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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Summaries

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Practice summary writing with informational texts. Young readers create summaries after reading magazine articles, newspaper articles, or other forms of informational texts. Readers use the GRASP strategy (read text, write what you...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

How Often Do You Interact with People of Another Race or Ethnicity?

For Students 7th - 12th
Is interacting with people from different backgrounds part of a well-rounded education? A big question awaits young readers as they explore two New York Times articles that discuss modern-day segregation, population statistics, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

A Positive Spin

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Study word choice and connotation in advertising. Readers examine campaign ads, both negative and positive, from the 2006 mid-term election before discussing an article and analyze a campaign of any candidate they choose. Finally, they...
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Unit Plan
Odell Education

Reading Closely for Textual Details: "We, as a people, will get to the promised land!"

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Take another look—there are probably more details than readers realize. Scholars analyze nine texts in a five-part unit that contains 21 activities to find textual details. Activities include close reading, independent reading,...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Do You Have Good Manners?

For Students 7th - 12th
Who cares about manners anyway? According to the New York Times, Mrs. Mason does. Learners read and consider an article which addresses the decline of manners and the impact it has on society. They answer seven critical thinking...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Hic-Hic-Hooray!

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What is really the best way to get rid of hiccups? Investigate some old wives' tales and folk remedies related to health. Middle schoolers explore the science behind why people might believe these myths to be true and find the real...
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Lesson Plan
1
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What So Proudly We Hail

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Lesson on the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What does it mean to say that a right is unalienable? How did the founding fathers convey this revolutionary concept in the Declaration of Independence? Engage in a close reading and analysis of the Declaration of Independence, and...
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Lesson Plan
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K20 LEARN

The K20 Chronicle, Lesson 1: What Makes a Good Article?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Good news articles are engaging, informative, and often compelling. In the first lesson of the four-part series, young journalists analyze and evaluate news stories about former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. They learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water: Narrative vs. Expository Texts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A reading of vignettes written by Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Lesotho and Madagascar launches a study of the difference between narrative and expository texts. As final products, young writers craft both a narrative and an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Learning Network: Poetry Pairing July, 21, 2011

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Although not a complete lesson plan, this set of emotionally powerful texts could be used in a variety of lessons. From The New York Times' Learning Network site, the resource includes a poem, an excerpt from a New York Times article and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Idea-Noun Definition: Source Searching

For Teachers 11th - 12th
A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pay to Play?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Lead your class in a discussion about how they believe money influences politics. After reading "Go Ahead, Try to Stop K Street" from the New York Times, they evaluate the claims in the article about the current lobbyist scandal in...
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Unit Plan
Odell Education

Reading Closely for Textual Details: "And I am willing to lay down all my joys in this life..."

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Look closely, some details are hidden! Scholars learn how to find attributes by first examining characteristics in illustrations and then move to locating details in text with close reading. The teacher models good practices for...
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Lesson Plan
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PBS

An Attack on Syria- What Would You Do?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Has United States military intervention in the conflicts of other countries always been warranted? After reviewing a brief background on contemporary US conflicts and reading articles describing the civil war in Syria, your learners...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Themes Across Texts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Read various texts to compare the themes across each text. Learners write a journal entry describing the most beautiful scenery they've seen and use a map of the United States to locate the Sequoia National Park and Muir Woods. They then...
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Lesson Plan
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Dream of a Nation

Writing Interdisciplinary Essay

For Teachers 12th Standards
The Grapes of Wrath. The Jungle. Native Son. The Things They Carried. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. To address a current social, political, economic, or environmental issue, class groups pair the reading of a classic...
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Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

Answer the BIG Question with Cited Examples and Evidence

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Close up your unit of study with an examination of one of the guiding or essential questions as it relates to what your class has studied and other research. Class members first write down the question. Then they note down information...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative vs. Expository Texts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars use examples of narrative and expository text to analyze and compare the two styles. Learners read articles on life in Lesotho and Madagascar and use graphic organizers and discussion to compare them. Young scholars write...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plagiarism: Avoiding Accidental Internet Plagiarism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Demonstrate how to cite information from Internet sources without plagiarizing. If your class is working on an Internet research paper, and you have observed learners cutting and pasting directly from the Internet, the activities and...
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Unit Plan
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Madison Public Schools

Journalism

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Whether you are teaching a newspaper unit in language arts, covering the First Amendment and censorship in social studies, or focusing on writing ethics in journalism, a unit based on the foundations of journalism would be an excellent...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Non-Fiction Text Features- Graphs

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the text features of non-fiction. In this literacy lesson, students practice reading graphs and discover the authors intent for using them in primary and secondary sources.
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Printables
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We are Teachers

Phrases to Outlaw in Students' Writing

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
If your writing classroom was the Wild West, what phrases would be "outlawed"? Here is one poster that every writing instructor, and really, any teacher of communication, should have in their classroom!
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Unit Plan
American Press Institute

High Five: Media Literacy and Newspapers

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Teach the five different types of media with the first of three in a media literacy unit. Learners create and propose a final newspaper project, which must address information covered throughout the unit. 
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused"

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery lesson, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of the...