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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Reframing the Argument: Examining Argument through a New Lens

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of crafting compelling arguments, class members tackle the problem presented in Lawrence Kohlberg's "The Heinz Dilemma." After discussing the dilemma with classmates, writers draft an essay with a claim, support it...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

It's All About Balance! Parallel Structure

For Teachers 9th Standards
I came, I saw, I conquered! Parallel structure, employed by writers even before Julius Caesar, is the focus of a lesson that teaches young writers the power of this rhetorical device. Class members analyze speeches by Dr. Martin Luther...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Is Pizza Epic? Word Choice

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Remember when everything was Fantastic! Fabulous! Awesome! Iconic! A series of activities encourages young writers to move beyond these overused descriptors and instead choose a more precise language.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Taking a Bite! Exploring Cultural Identity Through Food

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
High schoolers are asked to consider the connections between food, culture, and identity. They read articles and share what they learned in a jigsaw activity, read a short story, and make a claim about the story's theme, backing up their...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
K20 LEARN

Trigger Warnings - Intellectual Rights and Responsibilities: Banned Books, Censorship Part 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Warning: Conducting this lesson plan may be harmful." Such statements, called "Trigger Warnings," are the focus of a two-part lesson plan that looks at censorship, especially the pros and cons of trigger warnings. Class members read two...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Curated OER

"The Story of an Hour" Lesson 5: Teacher's Guide and Notes

For Teachers 8th Standards
Learning how to craft a compelling argument supported by evidence and logical reasoning is an essential skill. The fifth lesson in "The Story of An Hour" unit asks young scholars to formulate an argument in response to the question, 'Is...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Writing An Argumentative Paragraph: Argumentative Writing

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Learning how to craft a cogent argument based on a solid claim, supported with evidence and solid reasoning, is an important life skill. Teach middle schoolers about argumentative writing with a lesson asking them to analyze the claims,...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Who Are They Really?: Characterization In The Outsiders

For Teachers 8th Standards
Ponyboy, Johnny, Winston, and Darry come alive in a lesson that focuses on the details S. E. Hinton uses to characterize the Greasers and the Socials. The class first observes the actors' words; the thoughts revealed their effect on...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Writing Is Elementary, My Dear Watson: Writing Paragraphs With Evidence And Reasoning

For Teachers 9th Standards
Did Smitty do it, or is he a victim? Sleuths apply their observation and reasoning skills to build a case for an argumentative paragraph. Class members closely observe a cartoon, make a claim, cite evidence from the image, and support...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
K20 LEARN

Lord of the Flies Unit, Lesson 8: In The End

For Teachers 9th Standards
To end the unit, groups use the Honeycomb Harvest strategy to show connections among a character, symbols, and themes in the novel and then create an Anchor Chart for the character that includes a symbol that best represents him. They...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
K20 LEARN

Lord of the Flies Unit, Lesson 6: I've Got The Power

For Teachers 9th Standards
Readers of Lord of the Flies consider the symbols of power William Golding uses in his dystopian novel and support their choice with evidence from the text.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Introduction to Arguing Effectively: Argument Writing

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Which is better—Chick-fil-A or MacDonalds? High schoolers learn how to craft an argument essay by beginning an opinion statement. They state a claim, back up their claim with evidence, and consider counter calms. Scholars then create a...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Let Us Start The Lettuce Club (Or Not): Writing A Thesis Statement

For Teachers 9th Standards
Let us be frank! Writers learn that crafting a thesis statement is not that difficult if one peals back the layers. After watching several videos about the elements of a thesis, class members read the article "Lettuce Club helps students...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Emotions: Julius Caesar

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Scholars, high schoolers, class members! With the help of this lesson, you too can identify the three persuasive appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) the characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar used to convince their...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Arguing With Evidence: Deconstructing Arguments Part 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In the first lesson in a two-part series, high schoolers pick a social issue important to them and examine an article about the topic, the arguments and evidence used to support the writer's stance, and craft two counter-arguments to the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Alienstock: Analyzing Information, Media, And Validity

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
One only has to watch MSMBC and FOX News to realize that media can present the same story in very different ways. Middle schoolers have an opportunity to test their ability to determine the validity and trustworthiness of information by...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

"The Lady, Or The Tiger?" Which Do You Choose?: Internal and External Conflict

For Teachers 9th Standards
"How come there's no ending?" After a close reading of Frank R. Stockton's tale "The Lady, or the Tiger?" in which scholars examine each of the main characters' conflicts and motivations, writers craft their own ending using textual...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Introduction: Building Claims from Evidence

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Making a claim without supporting it has little value. Learners work on their claim-making skills in a well-designed instructional activity. They view still images from a video and make claims using support from the visual...
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Activity
News Literacy Project

Critical Observation Challenge: Was Elsa Really Arrested?

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
A 14-slide presentation showcases a social media post featuring Disney's Elsa from the movie, Frozen. The seemingly harmless post received lots of attention, raising the question, how do we know posts are factual? Scholars go through...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Titanic Survivors: One Ship, Two Different Worlds

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Scholars explore claims from two Titanic survivors, a first-class passenger and a person from the steerage class. The activity uses primary documents to help pupils determine whether the White Star Line showed preferential treatment to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Identifying Author’s Opinion and Evidence: The Value of Sports in People’s Lives, Part I

For Teachers 5th Standards
Just like instant replay, it's time to take a closer look! Pupils work together to add ideas to a Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart. They then put their knowledge to the test as they read an informational article about the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Identifying How Text Features Support Arguments: “The Exterminator"

For Teachers 6th Standards
Half and half. Split the class in half to gain a full understanding of sidebars. Pupils work in groups to discuss sidebars in text. Half of the groups read Seriously Sick, and the other half reads Killer Genes. They read using...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Forming a Research-Based Claim: Cascading Consequences Chart

For Teachers 6th Standards
Can you put that in writing? Scholars work with a partner to write a practice claim before writing their own claims. After writing their claims, learners share with class using a Concentric Circles activity.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Tracing an Argument in an Article and a Video

For Teachers 6th Standards
Pesticides—unnecessary pollutants or positive application? Learners watch a video about DDT and read Rachel Carson: Sounding the Alarm on Pollution for their mid-unit assessment. They complete graphic organizers, answer multiple-choice...