or an ad?Gia loves a novel that a publisher sent her for free, and her video review does not mention the free copy yet.Add a clear disclosure to Gia’s review script and explain where you put it and why.Storyboard plus 3–4 sentence explanation45 minutes. Full chapter: 86 minutesFTC Endorsement Guides (law or regulation), PRSA Code of EthicsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 9 What is on your ballot, and where do you check?Dec turns 18 before the election on November 3, 2026, and his feed covers only one race on his ballot.Match offices on a sample ballot to the everyday things they decide, then make a poster for families about finding their own ballot.Matching sheet plus a poster45 minutes. Full chapter: 86 minutesSPJ Code of Ethics, RTDNA Code of Ethics, Credo for Ethical CommunicationEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 10 Whose job is it to fix the blocked route?A construction detour sends Sami toward stairs on her way to a city workshop, and her bus comes in 12 minutes.Map Sami’s trip from home to the workshop and mark each place something could go wrong.Annotated map plus 3–4 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 84 minutesASPA Code of Ethics, NPPA Code of Ethics for Visual Journalists, ABA Model Rules of Professional ConductEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 11 Why are Jordy and Gia paid different rates?Jordy and Gia worked the same Saturday event, but Gia’s pay rate is $1.50 an hour higher, and Jordy wants to know why.Make a side-by-side chart of Jordy’s and Gia’s work, then write one question Jordy could ask.Chart plus a one-sentence question45 minutes. Full chapter: 71 minutesSHRM Code of Ethics, IABC Code of Ethics for Professional CommunicatorsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 12 When can a school limit what students say?Anika’s poster asks her school to keep the library open at lunch, and now someone in her group chat suggests a walkout.Make a two-column chart comparing the Tinker armbands with Anika’s wear-blue plan, then explain one way they’re alike and one way they’re different.Chart plus 3–5 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 76 minutesABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, PRSA Code of Ethics, AIGA Standards of Professional PracticeEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 13 Can the crew cut waste before it reaches the bin?The last Common Room screening used about 120 cups the city won’t recycle, and a box of parts arrived half full of packaging.Make a materials sheet for the next Common Room screening and pick one change to try.Materials sheet plus 3–4 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 73 minutesFTC Green Guides (law or regulation), AIGA Standards of Professional Practice, IABC Code of Ethics for Professional CommunicatorsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 14 Does giving credit let the crew use the song?Mateo wants to post the crew’s film tonight and credit the song’s artist, but Caio wants to check the license first.Make a rights log for the crew’s short film and suggest a way to use music they’re allowed to use.Rights log plus 3–4 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 87 minutesAIGA Standards of Professional Practice, RTDNA Code of Ethics, PRSA Code of EthicsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 15 Is Rafa’s unpaid internship really a job?A studio offers Rafa an unpaid summer internship running its customer inbox and says college credit makes it legal.Sort the internship’s daily tasks into “learning” and “working,” then tell a partner whether it looks more like school or a job.Sorted chart plus 3–4 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 87 minutesNACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice, ABA Model Rules of Professional ConductEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 16 Who wrote the new building rule?An unsigned notice says the building’s only step-free door locks at 8 p.m., and Sami’s workshop runs later.Rewrite the building notice so every resident knows who wrote it, what changed, when and who to ask.Rewritten notice, 60–90 words45 minutes. Full chapter: 87 minutesABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Credo for Ethical CommunicationEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 17 How should the crew give out ten free seats?Thirty people want ten free workshop seats, and the crew must choose a fair way to decide who gets them.Hold a small-group discussion, then write a short note to the thirty students explaining how the ten seats will be given out.Note, 4–6 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 89 minutesThe Belmont Report, ASPA Code of EthicsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 18 Why is the theater curtain still falling apart?The district’s proposed budget is $48 million, the school theater curtain won’t close, and Dec wants to ask the school board about it.Make a source card for the district budget and write one question the theater crew could bring to the school board.Source card plus a 2–3 sentence question45 minutes. Full chapter: 79 minutesASPA Code of Ethics, SPJ Code of Ethics, Credo for Ethical CommunicationEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 19 What should Gia say in her two-minute comment?Gia has two minutes to speak to the parks committee about the court lights, but her draft is three pages long.Write and practice a 60-second comment for the parks committee about the court hours.60-second comment (about 130 words)45 minutes. Full chapter: 72 minutesASPA Code of Ethics, Credo for Ethical Communication, SPJ Code of EthicsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page
Lesson 20 Can the crew post this image as true?A realistic image says the campus courtyard flooded today, and Jordy must decide what the six o’clock recap can say about it.With a partner, fill an image-check card and write two sentences telling friends whether to trust the courtyard picture.Completed card plus 2–3 sentences45 minutes. Full chapter: 67 minutesRTDNA Code of Ethics, SPJ Code of Ethics, PRSA Code of EthicsEducator guideCase pageEducator pagesStudent pagesEducator PDFStudent PDFStarter slides (PowerPoint, 7 slides)Family page

Recommended resources

Free outside videos, games, readings and lesson plans we checked for grades 6, 7 and 8, up to two per case. Teach items are for you, and the rest work for students. Open a case for its full list in the educator guide.

  1. Lesson 1: Is the screening canceled?

  2. Lesson 2: Does the worksheet show what Dec knows?

  3. Lesson 3: What should a group do after a public mistake?

  4. Lesson 4: Who gets a say when a shared room changes?

Show resources for the other 14 cases

  1. Lesson 5: Why is my deposit smaller than what I earned?

  2. Lesson 6: What can your family see in your college records?

  3. Lesson 7: Did one complaint get the novel banned?

  4. Lesson 8: Is it a recommendation or an ad?

  5. Lesson 9: What is on your ballot, and where do you check?

  6. Lesson 10: Whose job is it to fix the blocked route?

  7. Lesson 11: Why are Jordy and Gia paid different rates?

  8. Lesson 12: When can a school limit what students say?

  9. Lesson 13: Can the crew cut waste before it reaches the bin?

  10. Lesson 14: Does giving credit let the crew use the song?

  11. Lesson 15: Is Rafa’s unpaid internship really a job?

  12. Lesson 18: Why is the theater curtain still falling apart?

  13. Lesson 19: What should Gia say in her two-minute comment?

  14. Lesson 20: Can the crew post this image as true?

For students: the checking toolkit has twelve free tools for checking a picture, an ad or a claim, each with a try-it from a case.

Anchor charts

Open all chartsDownload all charts, PDF

Slides

Starter slides for each case (7 slides, PowerPoint). The same slides work for every grade band. Find them in the Open column of the table above.

Teaching decks for Lessons 1 to 4 (14 slides each), with speaker notes.

Get the teaching decks

Family pages

A one-page PDF for each case with a two-sentence summary and three questions to talk about at home.