Curated OER
Personal Written Response Activity
Students complete a final written project. For this personal response lesson, students respond in a creative way to one of the issues presented in the unit. Students may choose to create a series of postcards from a natural disaster,...
Curated OER
Anonymous Sources in the Media
When do people ask for anonymity? Why? After reading the New York Times article "For a Reporter and a Source, Echoes of Broken Promise," young readers participate in a roundtable discussion focusing on freedom of the press and the use of...
Curated OER
Around Your School - Bonding Students to Staff
Middle schoolers participate in an interview of a school employee. In this interview lesson, students develop appropriate interview questions and carry out an interview of a school employee to show that all jobs well done is worthy of...
Curated OER
What Is Your Favorite Place?
Good writing can come from personal places. Budding online authors read an excerpt from a narrative-style newspaper article and then respond to several related writing prompts. They compose blog responses that use vivid imagery to...
Aspen Institute
The Voice That Challenged a Nation
Included here are step-by-step instructions for conducting a close reading of The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman. After an individual and class reading, class members read carefully through the text excerpt,...
Curated OER
Email Buddies
Collaborate with another class (or school) and have your learners share ideas about their reading through the use of email. Perhaps you'll create a specific question or a few questions for writers to choose from. Not only will they...
Curated OER
Play or Film Review
Learners review the elements for a successful play review. In this play review lesson, students work in groups to complete peer responses, a consensus activity, and tally activity. Learners write a play review. A Peer Review Sheet is...
Curated OER
Analysis of Dorothea Lange's Photographs
Students analyze a photo of Dorothea Lange and make connections to its historical context by creating a written and visual response. In this photograph analysis lesson, students analyze Lange's photograph and explain the historical...
Curated OER
The Great Migration
Students research the Great Migration and answer questions to discover where it took place, when it took place, who were migrating, and why in a 2 page paper. They use a map or atlas to plot out the routes and destinations of those...
Curated OER
Who's Sharing Our Stories on "The Hill"?
Students explore parliamentary structure. They study the roles & responsibility of key players or representatives. This lesson presents a wide variety of rich activities students can engage in to further their understanding of...
The New York Times
Stress Less: Understanding How Your Mind and Body Respond to Anxiety
What could be more relevant to teens and preteens than experiencing stress? Use an article from the New York Times website to practice valuable Common Core skills for informational text reading, and also get a discussion going in your...
Curated OER
Credible Sources on the Internet: What to Trust, What to Dismiss and When to Cite a Source
Wait, you mean researchers don't all use Wikipedia? Teach your class about intelligent research with a lesson about evaluating digital sources. The lesson starts with a quickwrite and includes vocabulary exercises and several...
Curated OER
Thou Dost Protest
Students analyze recent anti-American protests around the world, using Pakistan as a starting point. They read and discuss, In Streets of Pakistani Cities, Cries of 'Death to America! students develop and present case studies of protests.
Curated OER
Air Movement
Students observe a series of teacher-led demonstrations about air movement. They explain the existence and movement of air, then list 3 things that they have learned about air. Finally, students go outside and shoot off air cannons.
Curated OER
Regents High School Comprehensive Examination in English Session Two (2005)
Int this Regents High School English Comprehensive Examination students read passages from a short story and a poem and write an essay based on both passages.