Curated OER
CTBS Mechanics Practice #1
Use this CTBS mechanics worksheet to reinforce the correct use of commas, punctuation, italics, letter writing, and capitalization. Middle schoolers are given information on each of these areas and then answer a total of thirty multiple...
Curated OER
New Gun Control Politics: A Whimper, Not a Bang
Using an article from The New York Times, students answer discussion questions about gun control. They are divided into four groups to research different standpoints on gun control, including the Executive Office, Congress, Gun Control...
Curated OER
Creating a Literary Magazine - Part Two
Poetry can provide a great way to get a literary magazine going at your school.
Newspaper Association of America
Press Ahead!
Give class members some great news! A media unit teaches individuals about ethics, parts of a newspaper, business writing, photojournalism, and more topics that have to do with the press. Full of material for a variety of learners,...
Curated OER
Creating a Classroom Magazine
Second graders examine different types of magazine writing, and discuss how to develop topics into information that is suitable for short magazine articles. They write, edit, and compose a monthly classroom magazine.
Curated OER
Imaginary Wealth and a Magazine Article
Students explore economics by writing a fictitious news article. In this personal wealth lesson plan, students participate in a role-playing activity in which the year is 2025 and they must write an article about their extremely wealthy...
Curated OER
Creative Writing Prompt - New Inventions
In this creative writing activity, learners pretend they are writing and illustrating an article for "New Inventions Magazine." They label the new weekly invention, draw it and write an entry about it.
University of North Carolina
Evaluating Print Sources
Not all sources are created equal, so how do you evaluate them? Writers learn how to evaluate print sources based on elements such as audience, tone, and argument in the sixth handout of 24 in the Writing the Paper series from the...
Curated OER
Cat Study Article
Young scholars 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. Young scholars reflect this perspective in...
Curated OER
Writing: Parallel Structure
In this writing with parallel structure activity, students examine 20 sentences and note whether they are correctly or incorrectly written in terms of parallel structure.
Curated OER
Outlining Main Ideas and Details
Begin at the end. Present your class with an expository essay and ask them to create an outline of the article, paying particular attention to the main ideas and the details supporting these ideas. After a discussion of what they have...
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast Nonfiction Texts
Explore nonfiction writing by comparing and contrasting two different texts. After reading two nonfiction books, articles, or magazines, students utilize a graphic organizer to record their similarities and differences. They answer study...
For the Teachers
Fact vs. Opinion
Many informational texts are written as factual, but can your learners determine when an opinion is presented as fact? Have your kids read several articles on the same topic and record the statements that contain either facts or...
Curated OER
Real Women, Real Beauty
What is beauty? Moana Uluave, a scholar at Brigham Young University, writes on the subject as a Tongan living in America. After reading her article class members respond to four short-answer comprehension questions.
Curated OER
"I Spy": Using Adjectives and Descriptive Phrases
Students define adjectives and use adjectives and descriptive phrases to write a descriptive paragraph. They write a description of a sensory item, and read and discuss a five senses chart. Students then complete a chart using adjectives...
Newseum
Journalists Code of Ethics
Journalists are supposed to adhere to a Code of Ethics. To determine the degree to which reporters follow this code, individuals select three recent stories with photographs from newspapers, magazines, online news sites, or television...
Curated OER
Creating Bloggers
Blogs provide the motivation for this richly detailed writing instructional activity. After viewing blogs on various websites, class members pick topics, create a blog, and post an entry. Your bloggers then evaluate their work using...
University of North Carolina
Paragraph Development
There's no set length for a good paragraph, but the short block of text should contain key components. A handout on paragraphs, the 12th in a series of 24, outlines a five-step process for paragraph development. Additionally, the handout...
Curated OER
BBC Learning English, Writing
In this proofreading worksheet, students correctly rewrite a passage that contains paragraph, spelling, and punctuation mistakes.
Curated OER
Using a Magazine/Non-Fiction Texts
Working with magazine articles and other informational texts, middle schoolers identify the parts of a non-fiction work. The learners use SMART board files to guide instruction, as well as a transition to writing their own non-fiction...
Curated OER
Persuasive Essays
Follow this outline to write persuasive essays with your 11th grade college prep classes. Using the internet, they research a topic, citing their sources correctly. They work with a partner to peer edit their rough drafts, checking for...
Curated OER
Rain Forest Reporters
Students research and write articles for an imaginary scientific magazine about rain forests. In this rain forest activity, students research both ecosystems and magazine writing styles. They act as reporters and editors of their own...
Curated OER
Students in Article Writing Shocker!
Students examine newspapers to identify the most interesting stories. They discuss the purpose of a headline and complete a worksheet. They write a paper on the differences of writing for different types of publications.
Curated OER
Journal Assignment Directions
In this journalism analysis worksheet, students choose and editorial article and analyze the content. Students will write articles with a minimum of 350 words.