Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing the Essay

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Relate the structure of the essay to the structure of a building. The class compares an essay to a building, with the writer being the architect, the introduction being the foundation, and so on. They use the visual representation of a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading and Writing Arguments

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Should schools continue to teach cursive writing? After reading and considering the merits of a series of arguments on both sides of this proposition, class members choose a side of the issue and craft their own argument, drawing support...
Handout
Curated OER

Thesis Statement + Projected Plan = Introduction

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Set up your writers for writing strong introductions with a formula for putting together supported thesis statements. This reference page breaks the process down and provides an example of how to compose a thesis statement, develop a...
Activity
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Focus on writing argument essays with your high schoolers. The lesson suggested here focuses on The Jungle, by Sinclair Lewis; however, the idea could be adapted for other texts. Check out the quick quiz provided at the end of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tell Us All: Tools for Integrating Math and Engineering

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What a scam! Middle and high schoolers pose as journalists exposing consumer fraud. For this lesson, they write an article for a magazine using data collected during previous investigations (prior lessons) to defend their findings that a...
Activity
Curated OER

Express Yourself Lesson Seed 19: Synthesis

For Teachers 6th Standards
Wrap up your unit on The Cay with an engaging argumentative writing assignment. Writers must decide if they believe The Cay should be banned. The resource includes links to several articles, which have been addressed and examined in...
Worksheet
Great Schools

Letter of Complaint

For Students 4th Standards
If you've ever received bad service or disagreed with a company's decision, writing a letter of complaint might be a good skill to have. Review the format of a letter, author's purpose, and other aspects of persuasive writing with an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hamlet's State of Mind

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Analyze various excerpts from Hamlet and read articles to develop an argument about his sanity. Middle and high schoolers write an argument essay defending whether or not they believe Hamlet is insane. You could modify this assignment...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You and the Military

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Do military recruiters plan to visit your campus? If so, the visit presents an opportunity for class members to engage in a series of action projects. Class members interview recruiters, propose a PTA meeting to discuss the pros and cons...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Do You Prefer Your Children's Book Characters Obedient or Contrary? Opinion Writing

For Students 9th - 12th
With this New York Times "Learning Network" exercise, high schoolers read an article about the death of Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are and then respond to several prompts that require them to shape their own opinions...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading a Classic Novel

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Charles Dickens offers an excellent example of sensory writing in this reading comprehension worksheet. Learners read excerpts from the novel Hard Times in which he describes the New England industrial city of Coketown. They...
Lesson Plan
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The New York Times

Looking for Answers: Making Sense of the Boston Marathon Bombing

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How should America respond to acts of domestic terrorism? What motivates or prompts a terrorist attack? After reading an opinion piece on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, your learners will critically analyze factors that could have...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Death Sentence Remains A Question

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Examine the results of recent opinion polls on where people stand on the issue of the death penalty. In groups, middle schoolers examine various cases dealing with this issue and discuss the judgments. They write their own argument for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Gun Control Politics: A Whimper, Not a Bang

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using an article from The New York Times, students answer discussion questions about gun control. They are divided into four groups to research different standpoints on gun control, including the Executive Office, Congress, Gun...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Group Product-Pitch Presentation

For Teachers K - 12th
Are you just about to teach persuasion in your class? If so, you should consider this short unit. In small groups, learners create a product, develop a magazine ad for the product, and pitch this product to the class using a visual...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing Jane Eyre

For Teachers 8th - 12th
"How can a magazine reflect a particular time and culture?" Using this prompt, your class explores the Victorian Era as it relates to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. They can also play the "Victorian Women's Rights" game for the year 1840...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summer of the Monkeys

For Teachers 6th - 8th
While reading the book Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls, the class ties together the core reading objectives, which are making predictions, comprehending new information, reading for author's purpose, independence in reading,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dig In

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars identify where vegetables originate from. In this agriculture lesson, students use a search engine to find out where certain vegetables originate from. Young scholars plot the information onto a world map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Inventions

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders develop ideas for an invention and write a persuasive essay explaining why their invention is best. In this invention essay lesson, 9th graders review persuasive essay writing. Students create a graphic web for an original...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating a Persuasive Travel Brochure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers create a county and develop an illustrated travel brochure to persuade elementary students to visit their county.  In this persuasive writing lesson, middle schoolers use descriptive language effectively in a travel...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Georgia Performance Standards Framework for ELA Unit 3-7th Grade

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore persuasive writing using the city life and the country life as focus topics. In this persuasion lesson, 7th graders read "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" in an attempt to determine the pros and cons of both...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Movie Poster: Persuasive Text

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers create movie posters based upon short stories they've recently read.  In this persuasive writing lesson students analyze a poster that  is intended to persuade people to want to see the movie and convince...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Language Arts: Two Specific Documents

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are able to read and analyze the essential parts of two specific types of documents, the informed consent document and the position paper, used by scientists to communicate information about their research to two different kinds...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Women of the Twenties and The Great Gatsby

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research social elements of the 1920s.  In this persuasive writing lesson, students make comparisons between women of the 1920s and women in the 21st century.  They work in small groups to discuss the women in The...

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