This downloadable resource developed by Jamie Jacobs and edited by Karen Almond will engage students in comparing and contrasting two sets of paired informational passages. Students will compare and contrast articles about coyotes and...

Dlugen presents a detailed collection of tips to observe when critiquing others' speeches. This skill is critical in improving individual presentation abilities. SL.9-10.3 Eval Presentation. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.3, SL.9-10.3 Eval...

Ten useful ideas for making oral presentations more effective and interesting. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4

Provides a number of questions that students can ask themselves about a literary passage when doing a "Close Reading" and following this with an organized piece of writing. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5

Using complex language, including rich descriptors, is necessary for mastery of the CCSS Standards. This lesson is a great lesson in using adjectives to enrich speaking and writing. Included are a video demonstration and printable...

An excellent tip sheet for using brainstorming techniques for writing research papers. It also gives great examples of factual and interpretive questions. It also provides links to very helpful tip sheets with examples and a worksheet...

This guide is written for college students, but should be very useful for upper level high school students as well. The writer first describes fourteen steps to take in doing a close reading, then provides six pieces of advice on how to...

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...

On this website you will find information, two presentations, and a practice worksheet explaining how to decide the audience of a written piece and how to appeal to an intended or general audience in an original text....

This lesson focuses on evaluating the connotation of a vocabulary word. It defines connotation and gives an example. It details three steps: read the word in context, determine the tone of the overall reading, and compare the tone with...

In this slideshow tutorial, students will review how to write an argument paper. Students will review the parts of the argument paper, which include the thesis, claim, support, and counterarguments. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1, W.11-12.1a...

Get an example of how to identify an author's main idea in a text on this site. Also, learn how to recognize supporting ideas to main ideas presented in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2

Read a passage from a story to determine who is the narrator and what is the narrator's point of view. An additional practice exercise is available. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6

[Free Registration/Login Required] Choose from a variety of worksheets to reinforce the common core standard of describing people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

Excellent site outlining each step for Internet research at the middle school and secondary levels. This site focuses on a variety of information literacy topics, from how to research, find and evaluate information, and cite sources....

This Center for Urban Education resource provides a downloadable graphic organizer designed for comparing and contrasting nonfiction articles.

Excellent site outlining each step for Internet research for grades 6-12. This site focuses on writing a research paper from selecting a topic through to the final paper. Click on Cite My Sources to get the electronic citation machines....

Get the feel of running a newspaper by selecting articles and pictures. If you are interested in checking out real newspapers, there is a clickable list of online newspapers for younger readers.

This graphic organizer contains questions for students as they analyze any nonfiction text. Students will read closely to determine the text's structure, viewpoint, and tone. This graphic organizer is a copyrighted material that may be...

During this 8-day unit, students will engage in collecting text evidence and then writing about their findings. They will answer the following question with credible, well-explained evidence: Why did Andrew Jackson and Elias Boudinot...

A slide show with forty slides with explanations, examples, and information on how to determine the theme of a text. RL.9-10.2 and RL.11-12.2 Analyzing Theme.

Four steps is all it takes to get DNA out of a variety of living things. The requirements include a blender, meat tenderizer, isopropyl alcohol, and a test tube. Sources of DNA include but are not limited to split peas, strawberries,...

This site provides tips and activities to help students develop voice in their writing. The tips are brief and direct and, if followed, should help a writer improve both voice and confidence.

[Free Registration/Login Required] In this series of activities, students will compare Sojouner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech". Students will look at literal and implied...