Virginia Department of Education
Editing and Proofreading
This task is best utilized after a rough draft revision is completed. Writers pair-up and identify when the author uses the passive voice, clichés, and wordiness. Basic examples for the revision points are provided for the instructor to...
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...
Curated OER
Tips for Improving Transition
Vary, bury, pull, fit. These tips for improving transitions in writing are found on a template designed as a teacher resource. A clever way to make memorable these suggestions for improving transitions in writing, the language in the...
McGraw Hill
Saying More with Less
In this sentence revision worksheet, students rewrite each sentence to eliminate wordiness. Students are encouraged to use shorter, more concise terms and make each word meaningful in the sentences.
Curated OER
Persuasion and Parallel Structure
Discuss the definition of parallel structure with your high school class. In small groups, they read a section of "The Declaration of Independence" to identify examples of parallel structure. Each learner writes an essay explaining the...
Curated OER
Sentence Fragments: Exercise 2; Proofreading
In this grammar instructional activity, students proofread 5 short paragraphs while looking for sentence fragments. They use the space below the paragraphs to rewrite them with the revisions.
Curated OER
MLA Documentation Exercises
Has your school adopted the MLA style for documentation? If so, use this worksheet to assess whether or not your class members know the rules. Young researchers complete of series of documentation exercises using the MLA format. They...
Curated OER
Wordiness
Refine the writing of your class members with this quick PowerPoint. Wordiness can kill effective writing, making it boring and indirect. Help your writers cut out some of the unneeded words by pairing this presentation with a piece of...
Curated OER
Scrapbook
Learners, using photos as their inspiration, develop six personal narratives, then edit and revise them.
Curated OER
Putting It Together
Students read aloud the book "Courage" by Bernard Waber and discuss the examples that compromise the defintion of courage. They describe another word such as joy and work with a partner or group to brainstorm and write sentences of...
Curated OER
Don't Forget to Say Thanks
Students practice descriptive writing in a thank-you note format. In 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
News View
Young scholars read and analyze three different news sources that describe the same event. They compare/contrast the similarities and differences of the news sources, and write an essay describing the main event.
Curated OER
Writing a Query Letter
Young scholars examine how to write a query letter to a publisher. They plan a short story they would like to write, conduct Internet research about possible publishers, and write a sample query letter.
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Similes and Metaphors Information
In this similes and metaphors worksheet, students write a descriptive practice paragraph in which they describe a place, idea, person, event, or concept without telling what the subject of the paragraph is. Students then pair up to try...
Curated OER
Front Page News
Students write original earthquake articles typically found on the front page of a newspaper. Each student has the freedom to write in a variety of writing styles (lead story, human interest story, editorials, etc.). They research...
Curated OER
Digital Dreams
High schoolers write a speech. In this dreams lesson, students define the word dreams and list their own dreams. High schoolers read and discuss Langston Hughes work, read and discuss excerpts from speeches by JFK and Martin Luther...
Curated OER
Parts of Speech- Worksheet 1
In this grammar worksheet, students identify the underlined words in twenty sentences as one of the following parts of speech: noun, verb, adverb, adjective, pronoun, conjunction or preposition.
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Newspaper Poetry
Students cut out nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from newspapers and create poems using words they have found.
Curated OER
The Editing Process
Students edit and critique essays. In this editing and critiquing lesson, students examine a sample essay and edit it. Students read the essay aloud to determine the areas that need to be revised. Students then write their own essay for...
Curated OER
Defining Character Traits
Students read and analyze an extended definition in preparation for writing an extended definition of a CHARACTER TRAIT. They use analogy as a definition strategy to tailor writing to a particular audience. Finally, students SHARE...
Curated OER
Preparing a Personal Letter
Learners examine the parts of a personal letter. For this language arts lesson, students view examples of personal letters and write a personal letter.
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WH AT' S Y O U R A M B I T I O N?
High schoolers read and analyze an excerpt from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Students use the Six Traits of Writing to compose an essay on a personal life ambition that each high schoolers may have. Students use prewriting...
Curated OER
Setting Goals for Success
Students construct SMART goals. In this goal-setting lesson, students discover how to write a SMART goal for their student portfolios. Working in pairs students write short-term goals that will build towards a long-term goal.
Curated OER
Pronoun Case Worksheet 1
In this grammar instructional activity, students choose the correct pronoun in parentheses for twenty sentences. Students share their responses with their classmates.