Polk Bros Foundation
Meet the Nonfiction Main Idea Challenge
Help your class develop the ability to determine a main idea with a packet of materials that you can introduce and use over a period of time. The packet includes some information for the teacher and rationale for the exercises. There are...
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Sentence Writing: Careers
In this sentence writing worksheet, students are asked to complete sentences that have already been started. Students must also write appropriate questions to answers that are given.
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Small Group Shared Writing
Pupils discuss elements of effective writing in small groups. They work together to critique individual and group writing focusing on including supporting details.
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Writing a Letter of Inquiry!
Students examine and discuss brevity of business letters, create focused and catchy letters, and publish a typed letter that is suitable for mailing.
Santa Barbara City College
Structure of a General Expository Essay
A great student reference tool and graphic organizer in one worksheet! Young writers can read a detailed description of each section of a standard five-paragraph essay before completing a graphic organized with their own writing. The...
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Teaching Debate to ESL Students
Language learners use the debate format to practice formulating, expressing, and defending their ideas. Working in teams, class members develop resolutions, use opinion indicators to express their opinions and reasons, and prepare...
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Show! Don't Tell!
Young scholars write a descriptive paragraph. For this writing lesson, students define elaboration and discuss the characteristics of an elaborate paragraph. Young scholars write a paragraph that contains vivid adjectives, strong verbs...
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Essay Outline: The Outsiders
In this essay writing worksheet, learners are given prompts to help them develop an outline for an essay. Students then use this outline to write a four paragraph essay on The Outsiders.
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The Verbal Sketch
Students use perspective observation sketches to understand verbal description. In this subjective writing lesson, students practice writing subjective conversations using the cartoon worksheets.
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Five Paragraph Essay
Eighth graders are introduced to the mechanics of writing a standard-form essay. They draft, edit and polish a five-paragraph essay about spending the day as an animal of their choice.
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Peer Editing Checklist
Peer editing can be fun and enlightening if it's done effectively. If you're having your class peer edit a general piece of writing (perhaps a personal response or short answer response), this graphic organizer could help. Reviewers look...
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Newsprint Activity
Students identify the main question behind their paper and narrow the focus and purpose of their paper. They view their topic from a variety of perspectives and determine their own interest in a particular aspect of a topic. They...
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Scrapbook
Students, using photos as their inspiration, develop six personal narratives, then edit and revise them.
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Structure and Support
Eighth graders read copies of The Declaration of Independence, United States constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They write an opinion about the document they feel is most important in the history of the united states. This is their...
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Writing Police Reports
Learners discover police procedures by filling out crime reports. In this government activity, students discuss the benefits of historical reports pertaining to criminals and victims. Learners listen to an officer of the law speak in...
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Finding Your Story: Helping Students Begin Their Memoir
Students write their memoir. For this memoir lesson, students study the differences between an autobiography and a memoir. Students construct an outline as the basis for their memoir.
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Article Or No Article?
In this article or no article worksheet, learners decide if the blanks in ten sentences should have an "a", "an", "the", or "no article" in each one to make them grammatically correct.
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Art Self-Assessment
Reflection is a wonderful way to understand yourself as a learner or as an artist. Kids write a one-paragraph analysis of their own self-portrait. They focus on style, character traits, and self characterization.
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Writing a Short Story - Weather
Students use the information they wrote about on the topic they chose in studying About Weather. They then write a short story using the information choosing a theme, setting, characters, and the plot.
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The Hamburger Essay - AKA The Sandwich Essay
Students discuss how a five paragraph essay has five basic parts. They compare this to a well-made hamburger. They create a mind map of a five paragraph essay using the graphic of a tasty hamburger sandwich.
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Writing A Summary - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Middle schoolers explore short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this literature lesson, students read one of his short stories listed and then summarize the story in a written piece.
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Thesis Statements
Develop an understanding of main ideas and thesis statements with your class by using this step-by-step presentation. The concepts presented will guide learners through essay focus, main idea, central points, coherency, and proper...
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Demonstrative Pronouns
What is a demonstrative pronoun? Help can your class recognize demonstrative pronouns in written work, and it might help them write better! The first three slides introduce the topic and give examples, while the last two offer practice...
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Proofreading Lesson 6
Explore proofreading strategies with this lesson. Eighth graders practice finding errors in punctuation, capitalization, and formatting. Then, they write about a given topic and then proofread their compositions, looking for errors in...