Curated OER
Environment: The Haves and the Have Nots
Students examine consumption habits in developed and developing countries and determine their effects on natural resources. In groups, they assess graphs on the Living Planet Report and observe the connection between consumption and...
Curated OER
Inspire a Life of Reading
Making letters out of goop, sight word bingo, tic-tac-toe vowels. Download this packet loaded with activities designed to engage beginning readers. Although designed for adults, many of the activities are appropriate for any...
Originator
Endless Alphabet
Engage emergent readers with colorful monster animations as they practice sound-letter correspondence, develop phonemic awareness, and gain new vocabulary.
Great Books Foundation
Discussion Guide for 1984
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, can seem strangely prophetic when compared to modern news events and politics. Readers of Orwell's dystopian classic sharpen their critical thinking skills by engaging in...
Curated OER
Effective Letter Writing
Students explore letter writing. In this persuasive writing lesson, students write a letter to a local organization based on a topic of their choice. Students employ the correct letter writing procedure as outlined in the...
Curated OER
It's Debatable!
Students examine the basic elements and vocabulary of debating. They research an issue and write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, and role-play a Parliamentary debate on a particular bill.
Curated OER
Civil Rights after MLK and RFK
Students are assigned to groups representing minority populations who produce a research project in a digital format from the list. A few of the choices are: speech, letter to the editor, editorial cartoon, etc.
Curated OER
The Great Depression and Now: The Migrant Worker Experience
Students identify the concerns of people caught in desperate times during the Great Depression. They make connections between The Grapes of Wrath and historical images from the Great Depression. Students make connections between the...
Curated OER
Newspapers
Students create a class newspaper about the Olympics. In this newspaper lesson, students discuss the basic characteristics of each component of the newspaper. Students work in small groups to complete stations on cartoons,...
Curated OER
A New Spin on Letter Writing Lessons
Letter writing lessons can provide a way to introduce students to this important mode of communication.
Curated OER
Earth Day Lessons With The Right Stuff
Earth Day lessons provide a great way to teach students about the significance of the event, and how they can make a difference.
Curated OER
In My Honest Opinion
Students explore the function of letters to the editor for both a newspaper and its readers. They select a current event about which he or she feels strongly, reads a related New York Times article and responds to it in a letter to the...
Curated OER
What Did You Say?
Twelfth graders identify main ideas in reading selections. They read newspaper letters to the editor, identify the main ideas, list the supporting details, and present each side of the issue to the class.
Curated OER
Writing Letters for Human Rights
Students draft and edit a letter regarding human rights. They work in groups to select a cause, follow basic letter writing guidelines and draft a persuasive letter expressing their concerns. Students can also send the letters to a...
Curated OER
Letter of Complaint
Young scholars compose letters of complaint. In this written communication lesson, students read sample letters of complaint and use the provided graphic organizer to analyze them.
Curated OER
Letter of Complaint
Students write letters of complaint. In this written communication lesson, students use the active voice to compose letters of complaint to selected audiences.
Curated OER
Basic Letter Response to a Writing Prompt
Students respond to a writing prompt using appropriate letter format. In this letter writing lesson, students discuss the format for letter writing and use the worksheet format to write the heading, inside address, and salutation....
Curated OER
Loyalists
Students explain why some colonists remained loyal to England during the American revolution. In this social studies lesson, students write a letter to an editor about their reasons for remaining loyal to England.
Curated OER
Bird Interdisciplinary Possibilities
Students explore birds, their territory, breeding, and seasonal movement. They research and collect information on birds through writing letters to ornithologists, reading in books, comparing web sites, and observing pictures. Students...
Jefferson County Schools
Teaching Persuasive Reading and Writing
With the increasing emphasis on persuasive and argumentative writing, the lessons and strategies in the sample unit are sure to prove valuable—whether you are new to or an experienced pro at teaching persuasive reading and writing.
Curated OER
Serving Memory
Students read an article about a woman who lost her fiance in Iraq. Reading a letter he left his son, they discuss how his words will affect his son once he is old enough to understand. They research the number of casualties in the war...
Curated OER
The Ancient Times
Students create a newspaper sharing stories of Cleopatra before her death. They use the internet to research information about her and the time in which she lived. They share their newspaper articles with others.
Curated OER
A Slave No More
Students discover what it was like to cross into freedom. In this slavery lesson, students read the "Emancipation Proclamation," and letters written by Abraham Lincoln and John Washington (a former slave). Students identify the key ideas...
Curated OER
The Writing Process
Young scholars engage in the various steps involved in the writing process. The lesson plan is written as a guide for the teacher to write more in depth lesson plans for specific activities. This is a good model plan to follow.