Start your informational essay off right with a strong introduction, the focus of the sixth of nine videos on using text resources to write an essay. In particular, it discusses how to structure the paragraph around a great hook to make...

In an argumentative essay, the introductory paragraph is the primary opportunity to get your readers' attention and tell them why the issue you are discussing is important. Demonstrate to your young writers how to construct an organized...

This resource provides an excellent explanation of how to begin developing support for main ideas in a writing piece. Young writers will work through a step-by-step process of developing supporting details that serve to prove the topic...

This is an excellent resource to begin your next essay writing venture! Your young writers will not only learn to identify the key parts of a thesis statement, topic sentences, supporting details, and elaboration, but most importantly,...

Have you ever cheated on a test? What about copied someone else's homework? After reading Colleen Wenke's essay "Too Much Pressure," class members use the provided reading comprehension questions to focus their analysis of important...

Intended for a mature, advanced placement audience, this set of questions accompanies an essay by Fatema Mernissi regarding clothing size and the possible implications for not fitting in with what is considered the norm. A very...

Give your class a different kind of reading assignment with the text included here. Anne Miller's essay "Learning to Hate Mathematics" details a hatred of math that grew from early childhood and still haunts the author today. After...

Revisit your own childhood memories of long summers and lakeside fun with E.B. White's essay, "Once More to the Lake." Included here is the actual text as well as a series of short-answer questions that follow. Not only do readers study...

Provide the class with a helpful way to analyze print media describing current events. They read an article from a reliable news or media source and then use the attached worksheet to capture vital information. A great resource that is...

Who is Aimee Mann? Read the New York Times article "P.S. I Loved You," included here, and have your readers answer a series of reading comprehension questions. Afterward, encourage your class to brainstorm ways in which they were...

A comprehensive and immersive series of lessons that examines various aspects of story development leads learners into writing a narrative of their own. Writers develop an understanding of the writing process as they use the learning...

Every good novel needs a solid beginning! Setting the stage can have your budding authors stumped, so use this lesson to get them thinking. After examining the plot rollercoaster image (included) they consider the four places their story...

Okay, your writers are ready to become authors - but how do they begin? This packet uses humor to keep kids entertained as they learn about first sentences. First, they get a brief introduction to the various types of beginnings they...

Discuss the importance of a lead in writing with your upper graders. They examine several examples of leads from literature and practice writing leads for pieces of artwork. They then select a topic from a list and write an introductory...

Practice writing paragraphs with this scaffolded instructional activity. The "hamburger" model is used on the second page, following some examples and guided practice on the first page. Give beginning writers concrete, tangible support...

In this essay writing worksheet, 11th graders read information on how to write an essay. Drafting, paragraph structure, persuasive writing, topic sentences, essay planning, and revising, are topics covered in the worksheet. Students...

New ReviewThe bravery of African American troops on the frontlines directly impacted the lives of the newly freed enslaved people. Using documents, including letters from African American troops and an excerpt of the Emancipation Proclamation,...

New ReviewWriters continue looking at the rubric for their A Long Walk to Water essays. This time, they analyze the demands for the introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Pupils compare the rubric to the opening and closing of the model essay,...

New ReviewWrite it down. Scholars take a close look at essay writing by examining the New York state writing rubric. They then discuss a model essay and compare the model essay to the What Makes a Literary Analysis Essay Effective? Anchor Chart....

New ReviewCopy that! Writers carefully analyze a model essay to gain a better understanding of their upcoming essays about A Long Walk to Water. They begin by circling unfamiliar words in the model as teachers read it aloud. They then pinpoint...

New ReviewWhat is the purpose of an introduction and conclusion? Using the resource, scholars review the model position paper from activity one and discuss the author's choices. Next, they draft the introductory and concluding paragraphs of their...

New ReviewFundamental differences between the North and South led to the South adopting a system of enslaved labor. These abstract ideas become concrete when class members create a standing cube using information provided in the resource. Young...