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Activity
Michigan State University

Michigan State University: Introduction to Synthesis

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Learn what synthesis is, why you might write a synthesis essay, and techniques for developing several types of synthesis essays. While this site is written for a college writing course, it is both useful and accessible for high school...
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Unit Plan
University of Washington

University of Washington: Patterns of Organization

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In addition to defining and describing various patterns of text organization, this website provides outlines illustrating each pattern. RI.11-12.3 Text development
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Unit Plan
Other

Hong Kong Polytech: Functions in Academic Writing

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Provides a wealth of interactive exercises dealing mainly with the structuring of sentences in different kinds of academic writing.
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Handout
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Purdue University Owl: Writing Essays for Exams

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This handout provides a comprehensive look at writing essays for exams including what a well-written answer to an essay exam question includes, a step-by-step decription of how to write an effective essay exam, an explanation of patterns...
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Activity
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writer's Model: Compare and Contrast Example 1

For Students 9th - 10th
This three-page essay provides an example of an comparison/contrast essay. Clicking on the "Writer's Guide" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page enables the user to get tips, directions, and explanations on the essay.
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Unknown Type
English for Everyone

Reading Comprehension Assessment: "A Streetcar Named Desire" [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Read Theory provides a free reading comprehension assessment that is designed for middle grade students. Five multiple choice questions and two extended inquiries are included on this nonfiction reading assessment that addresses two...
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Handout
Grammarly

Grammarly Handbook: Comparison and Contrast

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This Grammarly Handbook resource provides examples of paragraphs that are arranged by the comparison and contrast organizational structure.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Teaching the Compare and Contrast Essay Through Modeling

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Contains plans for three lessons that teach young scholars how to write comparison contrast essays after modeling the form to them. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the...
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Context Clues Intro

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart discusses context clues and how they are used to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. There is sufficient material for several lessons on this topic. Included are activities and...
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PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Parallel Structure in Pairs

For Students 9th - 10th
This lesson discusses the importance of parallel construction in pairs and comparisons or contrasts. This tutorial lesson shares a short slideshow with the lesson's content.
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Unit Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Snowflake Bentley

For Students 1st - 3rd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this ReadWorks read aloud lesson, students will describe Bentley's environment and his interactions with it. Students will evaluate the impact a person's environment can have on life. Then students...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Telephones: Then and Now

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This short literary text passage is about how telephones have changed over the years. This passage is intended for guided practice and is designed to reinforce essential reading comprehension skills...
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Unit Plan
E Reading Worksheets

E Reading Worksheets: Text Structure Worksheets

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site provides several assignments and graphic organizers related to identifying text structures. Analyzing the following types of text structures are provided: main idea and supporting details; cause and effect; chronological order;...
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Graphic
Scholastic

Scholastic: Informational Text: Reading Response: Compare Contrast [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
This graphic organizer can be used as a response to informational texts. Students will write two topics from their informational text as a during or post-reading activity. Under each topic, students will list similarities and differences...
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Graphic
Scholastic

Scholastic: Informational Text: Reading Response: Compare Contrast [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
This graphic organizer can be use with students when they read an informational text. Using a Venn diagram to organize content, students will write important similarities and differences after reading an informational text and analyzing...
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Unit Plan
E Reading Worksheets

E Reading Worksheets: Text Structure Activities

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Numerous links related to analyzing text structures are provided on this site. Lesson plans, PowerPoint slides, graphic organizers, rubrics, and quizzes related to text structures are also provided to support students while analyzing...
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Whose Piece Is Larger?

For Teachers 4th Standards
Fourth graders are always concerned about whether they get their equal piece when things are divided. In this instructional activity, 4th graders will use fraction bars to visually see how to compare fractions
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Activity
Harvey Mudd College

Claremont Colleges: Writing an Argument

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Brief handout describing different forms of argument for writing.
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Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Compare and Contrast [Pdf]

For Students 2nd - 8th Standards
This graphic organizer includes a Venn Diagram. Students will then answer a guiding question to synthesize the information on the Venn Diagram.
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Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Compara Y Contrasta [Pdf]

For Students 2nd - 8th Standards
Students will compare and contrast information with the aid of this Venn Diagram that has been translated into Spanish. Students will answer a guiding question to help them summarize the content of the diagram.