Curated OER
Examining Secondary Sources: The American Revolution
Learners who have a grasp on the events of the Revolutionary war view clips from five different films as secondary sources. They take notes on each clip thinking about historic inaccuracies. They then view parts of the film The Patriot...
Curated OER
Argumentation and Logic
Students recognize inductive and deductive reasoning and analyze common fallacies in critical thinking. In this argumentation and logic lesson, students use role playing activities and specific instances of inductive and deductive...
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 3-5
Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...
EngageNY
Selecting Evidence to Logically Support Claims
It's time to make a rule sandwich! After exploring the writing assignment's rubric and analyzing a model essay, learners are guided through the prewriting phase using the sandwich technique. Pupils create their sandwich addressing the...
College Board
2014 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions
For some students, college may not be worth the cost. Free-response questions from the 2014 AP® English Language and Composition exam cover a variety of topics, including the value of a college education. Writers review six sources to...
College Board
2011 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions
Mammals can be carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores, but what about locavores? A set of free-response questions from the 2011 AP® English Language and Composition exam introduces test-takers to the term, which describes people who try...
College Board
2010 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions Form B
Although the United States observes Daylight Savings Time, many countries decided against it. A free-response question, part of a set of sample questions from the 2010 AP® English Language and Composition exam, has writers consider the...
New York State Education Department
English Language Arts Examination: January 2016
An English Language Arts exam contains 24 multiple-choice questions that individuals answer after reading informational and literary passages. Scholars then write a source-based argument and text-analysis response.
Curated OER
Writing Persuasion Papers: Thesis Statement
Using a "Hamburger" essay outline and actual hamburger buns, you will demonstrate the role a thesis plays in a persuasive essay. This is a simplistic visual representation of how an argumentative paper should be composed and not an...
Curated OER
Writing a Speech
In this writing a speech instructional activity, students will read two paragraphs from a speech, then match 16 descriptions of parts of a speech with a phrase or sentence in the speech by drawing a line from the description to the text.
K20 LEARN
Building Arguments With Evidence: Constructing Arguments Part 2
The second session in the two-part "Building Arguments with Evidence" lesson asks scholars to craft an argument essay on a topic of interest to them. Writers establish a claim, locate evidence, and justify their stance.
Simon & Schuster
Classroom Activities for Emma by Jane Austen
Coldhearted snob or warm and caring? A series of activities prepares scholars to evaluate the main character in Jane Austen's Emma. To begin, class members compare the gender expectations for women in Regency England and those of today....
Simon & Schuster
Classroom Activities for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
A curriculum guide for Jane Eyre focuses on Charlotte Bronte's portrayal of women. Readers engage in three activities that prepare them for an essay in which they argue whether the novel is a work of female rebellion or affirms...
Anti-Defamation League
What Is the Dream Act and Who Are the Dreamers?
The DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) is the focus of a lesson that asks high schoolers to investigate the act's provisions and read statements by individuals who support and oppose the act. They then...
New York State Education Department
English Language Arts Examination: June 2017
Plants prefer classical music to rock and roll. That's one of the claims in an informational passage that makes up part of a set of standardized assessment questions. The set is part of a larger collection of English language arts tests...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 23
In "How We Researched and Wrote this Book," the final essay in Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, authors Aronson and Budhos discuss their research methods and purpose in writing the text....
Aspen Institute
The Voice That Challenged a Nation
Included here are step-by-step instructions for conducting a close reading of The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman. After an individual and class reading, class members read carefully through the text excerpt,...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Why are Cartoonists Vital to Democracy
A thought-provoking activity doesn't prompt learners to analyze a political cartoon, but rather the importance of political cartoonists in general. They work together and discuss the role cartoonists play in the democratic system. Use...
Anti-Defamation League
Sexism and the Presidential Election
Young historians investigate how sexism impacted the 2020 United States presidential election. They examine media coverage of the six women candidates, engage in a four-corners debate reacting to statements about gender and the...
University of Delaware
Constructing Text-Based Arguments About Social Issues
Eighth graders take a stand on a variety of controversial topics with a lesson on argumentative writing. As they view an informative presentation and work with collaborative groups, they decide which side of each argument they want to...
Pearson
Performance-Based Assessment Practice Test (Grade 7 ELA/Literacy)
Give your class a taste of the Common Core with a practice test that includes both literary and informational reading passages. Pupils respond to related multiple choice questions and longer written response questions. See the materials...
College Board
2007 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions
Looking to stretch the minds of your scholars? The 2007 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response
Questions offer readers the opportunity to respond to reading at a higher level than many other high school resources. Writers...
New York City Department of Education
Grade 11 Literacy in Social Studies: Research Paper
The lesson guides young academics through the steps in producing a 10-page research paper on any topic in American history. Historians begin by formulating a thesis and gathering resources, then move on to creating an outline, and end...
College Board
2012 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions
Neither rain nor snow nor heat nor gloom may keep postal workers from delivering the mail, but is their livelihood sustainable? A question about the USPS makes up one of the three items in a series of free-response questions from the...