Curated OER
Revising Paragraphs With Excessive Coordination
In this grammar worksheet, students rewrite two paragraphs using various sentence structures to make each paragraph more coherent and interesting.
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 18: Cleaning It Up
Careful proofreading is an important step in the writing process. After guided practice using a provided worksheet that details common grammar concepts, young writers refer to the worksheet as they proofread their own work. Although the...
Curated OER
Eliminate Weak Verb-Adverb Combinations
Encourage your writers to use sob instead of cry loudly to trade in adverbs for strong verbs. Improve your middle and high schoolers' writing with this humorously written lesson which demonstrates how to remove excessive adverbs.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
The Writer’s Toolbox: What You Need to Master the Craft
Strengthen your high schoolers' writing with a series of steps for writing successfully. With sections on organizing an essay, choosing a topic, crafting a thesis statement, and revising a draft, the lesson encourages your class to...
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
How to Find a Research Question
There are so many fascinating topics and concepts to learn about in the world. But where do you start? Begin formulating questions for an argumentative research paper with a guided practice lesson. After coming up with three questions...
Curated OER
Write into Fantasy, Humor and Suspense
Students discuss the characteristics of several different writing genres. They are given a prompt to and work in groups to continue writing in the style of a humorous, fantasy or suspense story. They share their stories with the class.
Curated OER
Reviewing Proper Writing Techniques
Young scholars use proper writing techniques to write an effective description of the best or worst meal they have ever eaten. In this proper writing techniques lesson, students review the parts of a composition and discuss was to...
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Fiction Stories
Students complete writing activities for fiction. In this fiction writing lesson, students complete four sets of activities in a writer's workshop format to practice reading and writing in a fiction style. Students develop plot outlines,...
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Surviving AIDS
Enhance your middle and high schoolers' research skills with this lesson. After viewing a video clip about HIV and AIDS, high schoolers identify the facts and issues surrounding the disease. They work together to create a newspaper...
Curated OER
Let's Plan a Trip!
Take a virtual trip to see other countries and cultures! After learning about different cultures and populations, English learners think about a place they'd like to visit. Small groups or individuals plan a trip to a country of their...
Teaching Tolerance
Journalism for Justice
Roll the presses! Or at least have your class members participate in the time-honored tradition of the student press by creating their own newspapers or journalist pieces on a social problem. After conducting research and collaborating...
Curated OER
What is Good Writing?
Students assess samples of writing for each trait and discuss rationale for scoring. They comprehend that the traits of writing offer a common language for revision. Students are shown how to asses their writing and what makes good...
Curated OER
Practice Makes It Better
Use the Internet to expand the audience for portfolio writings and motivate young writers to edit their work. Have your class members select a piece of writing from their portfolios to be polished and published on the World Wide Web....
Curated OER
Color My World Grey and Blue
Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...
Curated OER
What is Good Writing
Students identify the qualities of good writing. In this writing lesson plan, students use the 6+1 Traits of Writing and use a rubric to discuss samples of writing on the overhead. Students discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each...
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Narrative Lesson Plan Ideas
Narrative writing lessons can inspire students to write about and share their experiences.
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Creatively Creating Expository Essays
Students, after reading Fahrenheit 451, brainstorm inventions that could have been in the novel. They present their invention to the class and writing an expository essay about their creation.
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Counting Up/Down Stories
Mirroring Jerry Spinelli's style in Wringer, chapter 5, pupils use the "counting up/down technique" to recall an important moment in their lives. In the book, the character is being punched, and between blows he remembers details that...
Curated OER
Revision Activities
In this revision activities worksheet, students plot the development of tension throughout the book, answer seven questions about plot, analyze characters and theme, and discuss the writing style of the author. Students answer ten short...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Packet
Readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are directed to complete two projects as a part of their study of Mark Twain’s novel. Individuals craft an organized notebook containing all their work during the study, and they research...
Curated OER
Eliminating Wordiness: Exercise 1
In this writing exercise, students are given a series of sentences and asked to rewrite them to eliminate wordy phrases and clauses, repetition and passive voice.
Curated OER
Revising Comma Splices, Fragments, and Run-on Sentences
In this grammar worksheet, students correct any comma splices, fragments or run-on sentences found within twenty-five sentences. Students mark the correct sentences as correct.
Curated OER
Assessing the Traits: What is Good Writing?
Students assess samples of writing for each trait and discuss the rationale for scoring. They understand that the traits of writing offer a common language for revision. This lesson includes a scoring rubric for the students to use.
Curated OER
Rewriting Confusing Sentences
A complete page of explanation precedes a sheet with eight confusing sentences that learners revise for clarity. You could show the first page to your class, or just use it as a guide for direct instruction on the issue of clarifying...