Curated OER
A Close Reading of Learned Hand's "I Am an American Day"
Judge Learned Hand's "Spirit of Liberty" speech delivered during the July, 1944 "I Am an American Day" celebration is the subject of a close reading activity that models for learners how to approach a dense, difficult text.
ProCon
Right to Health Care
Is health care a right or a privilege? Scholars review pro and con arguments to decide if all Americans should have the right to health care. They also watch informative videos and review information on the United States and...
Newspaper Association of America
Using the Newspaper to Teach the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment
Of all the amendments found in The Bill of Rights, the First Amendment contains some of the most important freedoms for American citizens. A unit plan on the First Amendment features interactive lesson plans designed to teach about those...
ProCon
Gun Control
According to some estimates, there are more guns than people in the United States. Learners decide if America should enact more gun control laws. They analyze information about gun deaths in the United States by year, read about the...
Curated OER
Introducing Grammar: Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
Focusing on correct grammar usasge as well as the concept of language evolution, this conventions lesson prompts middle and high schoolers to examine the structure of sentences and word classes (parts of speech). Use the three activites...
Curated OER
Definite Article or Zero Article-Geography
Here is a grammar and geography worksheet! Learners choose the correct sentence or answer for sixteen questions dealing with articles in connection with geography.
Curated OER
Pronoun Practice
Pronouns, pronouns, pronouns! There are so many different types, and understanding their usage can be quite tricky. A chart at the top of the first page gives examples of subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns, and...
Curated OER
Capitalization
In this grammar worksheet, students proofread, edit, and correct all the capitalization mistakes found in ten sentences. Students share their findings with their classmates.
PBS
The Goals of the March on Washington
Who else had a dream other than Martin Luther King, Jr.? Pupils explore civil rights leaders in a fourth lesson out of a series of five about people who paved the way to freedom for African Americans. The inquiry-based unit has your...
Curated OER
Write Obama's Inaugural Address
High schoolers practice their public speaking skills. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students study speeches delivered by Lincoln, Wilson, F. Roosevelt, and Kennedy. High schoolers write the text Obama's inaugural address and deliver...
Curated OER
Creative Writing Workshop (Middle, Reading/Writing)
Bring this lesson into your unit about creative writing and precise language. First, middle schoolers create a piece of writing with the help of their classmates. In the second part of this workshop, they edit their own piece of writing....
National Math + Science Initative
Vocabulary Study: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Like Scrooge, your language arts learners will not shut out the lessons you teach in a vocabulary activity based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Included in the packet is a variety of vocabulary activities and two AP-style writing...
Student Handouts
Logical Fallacies
Help your learners grow their critical thinking and analytical skills by asking them to examine logical fallacies. After reading an example, pupils determine if two sets of premises and conclusions are logical fallacies or not and...
Curated OER
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln
"The Gettysburg Address" is the basis of a series of activities that not only model for learners how to conduct a close reading of a text, but also how a close reading can help them comprehend a difficult text. The detailed, step-by-step...
Curated OER
Poetry Vocabulary
Consisting of a thorough and straightforward list of poetry terminology, the first part of this presentation would be a good introduction to a poetry unit, or a review for an upcoming poetry project. The list of terms is quite extensive,...
Curated OER
Persuasive Journal Prompts
Need a journal topic? Whether you use these prompts as part of a persuasive writing unit, or reproduce the download as a one-page handout for your class members, the suggested topics make a great addition to your curriculum library. In...
Curated OER
Suffixes for Nouns and Verbs (Ex's 1-6)
In this grammar worksheet, students read and discuss general guidelines associated with prefixes and suffixes. Students then complete six exercises associated with adding different types of suffixes.
Curated OER
Sentence Combining
In this grammar worksheet, students practice rewriting, adding on and combining fifty-seven sentences into compound sentences that convey more information and are grammatically correct.
Curated OER
Subject-verb Agreement
In this grammar learning exercise, students complete twenty-nine sentences by adding in either a verb phrase or a subject phrase in present tenses only.
Curated OER
Communicative Choices & Linguistic Style
Start by watching a video entitled Do You Speak American? and respond to discussion questions about the various dialects showcased throughout the video to identify the regional linguistic styles throughout America. As a culminating...
Curated OER
Capitalization and Punctuation Worksheet 2
In this grammar worksheet, students correct the punctuation and capitalization errors in fifteen sentences. Students check their answers when their done.
Curated OER
Finding Verbs
In this grammar worksheet, students review how to recognize verbs in sentences and then find and circle the verbs in twenty sentences.
Curated OER
Editing Skills
In this grammar worksheet, students read ten sentences and find the punctuation mistakes in each one and then correct them as needed.
Curated OER
Prepositions of Time
For this grammar worksheet, students identify the appropriate preposition in parentheses in twenty sentences that makes each sentence grammatically correct.