Curated OER
"Journalism in Tennessee"
Students listen to headline from National Enquirer or other tabloid, listen to story "Journalism in Tennessee," compare and contrast connections between Twain's idea of journalism with present day journalism, define vocabulary, and...
Curated OER
Literary Odyssey
Students read and compare excerpts from The Odyssey and The Adventures of Telemachus to create their own story based on a secondary character. In this literary analysis lesson, students read and compare the excerpts from the texts....
Curated OER
Characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Stories
Students read literature by Nathaniel Hawthorne and write an essay comparing the main characters in the two stories. In this character analysis lesson, students read the stories Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black Veil. Students...
Curated OER
Literary Odyssey
Students read and compare excerpts from The Odyssey and The Adventures of Telemachus. In this literary comparison lesson, students read the two stories and discuss the characters Telemachus and Eucharis. Students view an image by David...
Curated OER
News View
Students 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
Anne Carson
Students read poetry and a biography of poet Anne Carson as part of a creative writing lesson. For this poetry analysis lesson, students read about the poet, read her poetry, and analyze a photograph to then write a poem. Students write...
Curated OER
"The War Prayer" by Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Students explore the story "The War Prayer" by Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. Students are introduced to the life of the author, read the story, and respond to prompting questions about the text. The story is included in this...
Curated OER
Crane, London, and Literary Naturalism
Students identify the key characteristics that comprise American literary naturalism in Jack London's "To Build a Fire" and Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat." In this naturalism analysis instructional activity, students identify...
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact
Twelfth graders discover the ideas of our government by reading the Mayflower Compact. In this U.S. Government lesson, 12th graders identify the main ideas of the Mayflower Compact, how it came to be and who was affected the most by...
Curated OER
Chronicling the Journey
Students chart the order of events in literature. In this literature lesson, students read The Odyssey and summarize the epic journey in their own words. Students then write about journeys they have taken in their own lives.
Curated OER
Mood and Tone
Students describe their current mood in several complete sentences. They compare their moods with moods set by authors through the tone of their writing. Students read a teacher prepared handout about mood/tone of writing. They write...
Curated OER
Writing a News Report
Students explore journalism by analyzing current events. In this news report lesson, students identify important questions to ask during an interview and discuss a fictitious news story about a missing teacher. Students read published...
Curated OER
Organizing One’s Thoughts
Students take a closer look at the organization of written pieces. In this writing skills lesson plan, students examine transitions, repetition, parallelism, and other organizational patterns in writing.
Curated OER
Beneath the News: Who's Doing What to Whom, and Who Cares?
Students investigate the differences between various forms of media (print, radio, TV, Internet). They determine the target audience for each and compare exposure around the world. They write a short story and share it with the class.
Curated OER
House on Mango Street
Students complete readingactiviteis for Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street. In this House on Mango Street lesson, students complete pre-reading and close reading activities for vignettes from the text. Students complete a chart and...
Curated OER
Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Students read Zora Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and explore her life history as well as novel analysis activities. In this novel analysis instructional activity, students identify elements in the novel and its overall literary...
Curated OER
Adolescent Sleep
Students discuss, summarize, and express alternative positions regarding a study on adolescent sleep. They examine arguments for and against changing the school start time for high-school students, based upon the findings of a scientific...
Curated OER
Credible Sources on the Internet: What to Trust, What to Dismiss and When to Cite a Source
Wait, you mean researchers don't all use Wikipedia? Teach your class about intelligent research with a lesson about evaluating digital sources. The lesson starts with a quickwrite and includes vocabulary exercises and several...
iCivics
Drafting Board: Electoral College
Should the president of the United States be voted by the Electoral College or the popular vote? Your young historians will consider the pros and cons of the Electoral College, and make an argument using reasons and evidence provided in...
iCivics
Drafting Board: Interest Groups
Does the influence of interest groups harm a political system? Your class members will analyze the role of interest groups in American politics, as well as consider the effect of perspective, bias, loyalty, and the First Amendment.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Kids and Credit
Should kids under the age of 18 be given access to credit cards? Learners identify pros and cons of using credit, develop claims based on evidence, and finally argue reasons for or against credit for minors.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Military Intervention
Should countries use their militaries to stop humanitarian crises in other countries? Learners make claims, organize their reasoning, and provide evidence for their arguments with this rich resource.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Community Service
Should schools impose community service graduation requirements? In the final lesson of the Drafting Board series, learners solidify their practice of crafting an argument supported by sound reason and evidence.
Curated OER
Hip-Hop: A Journalist's View
Students watch a CNN television news special about hip-hop and write a review. Using the internet, they investigate the pros and cons of the music while interviewing students on their opinions. They examine the growth of this type of...