Are American young people prepared to become tomorrow's leaders in technological innovation, or does an obsession with being cool sidetrack essential skills? That is the question freshmen and sophomores must address in a performance task...

A strong writing resource, designed for high school or college-level writers, guides learners through crafting persuasive arguments. The packet not only provides examples of a variety of argumentative strategies, it gives pointers on how...

What place should Genghis Khan hold in history: vicious thirteenth century warlord, or cultural unifier who set the stage for the modern world? TED-Ed illuminates viewers with arguments behind both historical perspectives and provides...

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...

Essay drafts always have room for improvement. The narrator of an informative video highlights the main points in one of her topic sentences, each point in a different color, and then highlights the corresponding evidence for each main...

Explore the backgrounds, qualifications, and platforms of the presidential candidates for the 2000 election. Though the lesson is outdated, the activities within the informational text could be good practice for your young learners as...

A graphic organizer is employed to help sixth graders determine author's point of view and word choice. They listen to, read, and watch portions of the "I Have a Dream Speech" taking word choice and author's craft into deep...

What a fantastic resource to guide youngsters in persuasive letter writing. They read a brief letter to the editor and answer question about the author's purpose, word choice, and structure. Next, scholars draft their own letter by...

New ReviewScholars take a look at the difference between explanatory and argumentative essays by completing graphic organizers. They then determine how this difference applies to the Pygmalion writing prompt. Learners keep track of their writing...

New ReviewWhile often not recognized, the ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers still echo today. Using a series of videos and graphic organizers, individuals explore how ancient Greeks and Romans have influenced current Western political...

What is the biggest issue facing young people today? Class members consider the question—along with other provocative pieces from the New York Times—and then try their hand at writing their own arguments and backing them up with...

Is the Fourth of July a celebration for all Americans? Scholars carry out a close read of What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Readers talk with partners about the speaker's point of view, the author's debate, reasoning, and...

After reading Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower, pupils form opinions either for or against forgiveness as well as analyze Wiesenthal's choice about forgiving. Before completing their essays, learners participate in class discussions to...

It's time to show what you know. Scholars finalize their argumentative essays by making last revisions to conventions, tone, and formal style. Learners review the checklist to ensure they have meet all requirements of the task. They then...

Who said that? Scholars now learn how to cite evidence and give ideas proper credit and work to understand the meaning of plagiarism. Part of the lesson includes looking at an MLA Citation handbook, which comes in handy when pupils...

Put yourself in my shoes! Scholars work through the Outline Tool from the previous lesson to develop a claim before developing a counterclaim about the sale of human tissue. Learners also work to create supporting claims using an outline...