+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing a Letter to the Editor

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students identify the main elements/structure of a letter to the editor. They brainstorm for thoughts and opinions on a specific topic and write a first draft of a letter to an editor of a newspaper. They give each other preliminary...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Options for Affecting Public Policy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Letter-writing, e-mail and telephone campaigns, petitions, marches, meetings, with lawmakers. Options for influencing elected representatives are the focus of resource that details how to craft each of these approaches to influencing...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Safe Drinking Water Foundation

Making a Difference

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
After learning about the effects of water pollution, your class will discuss ways to make people in their community aware of the importance of water conservation. Then, your young environmentalists will write a letter to the local...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The American Revolution: Moving West and South

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine several letters to the editor from both a local newspaper and national newspapers. After reviewing current letters, they write a letter to the editor of an 18th-century newspaper expressing their opinion about the...
+
Assessment
1
1
Balanced Assessment

Presidential Popularity

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Media often misrepresent data and statistics to their advantage. This lesson asks scholars to analyze an article with misleading statistics. They use margin of error and mean data in their studies. Once they complete their analysis,...
+
Lesson Plan
Dream of a Nation

Read, Watch, Write for Pathos, Logos and Ethos

For Teachers 9th Standards
Encourage your young citizens to make a difference. Using Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America as a starting point, class members watch documentaries, investigate issues, and then write letters to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Write On!

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Help empower your class by learning about the editorial section of the newspaper. They will have the option to also write to a politician. The goal is to teach students how to speak-up and express their opinions on important issues....
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

A New York Rioter Explains His Opposition to the Draft

For Students 9th - 12th
In this primary source analysis instructional activity, students analyze a letter from a New York rioter over the Conscription Act. Students respond to 3 short answer questions about the letter to the editor of the New York Times.
+
Writing
1
1
Carolina K-12

Compulsory Voting

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Should voting in the United States be compulsory? In 2004, fewer than 60 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the American national elections. After reviewing arguments for and against compulsory voting, your young citizens will...
+
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Lincoln and the Republicans: The Cause of the War?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In today's political rhetoric, many forget the pivotal role the Republican Party played in the causes of the Civil War. The party's formation was the final straw for Southerners who saw the enslavement of people of African descent a...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

The Boston Massacre: You Be the Judge!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The importance of considering multiple perspectives of the same event is the big idea in this exercise that focuses on the Boston Massacre. Class groups examine photos of four depictions of the massacre, an English and an American...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Power of the Pen

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the personal and historical significance of journals, analyze the issues raised in a N.Y. Times article regarding Anne Frank's diary, and evaluate a Letter to the Editor written in response to the article.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Your Opinion

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students view "Inkheart: Speak Your Mind" by Cornelia Funke. They read several letters to the editor of a local newspaper and underline the 'opinion' portions of the letters. They discover how a literary selection can expand personal...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letter Writing Basics

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students write a business letter with information regarding specific writing mechanics. In this writing instructional activity, students learn to write a business letter and they focus on one area of concern. Students follow a business...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuasive Letter Writing

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students write a persuasive letter.  In this persuasive letter writing lesson, students review the standard business form letter and the elements included.  Students discuss ways to persuade in writing and write a short letter persuading...
+
Assessment
Bowland

Public Transport

For Teachers 6th - 9th
"Statistics is the grammar of science" -Karl Pearson. In the assessment task, learners read a claim made by a newspaper and analyze its conclusions. They need to think about the sample and the wording of the given statistics.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Editor Travels U.S. Fixing Errors on Signs

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
An interesting article on editors helps young writers understand the conventions of written English. They read a news article about an editor traveling America correcting spelling and punctuation errors on signs.  They discuss proper...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
C-SPAN

Electoral College Pros/Cons and Alternatives

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
If every vote counts, why do we need the electoral college? Middle and high schoolers study the Constitutional precedent of the electoral college, as well as its place in historical and modern elections, with an engaging social studies...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modern Day Pen Pals, Connecting Our Art Room to the Rest of the World!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Initiate an international pen pal program! After establishing communication with an art class in another country, groups share pod casts and video streams of their work. The scripted resource details how to prepare for the pod casts, but...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not Getting the News about the Stamp Act

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
How did American colonists react to the Stamp Act of 1765? Your young historians will examine primary source material by reading excerpts from a transcription of the Pennsylvania Gazette and then identifying the sentiments expressed by...
+
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Montgomery Bus Boycott: We Would Rather Walk!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Have historians use primary sources to learn about the circumstances and implementation of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and think about the issue of boycotts as a means of effecting social change. Wrap it up with a letter to the editor...
+
Unit Plan
Digital Commons

Convince Me! A Persuasive Writing Unit for 2nd Grade

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
Elementary learners are not often shy about expressing what they want, but they could use a little help organizing their arguments. Help young writers work through a series of persuasive writing exercises that emphasize the importance of...
+
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Continuity or Change? African Americans in World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While World War II was a pivotal moment in history, historians debate its importance to the civil rights movement. Class members consider the implications of segregation and the war using a series of documents and a jigsaw activity....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cat Study Article

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners write a letter to the editor of USA Today. In this letter writing lesson plan, students read a newspaper article about cats and consider a dog or cat's view on current events. Learners reflect this perspective in their letters.

Other popular searches