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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Purpose and Power of Persuasion

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Examine the power of persuasion and have learners consider how it influences events in their own lives. After reading and analyzing informational texts to understand the author's purpose, class members take a written test and craft a...
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Writing
Polk County Public Schools

The Blame Game for the Loss at Pearl Harbor

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Known as the day that will live in infamy, the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was a shock to all. But why was the United States unprepared on that December morning? Study a series of primary sources in a document-based question that...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Writing An Argumentative Paragraph: Argumentative Writing

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Learning how to craft a cogent argument based on a solid claim, supported with evidence and solid reasoning, is an important life skill. Teach middle schoolers about argumentative writing with a lesson plan asking them to analyze the...
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Lesson Plan
4
4
Curated OER

Persuasion as Text: Organizational, Grammatical, and Lexical Moves in Barbara Jordan’s "All Together Now"

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
A thorough lesson on persuasive writing takes middle schoolers through several activities, including group discussion, collaborative posters, and independent writing. They compare historical speeches and analyze the persuasive techniques...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expressing Your Views to the Letter

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Analyze the motivation, purpose, and value of letters to the editor by examining letters written in response to the violence at Columbine High School. For homework, middle and high schoolers write their own letters to the editor about an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Charles Darwin Meets John Paul II

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
If you teach AP English language and composition and are looking for a way to address the differences between written and spoken arguments, consider this lesson. Over the course of three days, class members research Charles Darwin or...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Diving into Iceland's Genetic Pool

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Investigate ethical issues surrounding the Decode project in Iceland. Middle and high schoolers take the positions of the Icelandic government, scientific researchers, and citizens and defend or refute the Decode project in a Reykjavik...
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Lesson Plan
The New York Times

I Don’t Think So: Writing Effective Counterarguments

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When it comes to writing effective arguments, writers must do more than simply make a claim, counterarguments must be considered. Aspiring writers analyze counterarguments in editorials, and then learn how to write counterarguments in...
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PPT
National Humanities Center

Teaching Emily Dickinson: A Common Core Close Reading Seminar

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Three of Emily Dickinson's poems, "I like to see it," "Because I could not stop for Death," and "We grow accustomed to the Dark," provide instructors with an opportunity to model for class members how to use close reading strategies to...
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Unit Plan
5
5
Santa Ana Unified School District

The Power of Point of View

For Teachers 7th Standards
Sometimes a whole story can change based on the perspective of the person telling it. Practice identifying and analyzing point of view in various reading passages and writing assignments with a language arts packet, complete with Common...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Persuasion Portfolios

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry: An investigation of Life

For Teachers 11th - 12th
AP English Language and Composition requires that class members be able to formulate an argument and support it. Use this resource to focus on the life of Emily Dickinson. It requires individuals to research her life and make inferences...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Supreme Court Decisions on Freedom of Religion

For Teachers 11th Standards
What does freedom of religion mean? Analyze a series of Supreme Court cases where the First Amendment right to freedom of religion was put to the test. They discuss the cases' outcomes and argue whether the right decision was made....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cooperative Jigsaw Expert Report of Fables

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research literary elements of fables. In this literature lesson, students analyze literary elements of fables. Students work collaboratively using a jigsaw strategy to analyze literary elements.
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Nonfiction Genre Mini-Unit: Persuasive Writing

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.
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Website
University of North Carolina

Audience

For Students 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Challenging pupils' perspectives by having them walk in the shoes of the reader. An informative resource discusses how to identify an audience and anticipate their needs before writing an upcoming argumentative essay. 
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.5: Structure of an Argument

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Imagine a cross-curricular project that not only rewards learners for examining the textbooks used in their other classes but builds literacy skills as well! Groups compare the formats and writing style in their various textbooks. Teams...
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Activity
2
2
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program

The Columnist Project

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Imagine a list that includes Alan Abelson of Baron's, Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, and Mother Jones. High schoolers select a national columnist, read and annotate five columns by this author, noting the rhetorical strategies,...
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Unit Plan
Los Angeles Unified School District

Capitalism and Socialism

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Capitalism, socialism, communism ... these may seem like a whole bunch of isms to your scholars. High schoolers won't  confuse them after completing an informative resource. Your class masters how to use primary sources to critically...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the need for a national library. In this Library of Congress lesson, students analyze primary sources to investigate the persuasive techniques that Thomas Jefferson used in a letter meant to show his support of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Television CensorChip

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Explore the current television rating system, its content descriptors, and the new V-chip technology that more readily allow parents to control their child's television viewing. Help learners develop a survey that will determine the pros...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adolescent Sleep

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners 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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Slavery

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The emotional and spiritual oppression of slavery in the African-American experience is the focus of this instructional activity. Middle schoolers analyze various texts by Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou related to freedom and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Media and Censorship

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers form opinions about children and television censorship after analyzing literature. They complete a journal writing activity to identify the topic and make a list of inappropriate television shows for children. Next, they...