Curated OER
Check It Out: Verifying Information and Sources in News Coverage
If it’s in the news it must be true, right? Prompted by a New York Times article, class members consider the importance of accuracy in reporting and validating sources. The detailed plan includes warm-up exercises, discussion questions,...
Curated OER
A Great Beginning
Check out this detailed resource for some beginning of the year activities. After examining examples, class members uses the computer lab to create a personal brochure enhanced with clip art or photos to introduce themselves to the...
Curated OER
What Makes Our Community Special?
Explore websites, complete research, and use technological tools to create a final multimedia presentation on what makes a community special. Learners of all ages work with a partner to research an interesting aspect of their community,...
Curated OER
Don't Forget to Say Thanks
Students practice descriptive writing in a thank-you note format. For this descriptive writing lesson, students read the example letter and analyze the corrections in the letter. Students read the example thank you notes and focus on the...
Curated OER
Exploring Ethical Issues
Learners learn about ethical issues and its connection to journalism. Students examine examples of ethical issues some journalists have faced. in small groups, learners collaborate to write a code of ethics for their school newspaper....
Curated OER
The Conclusion Paragraph
Strike a note of hope or despair. Give a symbolic detail. Use a meaningful quotation. These strategies and others are part of a presentation on the purposes of and how to craft a conclusion. Sample conclusions are included for the class...
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
Across The Centuries
Students analyze the American Bill of Rights, compare it to the English Bill of Rights and note the differences in an essay. They access websites imbedded in this plan to do their research, then present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Introductions and Conclusions
The format of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs in an expository essay are the focus of short presentation that details how to craft these all-important sections of a paper. No specific examples are included.
Curated OER
Did Napoleon Uphold or Betray the Goals of the Revolution?
Walk your learners through constructing a well-formulated argument on Napoleon's dedication to the goals of the French Revolution.
Curated OER
My Dream Job
High schoolers write a research paper about their dream job. They organize their paper using research notes, and support their main idea with supporting details.
Curated OER
A Treasure at our Doorstep
Students write a descriptive essay about a historical landmark in their area, such as the Curtis Center in Philadelphia, PA. In this historical landmarks lesson, students use their senses to detail information about the chosen landmark,...
Curated OER
Thoughts to the President
Students write a persuassive paragraph to the President stating their opinion on a topic. To do this, they start the message with a topic sentence such as "War is _____." The blank should contain a word or phrase expressing the student's...
Curated OER
HOT TOPICS OF THE MISSISSIPPI
Students use a five-step process to write a persuasive essay about an issue that is related to the Mississippi River. Students build an argument based on prior knowledge and information from a variety of sources. Students base their...
Curated OER
Voices from Little Rock: Understanding the Civil Rights Movement through Primary Sources
As part of a study of the Civil Rights Movement, class members examine documents associated with the Little Rock Nine, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution, and chapters from Melba...
Virginia Department of Education
Persuasive Writing
Grab a debatable (or controversial) moment from your current reading, and use this task to progress the persuasive writing skills of your high school scholars. Divide your learners into four small groups and let them collaborate, debate,...
Curated OER
Pictures of the Berlin Airlift: Primary Sources (Photos and Cartoons) to Motivate Learning
Tenth graders describe cartoons and photos from the Berlin Airlift and put them into a historical context. After a lecture/demo, each pair of students be asked to describe what they see in the photos. They then write a caption for each...
Curated OER
Where Do I Begin: Writing an Effective Feature Story
High schoolers write an effective feature story. For this journalism lesson plan, students learn through 6 activities to ask open-ended questions, write effective leads, and handle quotes, and write headlines for news stories.
Curated OER
Concept: Superstition
Students identify the role of superstition in their own lives, in society, and in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In this superstition lesson, students discuss urban legends and listen to a related song to introduce the topic....
Curated OER
Lesson 22: As constant as the Northern Star: Examining Static and Dynamic Characters in Julius Caesar
Students examine the play Julius Caesar. For this literature analysis lesson, students work in groups to identify changes in various characters from the story. They examine various aspects of the character's personality and actions,...
Curated OER
Survival in Extreme (Magical) Circumstances
In this creative writing activity, students work in groups after reading Harry Potter and compose a chapter about wizardry and survival in extreme magical circumstances using 'The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook.'
Curated OER
Speak Out!
Students consider their opinions on various topics and issues related to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Then, focusing on one specific topic, each student supports his or her opinions in a...
Curated OER
VH1 Storytellers for Save the Music Starring Billy Joel
Students use a Billy Joel song to write a scenerio about it.
Curated OER
Come On, Rain!
Students read and analyze the story. For this language arts lesson, students read Come on, Rain! and examine how mood and tone are created, the use of figurative language and the characteristics of the genre. Students research the time...